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Qualitative Research- Part 2Tools and Techniques
DIE 4564 Research Methods
Chapter Outline• Topics Appropriate for Survey Research• Guidelines for Asking Questions• Questionnaire Construction• Self-Administered Questionnaires• Interview Surveys• Telephone Surveys• Online Surveys• Comparison of the Different Survey Methods• Strengths and Weaknesses of Survey Research• Secondary Analysis• Ethics and Survey Research
Topics Appropriate for Survey Research
• Descriptive, exploratory, and explanatory
• Units of analysis = respondents Respondents – a person who provides data for
analysis by responding to a survey questionnaire.
• Large samples, original data, measuring attitudes and orientations
Guidelines for Asking Questions• Questionnaire - a document containing questions
and other types of items designed to solicit information appropriate for analysis.
Open-Ended Questions – questions for which the respondent is asked to provide his/her own answers.
Closed-Ended Questions – survey questions in which the respondent is asked to select an answer from a list provided by the researcher.
Guidelines for Asking Questions• Select appropriate question forms.• Make items clear.• Avoid double-barreled questions.• Respondents must be competent to answer.• Respondents must be willing to answer.• Questions should be relevant.• Short items are best• Avoid negative items.• Avoid biased items and terms.
Guidelines for Asking Questions• Bias – that quality of measurement device
that tends to result in a misrepresentation of what is being measured in a particular direction.
Guidelines for Asking Questions• Review Question
Whenever we ask people for information, they answer through a filter of what will make them look good. This filter is called _________.
Guidelines for Asking Questions• Review Question
Whenever we ask people for information, they answer through a filter of what will make them look good. This filter is called social desirability.
Questionnaire Construction• General Questionnaire Format
Uncluttered One question per line Consistent format
Questionnaire Construction• Formats for Respondents
Questionnaire Construction• Contingency Question – a survey question intended for only
some respondents, determined by their responses to some other question.
Questionnaire Construction• Contingency Question – a survey question
intended for only some respondents, determined by their responses to some other question.
Questionnaire Construction• Matrix Questions
Questionnaire Construction• Ordering Items in a Questionnaire
Appearance Open-Ended or Closed-Ended First?
Questionnaire Construction• Questionnaire Instructions
Introductory comments and clear instructions
• Pre-testing the Questionnaire
Questionnaire Construction• A Composite Illustration
Questionnaire Construction• Review Question
Which of the below is not a characteristic of matrix questions?A. They use space efficiently when asking
multiple questions.B. They must all have the same response
categories.C. They are less valid measures of concepts.D. They will speed the response time for
respondents.
Questionnaire Construction• Review Question
Which of the below is not a characteristic of matrix questions?The answer is C. Matrix questions use
space efficiently when asking multiple questions, have the same response categories, and will speed the response time for respondents. They are not less valid measures of concepts.
Self-Administered Questionnaires
Questionnaires in which respondents are asked to complete the questionnaire by themselves• Mail Distribution and Return
Why do people not return questionnaires?
• Monitoring Returns• Follow-Up Mailings
Self-Administered Questionnaires• Response Rate – the number of people
participating in a survey divided by the number selected in the sample. Ideal = higher than 70%
• Other kinds of rates: Cooperation rates Refusal rates Contact rates
Self-Administered Questionnaires• Compensation for Respondents
Effect on response rates
• A Case Study
Self-Administered Questionnaires• Review Question
The proportion of all potentially eligible cases in which the respondent refuses to be interviewed or breaks off an interview is called the ________ rate.
Self-Administered Questionnaires• Review Question
The proportion of all potentially eligible cases in which the respondent refuses to be interviewed or breaks off an interview is called the refusal rate.
Interview Surveys• Interview – a data-collection encounter in which
one person (interviewer) asks questions of another (respondent).
• The Role of the Survey Interviewer
Interview Surveys• Guidelines for Survey Interviewing
Appearance and demeanor Familiarity with the questionnaire Following question wording exactly Recording responses exactly Probing for responses
Probe – a technique employed in interviewing to solicit a more complete answer to a question.
Interview Surveys• Coordinate and Control
TrainingGeneral guidelinesHow to handle difficult situationsPractice interviews
Interview Surveys• Review Question
Which of the below is not one of the advantages of using a survey interviewer?A. Increased response ratesB. Decreased number of “don’t knows”
and “no answers”C. Better understanding of questionsD. Increased refusal rate
Interview Surveys• Review Question
Which of the below is not one of the advantages of using a survey interviewer?The correct answer is D. The use of survey
interviewers increases response rates, decreases “don’t knows” and “no answers,” and assures the respondents better understand the questions. Using a survey interviewer does not increase the refusal rate.
Telephone Surveys• Advantages
95.5% of households have a telephone Time and money
• Disadvantages Unlisted phone numbers Cell phones
Telephone Surveys• Random-Digit Dialing (RDD) – a sampling
technique in which random numbers are selected from within the range of numbers assigned to active telephones.
Telephone Surveys• Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing
(CATI) – a data-collection technique in which a telephone-survey questionnaire is stored in a computer, permitting the interviewer to read the questions from the monitor and enter the answers on the computer keyboard
Telephone Surveys• Response Rates in Interview Surveys
Telephone Surveys• Review Question
This type of telephone survey is more cost-effective because it cuts out the labor costs of hiring interviewers and it automatically prepares data for analysis: _______.
