Reading Quiz GHCDH1

Items on a questionnaire should be grouped into random sections. Grouping questions randomly will make the questionnaire easier to complete, and the respondent will feel more comfortable.

False

The Survey Time Planning Form contains a single time estimate for each task.

False

Questionnaire research design proceeds in an orderly and specific manner.

True

Response rate is the single most important indicator of how much confidence can be placed in the results of a survey. A low response rate can be devastating to the reliability of a study.

True

There have been several studies to determine if the sponsor of a survey might affect response rate. The overwhelming majority of these studies have clearly demonstrated that university sponsorship is the most effective.

True

Identify the choice that best defines "judgment sampling"

A common nonprobability method. The researcher selects the sample based on judgment. This is usually and extension of convenience sampling. For example, a researcher may decide to draw the entire sample from one "representative" city, even though the population includes all cities. When using this method, the researcher must be confident that the chosen sample is truly representative of the entire population.

Identify the choice that best defines "snowball sampling".

A special nonprobability method used when the desired sample characteristic is rare. It may be extremely difficult or cost prohibitive to locate respondents in these situations. Snowball sampling relies on referrals from initial subjects to generate additional subjects. While this technique can dramatically lower search costs, it comes at the expense of introducing bias because the technique itself reduces the likelihood that the sample will represent a good cross section from the population.

Statement One: The physical placement of the "undecided" category (at the midpoint of the scale, or separated from the scale) will never change response patterns. Statement Two: There is generally a big difference in response rate depending on the inclusion or exclusion of the "don't know" option. Statement Three: The following adjectives have highly variable meanings which makes them well suited for surveys: a clear mandate, most, numerous, a substantial majority, a minority of, a large proportion of, a significant number of, many, a considerable number of, and several.

All of the statements are false.

Which of the following is not a quality of a good survey question?

Avoids mutually exclusive options

Identify the choice that best defines "stratified sampling"

Commonly used probability method that is superior to random sampling because it reduces sampling error. A stratum is a subset of the population that share at least one common characteristic. Examples of stratums might be males and females, or managers and non-managers. The researcher first identifies the relevant stratums and their actual representation in the population. Random sampling is then used to select a sufficient number of subjects from each stratum. "Sufficient" refers to a sample size large enough for us to be reasonably confident that the stratum represents the population. Stratified sampling is often used when one or more of the stratums in the population have a low incidence relative to the other stratums.

Identify the choice that best defines "systematic sampling"

Often used instead of random sampling. It is also called an Nth name selection technique. After the required sample size has been calculated, every Nth record is selected from a list of population members. As long as the list does not contain any hidden order, this sampling method is as good as the random sampling method. Its only advantage over the random sampling technique is simplicity. Systematic sampling is frequently used to select a specified number of records from a computer file.

Statement One: Questionnaires are easy to analyze. Statement Two: Data entry and tabulation for nearly all surveys can be easily done with many computer software packages. Statement Three: Questionnaires reduce bias. There is uniform question presentation and no middle-man bias.

Statement One, Two & Three are all true.

Statement One: An anonymous study is one in which nobody (not even the researcher) can identify who provided data. Statement Two: As a general rule, long questionnaires get higher response than short questionnaires. However, some studies have shown that the length of a questionnaire does not necessarily affect response. Statement Three: A good questionnaire makes it convenient for the respondent to reply. Mail surveys that include a self-addressed stamped reply envelope get better response than business reply envelopes.

Statements One and Three are true

Statement One: One major advantage of written questionnaires is the possibility of low response rates. Statement Two: Another disadvantage of questionnaires is the inability to probe responses. Statement Three: Nearly ninety percent of all communication is visual. Gestures and other visual cues are not available with written questionnaires.

Statements Two and Three are true

Identify the choice that best defines "quota sampling".

The nonprobability equivalent of stratified sampling. Like stratified sampling, the researcher first identifies the stratums and their proportions as they are represented in the population. Then convenience or judgment sampling is used to select the required number of subjects from each stratum. This differs from stratified sampling, where the stratums are filled by random sampling.

Identify the choice that best defines "random sampling"

The purest form of probability sampling. Each member of the population has an equal and known chance of being selected. When there are very large populations, it is often difficult or impossible to identify every member of the population, so the pool of available subjects becomes biased.

A literature search involves reviewing all readily available materials. These materials can include internal company information, relevant trade publications, newspapers, magazines, annual reports, company literature, on-line data bases, and any other published materials. It is a very inexpensive method of gathering information, although it often does not yield timely information.

True

Identify the choice that best defines "convenience sampling"

Used in exploratory research where the researcher is interested in getting an inexpensive approximation of the truth. As the name implies, the sample is selected because they are convenient. This nonprobability method is often used during preliminary research efforts to get a gross estimate of the results, without incurring the cost or time required to select a random sample.