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Survey Research - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Second, survey research is also ideally suited
        for remotely collecting data about a population that is too large to observe directly.
        
        Third, due to their unobtrusive nature and the ability to respond at one's convenience, questionnaire surveys are preferred by some respondents.
        
        Fourth, interviews may be the only way of reaching certain population groups such as the homeless or illegal immigrants for which there is no sampling frame available.
        
        Fifth, large sample surveys may allow detection of small effects even while analyzing multiple variables, and depending on the survey design, may also allow comparative analysis of population subgroups.
        
        Sixth, survey research is economical in terms of researcher time,
        effort and cost than most other methods such as experimental research and case research.
- - - - Most questionnaire surveys tend to be self-administered mail surveys, where the same questionnaire is mailed to a large number of people, and willing respondents can complete the survey at their convenience and return it in postage-prepaid envelopes.
        
        A group-administered questionnaire. A sample of respondents is brought together at a common place and time, and each respondent is asked to complete the survey questionnaire while in that room.
        
        Response formats. Survey questions may be structured or unstructured. Responses to
        structured questions are captured using one of the following response formats: Dichotomous response, Nominal Response, Ordinal Response, Interval-level response, and Continuous response.
        
        Every single question in a survey should be carefully
        scrutinized for the following issues: Is the question clear and understandable, Is the question worded in a negative manner, Is the question ambiguous, Does the question have a biased or value-laden words, Is the question double-barreled, Is the question too general, Is the question too detailed, Is the question presumptuous, Is the question imaginary, Do respondents have the information needed to correctly answer the question.
        
        Question sequencing. In general, questions should flow logically from one to the next.
        
        Some general rules for question sequencing: Start with easy non-threatening questions that can be easily recalled. Never start with an open ended question. If following an historical sequence of events, follow a chronological order from earliest
        to latest. Ask about one topic at a time. Use filter or contingency questions as needed.
- - - - A third type of interview survey is telephone interviews.
        
        The interviewer has a complex and multi-faceted role in the
        interview process, which includes the following tasks: Prepare for the interview, Locate and enlist the cooperation of respondents, Motivate respondents, Clarify and confusion or concerns, and Observe quality of response.
        
        Conducting the interview. Before the interview, the interviewer should prepare a kit to carry to the interview session, consisting of a cover letter from the principal investigator or sponsor, adequate copies of the survey instrument, photo identification, and a telephone number for respondents to call to verify the interviewer's authenticity.
        
        Some useful probing techniques are: The silent probe, Overt encouragement, Ask for elaboration, and Reflection.
- - - - Sampling bias. Telephone surveys conducted by calling a random sample of publicly available telephone numbers will systematically exclude people with unlisted telephone numbers, mobile phone numbers, and people who are unable to answer the phone when the survey is being conducted, and will include a disproportionate number of respondents who have land-line telephone service with listed phone numbers and people who stay home during much of the day, such as the unemployed, the disabled, and the elderly.
        
        Social desirability bias. Many respondents tend to avoid negative opinions or embarrassing comments about themselves, their employers, family, or friends.
        
        Recall bias. Responses to survey questions often depend on subjects' motivation, memory, and ability to respond.
        
        Common method bias. Common method bias refers to the amount of spurious covariance shared between independent and dependent variables that are measured at the same point in time, such as in a cross-sectional survey, using the same instrument, such as a questionnaire.