Telephone Surveys• Review Question
This type of telephone survey is more cost-effective because it cuts out the labor costs of hiring interviewers and it automatically prepares data for analysis: CATI.
Online Surveys• DO use consistent wording.• DO use simple language.• DON’T force excessive scrolling.• DO offer to share select result with respondents.• DO plan time and day of initial mailing.• DO be aware of technical limitations.• DO test incentives, rewards, and prizes.• DO limit studies to less than 15 minutes.
Online Surveys• Review Question
True or False: The relative youth of online surveys makes them fertile ground for innovation and experimentation.
Online Surveys• Review Question
True: The relative youth of online surveys makes them fertile ground for innovation and experimentation.
Comparison of the Different Survey Methods
Self-Administered Questionnaires Cheaper and faster than face-to-face interviews National is the same cost as local mailings Requires small staff More willingness to answer controversial items
Interview Surveys Fewer incomplete questionnaires More effective for complicated questionnaires Face-to-face is more intimate
Telephone Surveys Cheaper and more time efficient
Online Surveys Available software and websites
Examples of Methods for Collecting Data
Comparison of the Different Survey Methods
One advantage of _______ surveys is that they work better for questionnaires with complicated contingency questions.A. Self-administeredB. InterviewC. TelephoneD. Online
Comparison of the Different Survey Methods
The correct answer is B. Interview surveys are better for complicated questionnaires.
Recruiting MethodsOnce a data collection method has been selected, the next step is to decide on an effective method for recruiting members of the sample population to be participants in the study.
The best method for initiating contact with potential participants is often related to the intended data collection method.
Recruiting MethodsParticipation rates will likely be higher if:• Recruits understand the importance and value of
the research project• Researchers provide multiple invitations and
opportunities to participate, and make participation as easy as possible
• Incentives (such as small gifts) are offered
Data Recording MethodsA decision must also be made about how responses will be recorded and when they will be entered into a computer database. There are two basic options:• Record the responses on paper and to enter
them into a computer database later• Have interviewers or participants enter
responses directly into a database
Methods for Collecting and Recording Survey Data
Training InterviewersThe interview process should be the same for all participants in a study, whether they are being interviewed in-person or by telephone interview.
Uniformity is easiest to accomplish when all interviewers attend training sessions where they have an opportunity to practice their interview skills.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Survey Research
Strengths Useful in describing large populations Surveys are flexible Standardized questions
Strengths and Weaknesses of Survey Research
Weaknesses Round pegs in square holes Seldom deal with context of social life Inflexible Artificial Weak on validity
Strengths and Weaknesses of Survey Research
By presenting all subjects with a standardized stimulus, survey research goes a long way toward eliminating _______ in observations.
A. InvalidityB. UnreliabilityC. ValidityD. Reliability
Strengths and Weaknesses of Survey Research
The correct answer is B. Because all respondents react to the same, standardized stimulus, survey research reduces unreliability.
Secondary Analysis• Secondary Analysis – a form of research in which
the data collected and processed by one researcher are reanalyzed by another. General Social Survey
• Secondary analysis provides social researchers with an important option for “collecting” data cheaply and easily but at a potential cost in validity.
Secondary AnalysisWhich of the below is not an advantage of secondary analysis?
A. It’s cheaper than original surveys.B. It’s faster than original surveys.C. It has greater validity.D. It has the enhanced possibility of meta-
analysis.
Secondary Analysis• Review Question
The correct answer is C. Secondary analysis often has problems with validity.
Ethics and Survey Research• Surveys often ask for private information,
and researchers must keep such information confidential.
• Because asking questions can cause psychological discomfort or harm to respondents, the researcher should minimize this risk.
Chapter Summary• Bias• Closed-ended questions• Computer-assisted telephone interviewing
(CATI)• Contingency question• Interview• Open-ended questions
Quick Quiz(Babbie text)
Chapter 9 Quiz
When is survey research the best method available?
A. when collecting original dataB. when describing a population too large to
observe directlyC. when measuring attitudesD. all of the above
Chapter 9 Quiz
Answer: D.Survey research the best method available when collecting original data, when describing a population too large to observe directly, and when measuring attitudes.
Chapter 9 Quiz
_____ questions have a respondent select an answer from a list provided.
A. Open-endedB. PretestC. ExperimentalD. Closed-ended
Chapter 9 Quiz
Answer: D.Closed-ended questions have a respondent select an answer from among a list provided.
Chapter 9 Quiz
As a general rule, a questionnaire should be
A. spread out.B. uncluttered.C. relevant.D. all of the above
Chapter 9 Quiz
ANSWER: D.As a general rule, a questionnaire should be spread out, uncluttered, and relevant.
Chapter 9 QuizWhich of these are among the many advantages that underlie the growing popularity of telephone surveys?
A. moneyB. timeC. convenienceD. all of the above choicesE. none of the above choices
Chapter 9 Quiz
ANSWER: D.Money, time, and convenience are among the many advantages that underlie the growing popularity of telephone surveys.
Chapter 9 Quiz
Which is not an advantage of survey research?
A. increased validityB. increased reliabilityC. increased generalizabilityD. increased flexibility in analysis
Chapter 9 Quiz
ANSWER: A.Increased validity is not an advantage of survey research.
Chapter 9 Quiz
The major problem with secondary analysis pertains to
A. theory.B. hypotheses.C. validity.D. sampling.E. empirical generalization.
Chapter 9 Quiz
ANSWER: C.The major problem with secondary analysis pertains to validity.