Ch. 15 Surveys
To help ensure an acceptable return rate in a questionnaire study, the researcher should
B and C only b. Enclose or attach another copy of the survey c. Make liberal use of open-ended questions
A survey technique that asks a jury of experts to respond to a series of questionnaires in order to reach a consensus about important issues is the
Delphi survey method
The practice of selecting a small random sample of a survey's nonrespondents is primarily intended to
Determine whether the nonrespondents are a different population from the respondents
Choose the correct sequence for developing a questionnaire
Determining objectives, delimiting the sample, writing items, pilot testing
A researcher tests the knowledge that 10,000 school children from the southwestern US have about nutrition, and the scores are transformed into percentiles by grade level. This type of research is a _______________ survey study
Normative
Which of the following are most difficult to analyze in a questionnaire study?
Open-ended items
When a national poll reports that its survey has a margin of error of 3%, it is referring to error due to
Sampling
What are the three (3) critical things that could be checked by doing a pilot study involving an electronic questionnaire survey?
1. Have colleagues and your major professor respond to the email request and complete the survey before you use a larger group 2. Step 1 allows you to correct formatting and design issues, as well as making sure the link to the survey works and the survey is accessible from a variety of locations 3. After the initial pilot study with colleagues, and then again with the larger pilot study, modify the questions and adjust the design and layout of the survey as needed
One form of descriptive research uses surveys to gather data. These surveys may use different types of questions (e.g., fill-in, Likert-type, short answers) in the same instrument. Assume a survey has a number of Likert-type questions. List the steps an author should take to make certain the instrument is reliable and valid. Be specific and provide examples to explain your answer
A Likert-type scale is a scale with three (3) to nine (9) response, in which the intervals between responses are assumed to be equal Ex.: In a required PE program, students should be required to take at least one dance class: Strongly agree, Agree, Undecided, Disagree, Strongly disagree The Difference between strongly agree and agree is considered equivalent to the difference between disagree and strongly disagree Example of words and phrases that can be used in scaled responses Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, Very poor, Very important, Important, Not very important, Of no importance
Explain the basis for the statement that representativeness of the sample is more important than size of the sample
A representative is a subset of a population that seeks to accurately reflect the characteristics of the larger group
Consider the following questionnaire items (which uses a yes/no format): "Do you use objective test items or essay items?" What rule regarding item construction does it violate?
Do not use items that have two (2) or more separate ideas in the same item
Scaled responses to questionnaire items such as strongly agree, agree, no opinion, and so on are referred to as _______________ scale items
Likert-Type
The first step in conducting a questionnaire survey is to
List specific objectives to be achieved
Contrast the electronic questionnaire with the personal interview in terms of advantages or disadvantages in sampling, validity of responses, and administrative (time, expense, helpers)
The link for electronic questionnaires could not work, most internet-based surveys have a fee attached to them, and you can mistakenly write the email addresses A potential problem in personal interviews is losing the data. If we were to audio record and back them up appropriately and correctly, this problem may be less consequential because we would have a transcript and have the availability to go back to the recording if questions arise