Unit 5

Question 1

What is a survey?

Answer 1

A systematic method to gather info on people’s attitudes, behaviors, opinions, and beliefs that can’t be directly observed

Question 2

When is a survey useful?

Answer 2

It’s perfect for constructing quantitative descriptors of psychological or social traits

Question 3

What determines the success of survey research?

Answer 3

how closely the answers that people give to survey questions match how people think and act in reality

Question 4

What can the survey be considered?

Answer 4

both, research methodology and data collection technique

Question 5

What is Research methodology?

Answer 5

a procedure governed by a sequence of steps:
defining the objective of the survey, determining the information to be obtained, planning the survey, designing it and even addressing technical aspects such as wording, coding, statistical analysis and presentation of results

Question 6

What is Data collection technique in survey designs?

Answer 6

a set of questions known as a questionnaire whose development follows a series of rules and principles

Question 7

What is the concept of Survey Methodology?

Answer 7

It’s a non-experimental method where information is collected without researcher intervention. It uses consistent and standardized measurement procedures across all subjects to ensure data comparability.

Question 8

What makes survey methodology unique?

Answer 8

No manipulation or intervention by the researcher. The focus is on gathering data in a standardized way, ensuring that all subjects are measured in the same manner for comparability.

Question 9

Do surveys focus on qualitative or quantitative data?

Answer 9

Surveys can collect either qualitative or quantitative data, depending on the focus of the research.

Question 10

What are the objectives of surveys?

Answer 10

to understand the characteristics of a population and the relationships between them

Question 11

What is the benefit of using a representative sample in survey methodology?

Answer 11

It allows the generalization of results to the entire population.

Question 12

What is a key benefit of survey methodology in studying population characteristics?

Answer 12

allows the study of non-observable characteristics (e.g., opinions, beliefs, attitudes) that are subjective or costly to obtain by other means.

Question 13

Why is survey methodology useful when experimental conditions can’t be assigned to subjects?

Answer 13

Survey methodology allows understanding of relationships between variables (correlational studies), but cannot establish causal relationships.

Question 14

What are the types of survey designs based on?

Answer 14

Population, Survey, Time dimension

Question 15

Population - survey designs

What is Census?

Answer 15

Data from every individual or unit in a population
-> obtaining data from the entire population under study

Question 16

When is census indicated?

Answer 16

when the population is relatively small and its elements are well known and easily locatable

Question 17

Population - survey designs

What is a sample?

Answer 17

A subset of individuals, items or units selected from a larger population
-> only a portion of the population that is representative of it is surveyed, so difference found in results obtained with sample is minimal compared to what would have been obtained by surveying the entire population

Question 18

Survey - survey designs

What does a descriptive survey aims to?

Answer 18

obtaining specific information about a population, or subgroups within it, in terms of descriptive statistics

Question 19

Survey - Survey designs

What does Analytic survey design mean?

Answer 19

to study the relationship between the characteristics and a specific phenomenon

Question 20

Which 3 parts does Methods consist of?

Answer 20

• Objective
• Instruments
• Sample

Question 21

Phases of the survey

What are some ethical considerations?

Answer 21

• how is informated consent going to be gathered
• how are the answers going to be stored
• which is the “coding” or identification system
• what is the purpose of the survey and how long
• which purpose is the data gathered and employed for

Question 22

Phases of the survey

What do we do in planning the research (step 2)?

Answer 22

What is intended to be achieved with the survey results?
-> purpose should aim towards describing the characteristics of the population or their specific context

Question 23

Phases of the survey

What are survey sampling methods?

Answer 23

the ways that a small group of people or units are chosen from a bigger population so that a survey can be done

Question 24

In Survey Design, what allows for faster results, lower cost, and better data quality?

Answer 24

Using a Sample, which facilitates more careful data collection on a small number of subjects

Question 25

What is Probability sampling?

Answer 25

It involves random selection, allowing to make strong statistical inferences about the whole group

Question 26

What is Non-probability sampling?

Answer 26

It involves non-random selection based on convenience or other criteria, allowing to easily collect data -> uses non-random criteria like the availability, geographical proximity, or expert knowledge of the individuals you want to research in order to answer a research question

Question 27

What are 2 types of probability sampling methods?

