Chapter 9 How Do We Construct and Administer Surveys and Use Survey Data?

Question 1

Surveys

Answer 1

instruments used to collect important info from individuals

Question 2

Survey research firms

Answer 2

companies that specialize in the construction and administration of surveys and analysis of survey data

Question 3

Survey software

Answer 3

• commonly used software is hosted by the researchers themselves
• platforms to gey participants
• Qualtrics and surveymonkey

Question 4

survey researchers

Answer 4

people who design and conduct surveys and analyze their results

Question 5

scientific method

Answer 5

a process that scientists use to generate knowledge

Question 6

A good survey contains

Answer 6

• specific and measurable objectives
• simple questions that can be understood the same by most ppl
• have been pre-tested to ensure there are no fuzzy questions or incorrect jump patterns
• were administered to an adequate sample of respondents so that the results reflected the population of interest
• include the appropriate analysis to achieve the objectives
• include an accurate report of the results (both verbal and written)
• they have evidence of reliability and validity

Question 7

Experimental research techniques

Answer 7

• help us determine cause and effect
• dependent and independent variables

Question 8

descriptive research techniques

Answer 8

• helps us describe a situation or phenomenon
• majority of surveys

Question 9

decennial census survey

Answer 9

• a survey that is administered by the U.S. Census Bureau every 10 years, and in Canada every 5 years

Question 10

The scientific approach to constructing, administering, and using survey data

Answer 10

• preparing for the survey
• experts
• defining the objectives operationally
• constructing a plan

Question 11

Preparing for the survey -> Identifying the objectives

Answer 11

• survey objectives: the purpose of the survey and what the survey will measure
• literature reviews: systematic examinations of published and unpublished reports on a topic

Question 12

experts

Answer 12

individuals who are knowledgeable about the survey topic or who will be affected by the surveys outcomes

Question 13

defining the objectives operationally

Answer 13

operational definitions: specific behaviours that represent the purpose

Question 14

Constructing the the survey: selecting the type of survey

Answer 14

• self-administered surveys
• mail surveys
• individually administered surveys
• personal interviews

Question 15

Self administered surveys

Answer 15

are those that individuals complete themselves

Question 16

mail surveys

Answer 16

mailed to respondents with instructions for completing and returning them

Question 17

Individually administered surveys

Answer 17

administered by a facilitator in person for respondents to complete in the presence of the facilitator

Question 18

personal interviews

Answer 18

are surveys that involve direct contact between the survey researcher and the respondents in person or by phone

Question 19

writing survey questions: 2 ways

Answer 19

• structured record reviews: which are forms that guide data collection from existing records
• structured observations: which are forms that guide an observer in collecting behavioural information, are also considered to be surveys
• survey questions should be written at a comfortable ready level, aim for grade 6

Question 20

non sampling measurement errors

Answer 20

errors associated with the design and administration of the survey

Question 21

item non-response rate

Answer 21

the frequency in which an item other than question was not answered

Question 22

administering the survey

Answer 22

• selecting the appropriate respondents
• population: all members of the target audience
• sample: administering a survey to a representative subset of the population

Question 23

probability sampling

Answer 23

a type of sampling that uses statistics to ensure that a sample is representative of a population

Question 24

simple random sampling

Answer 24

every member go a population has an equal change of being chosen as a member of the sample

Question 25

cluster sampling

Answer 25

is used when it is not feasible to list all the individuals who belong to a particular population and is a method often used with surveys that have large target populations

Question 26

non probability sampling

Answer 26

is a type of sampling in which not everyone has an equal change of being selected from the population

Question 27

convenience sampling

Answer 27

the survey researcher uses any available group of participants to represent the population

Question 28

sample size

Answer 28

refers to the number of people needed to represent the target population accurately

Question 29

homogeneity of the population

Answer 29

how similar the people in your population are to one another

Question 30

sampling error

Answer 30

a statistic that reflects how much error can be attributed to the lack of representation of the target population by the sample of respondents chosen

Question 31

Database

Answer 31

a matrix in the form of a spreadsheet that shows the responses given by each participant and for each question in the survey

Question 32

response rate

Answer 32

the number of individuals who responded to the survey divided by the total number of individuals to whom the survey was sent

Question 33

univariate analyses

Answer 33

computation of statistics that summarize individual question responses

Question 34

presenting the findings

Answer 34

- outlining a report - ordering and determining the contents of a presentation - using slides and handouts

Question 35

survey reliability/precision

Answer 35

- random errors: are those that are unpredictable - measurement errors: are those that are associated with how a survey performs in a particular population