RESEARCH METHOD COHEN ok

340 QUESTIONNAIRES
indicate a return-by date
indicate any incentives for completing the
questionnaire
provide assurances of confidentiality,
anonymity and non-traceability
indication of how the results will and will not
be disseminated, and to whom
thank respondents in advance for their cooperation.
Verma and Mallick (1999: 122) suggest that,
where possible, it is useful to personalize the letter,
avoiding ‘Dear colleague’, ‘Dear Madam/Ms/Sir’
etc., and replacing these with exact names.
With these intentions in mind, the following
practices are to be recommended:
The appeal in the covering letter must be
tailored to suit the particular audience. Thus, a
survey of teachers might stress the importance
of the study to the profession as a whole.
Neither the use of prestigious signatories,
nor appeals to altruism, nor the addition of
handwritten postscripts affect response levels
to postal questionnaires.
The name of the sponsor or the organization
conducting the survey should appear on the
letterhead as well as in the body of the covering
letter.
A direct reference should be made to the
confidentiality of respondents’ answers and the
purposes of any serial numbers and codings
should be explained.
Apre-surveyletteradvisingrespondentsofthe
forthcoming questionnaire has been shown to
have substantial effect on response rates.
Ashortcoveringletterismosteffective;aimat
no more than one page. An example of a covering
letter for teachers and senior staff might be as
follows:
Dear Colleague,
IMPROVING SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS
We are asking you to take part in a project to
improve school effectiveness, by completing this
short research questionnaire. The project is part of
your school development, support management and
monitoring of school effectiveness, and the project
will facilitate a change management programme that
will be tailor-made for the school. This questionnaire
is seeking to identify the nature, strengths and
weaknesses of different aspects of your school,
particularly in respect of those aspects of the school
over which the school itself has some control. It
would be greatly appreciated if you would be involved
in this process by completing the sheets attached,
and returning them to me. Please be as truthful as
possible in completing the questionnaire.
You do not need to write your name, and no
individuals will be identified or traced from this, i.e.
confidentiality and anonymity are assured. If you wish
to discuss any aspects of the review or this document
please do not hesitate to contact me. I hope that you
will feel able to take part in this project.
Thank you.
Signed
Contact details (address, fax, telephone, email)
Another example might be:
Dear Colleague,
PROJECT ON CONDUCTING EDUCATIONAL
RESEARCH
Iamconductingasmall-scalepieceofresearchinto
issues facing researchers undertaking investigations in
education. The topic is very much under-researched
in education, and that is why I intend to explore the
area.
Iamaskingyoutobeinvolvedasyouyourselfhave
conducted empirical work as part of a Master’s or doctorate
degree. No one knows the practical problems
facing the educational researcher better than you.
The enclosed questionnaire forms part of my investigation.
May I invite you to spend a short time in its
completion
If you are willing to be involved, please complete the
questionnaire and return it to XXX by the end of