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Chapter Nine: Survey Research - Coggle Diagram
Chapter Nine:
Survey Research
research method involving the use of standardized questionnaires or interviews to collect data in a systematic manner
can be used for descriptive, exploratory, or explanatory research
best suited for studies that have individual people as the unit of analysis
advantages:
measure unobservable data, remote collection of data, preferred by respondents, may be the only way to reach some people, allow detection of small effects, more economical
disadvantages:
subject to large number of biases such as non-response bias, sampling bias, social desirability bias, and recall bias
Questionnaire Survey:
research instrument consisting of a set of questions intended to capture responses from respondents in a standardized manner
questions may be structured or unstructured
structured: questions ask respondents to select an answer from given choices
unstructured: asks respondents to give answers in their own words
self-administered postal surveys:
accounts for most questionnaire surveys;
same questionnaire is posted to a large number of people, and willing respondents compete the survey
group-administered questionnaire:
sample of respondents is brought together and are asked to complete the survey while in the room; surveys are completed independently
online or web survey:
administered over the internet using interactive forms
Constructing a survey questionnaire
Response Formats:
responses to structured questions are captured using one of these methods
dichotomous response: select one of two choices
nominal response:
presented with more than two unordered options
ordinal response:
presented with more than two ordered options
interval-level response:
presented with a 5- or 7- point Likert scale, semantic differential, or Guttman scale
continuous response:
enter a continuous (ratio-scaled) value with a meaningful zero point
question content and wording
all questions should be scrutinized for the following:
Is the question clear and understandable?
Is the question ambiguous?
Does the question have biased or value-laden words?
Is the question double-barrelled?
Is the question too general?
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question sequencing:
questions should flow logically from one to the next
other golden rules:
be attentive and appreciative of respondents' time, attention, trust, and confidentiality
Interview Survey:
more personalized data collection method than questionnaires; conducted by trained interviewers; allow for more detailed observations; time consuming and resource-intensive
face-to-face interview:
most typical; interviewer works directly with the respondent to ask questions and record their responses
focus group:
a small group of respondents is interviewed together; allow deeper examination of complex issues
telephone interview:
interviewers contact potential respondents over the phone, typically based on a random selection of people from a directory
Role of Interviewer
prepare for the interview
locate and enlist the cooperation of respondents
motivate respondents
clarify any confusion or concerns
observe quality of response
Conducting the Interview
Before the interview:
interviewer should prepare a kit consisting of a cover letter from the investigator or sponsor, copies of the survey, photo ID, and a phone number for respondents to call to verify the interviewer’s authenticity; interviewer should also try to call respondents ahead of time to set up an appointment
Starting the Interview
speak in an imperative and confident tone; introduce themself, present credentials, explain the purpose of the study, and assure respondents that participation is voluntary, and their comments are confidential
During the Interview
follow the script and ask questions as written; not finish the respondent’s sentences. If the respondent gives a brief answer, the interviewer should probe the for a more thorough response
probing techniques
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Completing the Interview
thank respondents for their time, tell them when to expect the results, and not leave hastily; quickly write down any notes or key observations that may help interpret the respondent’s comments
Biases in Survey Research
non-response bias:
If the majority of targeted respondents fail to respond, this may indicate a systematic reason for the low response rate, which may raise questions about the validity of the results
Strategies to Improve Response Rates:
advance notification
relevance of content
endorsement
follow-up requests
interviewer training
incentives
non-monetary incentives
confidentiality and privacy
sampling bias:
make the respondent sample unrepresentative of the intended population and hurt generalizability claims
social desirability bias:
respondents tend to avoid negative opinions or embarrassing comments about themselves, their employers, family, or friends
recall bias:
respondents may not adequately remember their own motivations or behaviors, or their memory of events may have evolved with time and are no longer be retrievable
common method bias:
the amount of spurious covariance shared between independent and dependent variables that are measured at the same point in time