Questionnaires

Question 1

What are questionnaires?

Answer 1

• written or self completed questionnaires which can be distributed to people at home and returned by post, emailed or collected on the spot e.g. in the classroom
• questions tend to be close ended with pre coded answers

Question 2

What are the practical advantages of using questionnaires?

Answer 2

• quick and cheap: Can be distributed to large numbers of students or schools (e.g., Rutter used questionnaires to collect large quantities of date from 12 inner London schools). > once allowed access
• Efficient for large samples: Especially useful in comparative studies (e.g., gender, ethnicity, class).
• Closed questions allow for easy quantification and statistical analysis (ideal for patterns in achievement).
• No need for interviewer: Reduces interviewer bias and saves time/resources.

Question 3

What are the practical disadvantages of using questionnaires?

Answer 3

• Low response rates: Especially among busy groups like teachers, or disinterested pupils. This reduces representativeness.
• Misunderstanding questions: Pupils with low literacy or ESL (English as a second language) may struggle, reducing validity.
• Cannot probe or clarify: No way to explore deeper meanings, e.g., why a student skips homework.
• may need to offer incentives which will add cost
• don’t know if respondents received if postal

Question 4

What are the ethical advantages of questionnaires?

Answer 4

• Anonymity and confidentiality can easily be guaranteed, which encourages honest answers on sensitive issues (e.g., bullying, truancy).
• Low risk of harm: Non-intrusive; participants answer at their own pace or not answer at all
• Easy to obtain informed consent, especially with older students or staff.

Question 5

What are the ethical disadvantages of questionnaires?

Answer 5

• Pressure to participate in school settings: pupils may feel they have to complete it, especially if distributed by teachers
• Sensitive topics (e.g., family background, poverty, mental health) may cause discomfort without chance to debrief
• Young children may not fully understand the purpose or implications of the research

Question 6

What are the theoretical advantages of questionnaires?

Answer 6

• Positivists support them: produce reliable, standardized, and quantitative data.
• Can help identify correlations and trends in educational performance (e.g., free school meals & achievement).
• High reliability: Because they’re structured, other researchers can replicate them
• can test hypothesis about cause and effect relationships

Question 7

What are the theoretical disadvantages of questionnaires?

Answer 7

• Interpretivists criticize them: lack depth, context, and understanding of meaning.
• Validity is low: People may lie, misunderstand, or give socially desirable answers (e.g., over-report revision).
  > only produces a snapshot of one moment in time > don’t capture how behaviours and attitudes change
• Questions reflect researcher’s assumptions and what they think is important – not the respondent’s lived experience. > validity issues
• can ask follow up questions