Survey Research

SURVEY  to ask (many people) a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something.  A survey is used to know or get the opinions of a large group of people about a particular topic or issue.
5. STEPS IN CONDUCTING A SURVEY • ask a number of questions, all related to the issue, to find answers. • select a sample • administer the questions to each samples • analyze the responses of the samples • draw conclusions about the opinions of the sample • generalize to the population from which the sample was selected.
6. CHARACTERISTICS OF A SURVEY 1. Information is collected from a group of people 2. The main way in which the information is collected is through asking questions 3. Information is collected from a sample rather than from every member of the population.
11. STEPS IN CONDUCTIN G A SURVEY Steps in Conducting the Survey Method
12. 1. DEFINING THE PROBLEM What exactly do you want to know? We have to clearly define the objectives in conducting the survey. The questions in the survey should each relate to one or more of the survey’s objectives.
13. 2. IDENTIFYING THE TARGET POPULATION Survey data are collected from a number of individual units of analysis to describe those units; these descriptions are then summarized to describe the population that the units of analysis represent.
14. 3. CHOOSING THE MODE OF DATA COLLECTION
15. Direct Administration to a Group Mail Surveys Telephone Surveys Personal Interviews Choosing the Mode of Data Collection
16. DIRECT ADMINISTRATION TO A GROUP This method is used whenever a researcher has access to all (or most) of the members of a particular group in one place.  Examples would include giving questionnaires to students to complete in their classrooms or workers complete at their job setting.

17. MAIL SURVEYS This method is used when data in a survey are collected by mail, the questionnaire is sent to each individual in the sample, with a request that it be completed and then returned by a given date.
18. TELEPHONE SURVEYS This method is used when the researcher asks questions of the respondents over the telephone. *Nowadays, given the fast-pace of technology, communication has been more accessible for all. Computers are being used more in telephone surveys.
19. PERSONAL INTERVIEWS This method is used when the researcher conducts face-to-face interview with the respondent. Rapport can be established, questioned can be clarified, unclear or incomplete answers can be followed-up, and so on. *Face-to-face interviewing also places less of a burden on the reading and writing skills of the respondents and, when necessary, permits spending more time with respondents.
20. 4. SELECTING THE SAMPLE • The subjects to be surveyed should be selected from the population of interest. • Researchers must ensure that the subjects they intend to question possess the desired information and that they will be willing to answer these questions.
21. 4. SELECTING THE SAMPLE Some examples of samples that have been surveyed by educational researchers are as follows: • A sample of all students attending an urban university concerning their views on the adequacy of the general education program at the university • A sample of all faculty members in an inner-city high school district as to the changes needed to help “at-risk” students learn more effectively.
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29. 5. PREPARING THE INSTRUMENT According to Fowler, there are four practical standards that all survey questions should meet: 1. Is this a question that can be asked exactly the way it is written? 2. Is this a question that will mean the same thing to everyone? 3. Is this a question that people can answer? 4. Is this a question that people will be willing to answer, given the data collection procedures?
30. 5. PREPARING THE INSTRUMENT • In an interview schedule, he or she must ask the questions in such a way that the subjects of the study want to respond. • The audience to whom the questions are to be directed should be clearly identified. • Specialized or unusual words should be avoided if possible, or if they must be used, defined clearly in the instructions written in the instrument. • Whatever the type of instrument is used, the same questions must be asked of all respondents in a sample.
31. TYPES OF QUESTIONS Closed-ended Questions • Easy to use, score, and code for analysis on a computer. • It also poses the possibility that an individual’s true response is not present among the options given.
32. CLOSED-ENDED QUESTIONS • Some examples of closed-ended questions are the following: Which subject do you like least? a. Social Studies b. English c. Science d. Mathematics e. Others (specify) Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied Very Satisfied a. Coursework 1 2 3 4 b. Professors 1 2 3 4 c. Advising 1 2 3 4 d. Requirements 1 2 3 4 e. Cost 1 2 3 4 f. Others (specify) 1 2 3 4 Rate each of the following parts of your master’s degree program by circling the number under the phrase that describes how you feel.
33. TYPES OF QUESTIONS Open-ended Questions • Allow for more individualized responses but they are sometimes difficult to interpret. • They are often hard to score, since so many different kinds of responses are received.
34. OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS Some examples of open-ended questions are as follows: • What characteristic of a person would lead you to rate him or her as a good administrator? • What do you consider to be the most important problem facing classroom teachers in high school today? • What were the three things about this class you found most useful during the past semester?
35. PREPARING THE INSTRUMENT: QUESTIONS Sometimes researchers find it useful to combine both formats in a single question, as shown in the following example: Please rate and comment on each of the following aspects of this course: Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied Very Satisfied a. Coursework 1 2 3 4 Comments:_____________________________________________ ____
36. Closed-Ended Open-Ended Advantages  Enhance consistency of response across respondents  Allow more freedom of response  Easier and faster to tabulate  Easier to construct  More popular with respondents  Permit follow-up by interviewer Disadvantages  May limit breadth of responses  Tend to produce responses that are inconsistent in length and content across respondents  Take more time to construct  Both questions and responses subject to misinterpretation  Require more questions to cover the research topic  Harder to tabulate and synthesize Advantages and Disadvantages of Closed-Ended Versus Open-Ended Questions
37. PRETESTING THE QUESTIONNAIRE • Once the questions to be included in the questionnaire or the interview schedule have been written, the researcher is well advised to try them out with a small sample similar to the potential respondents. • A “pretest” of the questionnaire or interview schedule can reveal ambiguities, poorly worded questions, questions that are not understood, and unclear choices. • It can also indicate whether the instructions to the respondents are clear


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