Answer 27

- Simple random sampling - Cluster sampling

Question 28

What is Simple random sampling?

Answer 28

A way of selecting a sample that has the same chance of being selected as any other member or set of members in the population

Question 29

What is Cluster sampling?

Answer 29

The population is divided into clusters, and then clusters are randomly selected for inclusion in the sample -> group might be pre-existing such as people in specific zip codes or students belonging to an academic year

Question 30

When is cluster sampling commonly used?

Answer 30

when it is difficult or impossible to obtain information about individual members of the target population

Question 31

When is Non-probability sampling used?

Answer 31

when the population parameters are either unknown or not possible to individually identify -> e.g. use of platform without required account

Question 32

What is Non probability sampling at higher risk for?

Answer 32

research biases -> more than probability sampling, particularly sampling bias

Question 33

# non-probability sampling What is Quota sampling?

Answer 33

it is a non-probability sampling method that relies on the non-random selection of a predetermined number or proportion of units -> we call that quota

Question 34

# non-probability sampling What is the first step in quota sampling?

Answer 34

dividing the population into mutually exclusive subgroups (called strata) and then recruit sample units until you reach your quota

Question 35

# non-probabilty sampling what do the units in quota sampling share?

Answer 35

specific characteristics, determined by you prior to forming your strata

Question 36

# non-probabilty sampling What happens with the approach of Snowball Sampling?

Answer 36

people recruited to be part of a sample are asked to invite those they know to take part, which are then asked to invite their friends and family and so on

Question 37

# non-probabilty sampling When do we use snowball sampling?

Answer 37

when the population is hard to access -> can be used to recruit participants via other participants

Question 38

# non-probabilty sampling What can snowball sampling lead to?

Answer 38

sampling bias

Question 39

# Design What does a study design define?

Answer 39

variables of interest, selection of the population, information to be collected, and data collection system

Question 40

# Design What are the main types of survey?

Answer 40

census-sample, cross-sectional-longitudinal, descriptive, or analytical

Question 41

# Design What happens in the questionnaire construction?

Answer 41

the questionnaire indirectly measures what people know, think or judge about something -> not a simple task

Question 42

# Design What do we need to take in account before developing our questions and answer sheet?

Answer 42

several factors -> what could missguide their answers, which tasks are they required to complete, have you ever taken a survey and so on

Question 43

# Design What needs to be taken into account while designing our questions?

Answer 43

cognitive processes: respondands need to understand the question, identify the behavior of interest, inference and estimate, map the answers onto response format, edit answers for reasons of social desirability

Question 44

# Design What is the first step regarding the question?

Answer 44

wether it is open or closed ended

Question 45

# Design What are open ended questions usually?

Answer 45

less directive and the information gathered will be less biased and have more validity -> BUT: it comes with possible loss of critical area we want to explore (not everything is considered relevant)

Question 46

# Design What are open-ended questions best used for?

Answer 46

qualitative research -> no predetermined answers, respondent answers in their own words -> most common in interviews but also usable in questionnaires -> often useful as follow-up questions

Question 47

# Design What do closed-ended questions do?

Answer 47

they give the respondent a predetermined set of answers to choose from e.g. binary answer (yes/no/agree/disagree), a scale (likert scale with 5 points), list of options with single answer possibility (age categories), list of options with multiple answers (leisure interests)

Question 48

# Phases of the survey What should the content of the survey questions be like?

Answer 48

- all questions should be narrowly focused with enough context for the respondent to answer accurately - avoid not directly relevant questions - in closed-ended: options should cover all possibilities

Question 49

# Phases of the survey How do we analyze the survey results?

Answer 49

there are many methods -> first processing data, usually with help of computer program to sort responses, also cleaning data by removing incorrect responses

Question 50

# Types of survey questions Which type of answers are there?

Answer 50

- Closed-ended - Open-ended - Semi-opened / Semi-closed

Question 51

# Types of survey questions Which Content do we have?

Answer 51

- Demographic - Attitudinal - Behavioral

Question 52

# Types of survey questions What do we need to have according to the questionnaire?

Answer 52

- Introduction - Filter - Control

Question 53

# Types of survey questions Open-ended questions are a...

Answer 53

free-form response

Question 54

# Types of survey questions What are Semi-open oder semi-closed questions?

Answer 54

they contain different response alternatives and a part for opinion based response

