Methodology: Questionnaires.

LO: To understand when it is useful to use questionnaires and the strengths

and weaknesses of this method.

Social survey: Questionnaires

A questionnaire is a list of pre-set questions. A useful tool for conducting a social survey because it can be used to gather information from a large number of people.

There are four main types of questionnaire used in sociology and social research

1. Factual surveys: these gather information about features of peoples lives rather than asking for thoughts, feelings or opinions.

2. Attitudinal surveys: these ask peoples views on topics and issues.

3. Social psychological surveys: these develop out of attitudinal surveys and try to group people into personality types

4. Explanatory surveys: designed to test a hypothesis - for instance a questionnaire designed to establish causality (what causes a social phenomenon).

Questionnaires.

There are 2 ways in which these can be conducted:

SELF COMPLETION- questionnaires you give to your sample to complete on their own.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRES/ STRUCTURED INTERVIEW

Pilot questionnaires

Before doing your final questionnaire, you must test out your questionnaire to see:

Whether your questions are understood. To make sure there are no mistakes. To see if you get the sort of answers you

wanted to get. To find out whether you need extra

questions.

Types of questions.

Closed QuestionsDesigned to get quantitative data which is quick

and easy to analyse. Involves the researcher pre-setting the

responses.

Open Questions: Ask the respondent to answer a question in their

own words. This provides more qualitative information.

1. How many hours do you spend on homework per week?

A. 1 - 3 hours

B. 4 – 6 hours

C. 7 – 9 hours

D. 10 – 12 hours

E. More: Please specify…………………

Pre-coded or Closed questionnaires

Designed to get quantitative data which is quick and easy to analyse. Involves the researcher pre-setting the responses.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of closed questions?

Pre-coded questionnaires

Advantages

• Easy to produce standardized, statistical data.

• Data is usually reliable. Researchers can check findings and repeat the research

• Easier for respondents to reply- may make response rate higher.

Disadvantages

• Limited choice of answers. Respondents cannot explain their views fully.

• Meaning of questions maybe unclear.

• May lack validity because the researcher imposes a limited choice of answers. May not reflect social reality of respondent.

The open ended questionnaire has a number of pre-set questions, but no choice of answers. This enables respondents to dictate their own answers.

Open-ended questionnaires

1. What is you opinion on the amount of homework given each week?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are the strengths and weaknesses of open questions?

Produces more valid data because it allows the respondents to use their own words to express how they feel.

They provide more detail and depth compared to pre-coded questionnaires

It’s hard to classify and turn into statistical data.

May not be as reliable as pre-coded questionnaires. Because it can produce a wide range of answers, it could be difficult to compare to other similar research. May also be difficult to repeat research and get similar results.

Often people will be put off by having to provide so many long answers- this can affect the overall response rate and some questions may be left blank.

Open-ended questionnaires Advantages Disadvantages

Keyword

Census

The ten-yearly survey of the whole UK population in the form of a written questionnaire.

Theoretical Positivists prefer because they deliver reliable

data e.g. Replicable due to using same set of questions

Can be used to access both quantitative and qualitative information. However generates more quantitative data that can be used to test hypotheses and correlations between variables

Often large scale and therefore more representative

Interpretivists suggest they lack validity

Discuss in pairs the advantages and disadvantages to using

questionnaires generally

Overall advantages of using questionnaires….

1. Inexpensive- cheap to classify results. 2. Representativeness 3. Postal questionnaires allow a geographically

dispersed sample. 4. No interviewer bias with self completion

questionnaires.5. Can be confidential and anonymous allowing

people to feel free to express their views. 6. Produces quantitative and reliable7. Hypothesis Testing8. Detachment and objectivity- little or no contact

between researcher and respondent (no bias)

Overall disadvantages of using questionnaires….

1. Response rate- often low- unrepresentative?

2. Need to be brief to keep respondents attention

3. Respondents may not understand or read the questions.

4. Answers may be incomplete or illegible.

5. May not access enough qualitative information.

6. Data may not be valid or even truthful

7. Detachment- questions cannot be clarified or misunderstandings cleared up

8. Impose researcher meaning- e.g. q’s asked

Question

In Michael Schofield’s (1965) research on the sexual behaviour of teenagers a young girl was asked in a questionnaire “Are you a virgin?

She answered “No, not yet”

Identify the problems of questionnaire research that this suggests