Research methods: questionnaires Flashcards
(32 cards)
What are the practical advantages of questionnaires
- Quick and cheap way of gathering large amounts of data, widely spread geographically
- There is no need to recruit or train interviewers to collect the data
- The data is usually easy to quantify as pre-coded, closed questions are used
How can Dawson be used to support the idea that questionnaires are quick and cheap
She posted 4000 questionnaires to students at 14 higher education institutions around the country in a study of the factors influencing the decisions of working class students to go to university
What makes questionnaires reliable
- When research is repeated a questionnaire identical to the original one is used so the respondents are asked exactly the same questions in the same order with the same choice of answers
- With postal or online questionnaires, unlike interviews, there is no researcher present to influence the respondents answers (social desirability)
What are the advantages of questionnaires
- Quick and cheap
- No need to recruit or train interviewers
- Data is easy to quantify
- A reliable method of collecting data
- Allows comparisons
- Useful for hypothesis testing about cause and effect relationships
- Detached and objective
- Often representative of the wider population
- Have fewer ethical issues
What is the impact of questionnaires being reliable
Allows comparisons over time and between different societies
How are questionnaires useful for hypothesis testing
Analysing respondents answers could show a correlation
What do positivists think about questionnaires
- Positive
- Like the ability to identify possible causes
- Detached and objective
How is there detachment and objectivity with questionnaires
- Sociologists personal involvement with respondents is kept to a minimum
- Reduces social desirability
Why are questionnaires representative
- Results can be collected from a large number of people
- Researchers who use questionnaires tend to pay more attention to the need to obtain a representative sample
How do questionnaires not have many ethical issues
- Although they may ask intrusive questions, respondents are usually under no obligation to answer them
- However, researchers still need to gain informed consent and guarantee anonymity
What are disadvantages of questionnaires
- Low response rate
- Data tends to be limited and brief
- Sometimes incentives may be necessary
- Inflexible method
- They only give a picture of social reality at one moment in time
- Lack validity due to being detached
- Lying, forgetting or not understanding
- More likely to impose the researchers own meanings than reveal the respondents opinion
What is a practical problem with questionnaires
- Data tends to be limited and superficial as they need to be fairly brief, limiting the amount of information that can be gathered
- Sometimes incentives need to be used to encourage respondents to complete the form
- Cant be sure if the respondent has received the postal or online questionnaire
- Cant be sure if the questionnaire was completed by the right person
What is the problem with low response rates
- Few people who receive a questionnaire don’t complete or return it
-The low response rate will be from the same group e.g. full time workers and people with strong views are more likely to respond - Results will be unrepresentative so generalisations cant be made
How did Hites survey support the low response rate
Out of 100,000 questionnaires sent out, only 4.5% were returned
How are questionnaires inflexible
Once a questionnaire has been finalised, the researcher is stuck with the questions and cant explore any new areas of interest
Why is questionnaires being a snapshot a disadvantage
They fail to produce a fully valid picture because they do not capture peoples attitude and behaviour change
What do interpretivists such as Cicourel argue about data from questionnaires
Lack validity and dont give a true picture of what has been studied
Why is detachment a disadvantage of questionnaires
- There is no direct contact with the researcher and respondent
- There is no way to clarify meanings or deal with misunderstandings
What do interpretivists argue about the validity of questionnaires
Questionnaires impose the researchers own meanings
How do questionnaires impose the researchers own meanings
- By choosing what questions to ask the researcher has already decided what is important
- Using closed ended questions
- The use of open ended questions produce qualitative data which is subjective and similar answers may get lumped into the same category
What does Shipman say about the validity of questionnaires
When the researchers categories are not the respondents catefories, pruning and bending of the data is inevitable
What do sociologists use questionnaires to study
- Subject and university choice
- Bullying and the experience of schooling
- Achievement and school factors
- Parental attitudes to education
What is the operationalisation of concepts
Turning abstract ideas into a measurable form
Why is the operationalisation of concepts difficult when creating a questionnaire for pupils
Their grasp of abstract ideas is generally less than that of an adult so it may be difficult to turn sociological ideas into language pupils will understand