Question 55

# Types of survey questions - Content What are Demographic questions?

Answer 55

inquire about personal characteristics such as age, gender, education level, income, occupation

Question 56

# Types of survey questions - Content What are Attitudinal questions?

Answer 56

They explore respondents opinions, beliefs, attitudes, perceptions about a particular topic or issue

Question 57

# Types of survey questions - Content What are behavioral questions?

Answer 57

They ask about past behaviors, current behaviors, or intentions to engage in certain actions in the future

Question 58

# Types of survey questions: According to the questionnaire What is the Introduction for?

Answer 58

the questions are usually used to introduce the survey or gather demographic information about respondent -> e.g. age, gender, educational level etc.

Question 59

# Types of survey questions: According to the questionnaire What are Filter questions used for?

Answer 59

to determine if the respondent qualifies to answer certain sections or questions within the survey -> depending on answer given, respondents may be directed to skip or proceed to specific sections of survey

Question 60

# Types of survey questions: According to the questionnaire What are control questions used for?

Answer 60

to ensure data quality and to identify and control for biases in the responses -> may be included to check for respondent attentiveness or to validate responses given to other questions in the survey

Question 61

# survey design What are some tips for writing great questions for survey design? | Part 1

Answer 61

- avoid loaded or leading words or questions - avoid misplaced questions - use mutually non-exclusive response categories - avoid non-specific questions - avoid confusing or unfamiliar words - non-directed questions give respondents excessive latitude

Question 62

# Survey design What are some tips for writing great questions for survey design? | Part 2

Answer 62

- avoid forcing answers - use non-exhaustive listings - use double-barreled questions - Use independent answers in dichotomous questions - avoid long questions - avoid questions that require participants to overthink

Question 63

# Design What is a Pilot test? And what is it used for?

Answer 63

Conducting a preliminary study with a small non-probabilistic sample of participants to observe issues related to its implementation -> helps to understand difficulties

Question 64

# Design - Pilot Test What can de results of a pilot study also warn us of?

Answer 64

some response biases: - social desirability, agreement, extreme response

Question 65

# Survey design What are the 10 steps to a good survey design?

Answer 65

1. Identify what you want to cover in a survey 2. Put questions that are necessary 3. Keep it short and simple 4. Ask on e question at a time 5. Avoid using jargons 6. Open-ended questions or closed-ended question? 7. Spend time to design your survey 8. Analyze the responses after collecting 9. Put a summary report together 10. Conclude your plan of action

Question 66

# Data Collection What are different modalities for aquiring information?

Answer 66

- face-to-face - telephone - postal mail - email or online

Question 67

# Processing of data What is data cleaning?

Answer 67

involves checking the data for any errors, inconsistencies or missing values

Question 68

# Processing of data What is data entry?

Answer 68

if survey responses were collected manually, they need to be entered into digital format

Question 69

# Processing of data What is data coding?

Answer 69

responses may need to be coded to convert qualitative data into numerical values for analysis

Question 70

# Processing of data What is data analysis?

Answer 70

once data is cleaned and coded, various statistical techniques can be applied to analyze the data -> may include descriptive statistics to summarize data

Question 71

# Processing of data What is Interpretation?

Answer 71

results need to be interpreted in the context of the research questions or objectives -> involves drawing conclusions based on findings and discussing their implications

Question 72

# Processing of data What is reporting?

Answer 72

results of data analysis are typically reported in a research paper, report or presentation -> may include tables, charts, graphs and so on

Question 73

# Survey Quality What can errors in a survey arise from?

Answer 73

various stages of the research process -> can impact the validity of the data collected

Question 74

# Survey quality What are 3 common types of errors in surveys?

Answer 74

- Sampling - Measurement instrument - data processing

Question 75

# Survey Quality - Errors what are Sampling errors?

Answer 75

occur when the sample selection is not done properly or when the estimation of the sample size is incorrect -> introduce biases in estimation of results - not generalizable

Question 76

# Survey Quality - Errors What are errors in the design of the measurement instrument?

Answer 76

errors can be associated with the questionnaire itself as well as its administration

Question 77

# Survey Quality - Errors What are Errors in Data Processing?

Answer 77

can occur during data coding, recording or entry -> e.g. in preparation of data for analysis