Lecture note - research method - Surveys

Survey

• Tool for measuring attitudes and orientations  in a large population

• Best method available to collect original data for describing a population too large to observe directly

Non-probability sampling – for obtaining information about specific groups

・Purposive / judgemental sampling

e.g. researching cancer patient 

・Snowball sampling

e.g. researching gang group, underground organization, terrorist organization..

・Quota sampling : the researcher selects sample from some fixed quota

When it is difficult to conduct probability sampling or it has no meaning to select respondent randomly.

Probability sampling

• Primary method of selecting large, representative samples

• Provide useful descriptions of the total population

• Sample of individuals from a population containing essentially the same variations that exist in the population

•Representativeness – if the aggregate characteristics of the sample closely approximate those same aggregate characteristics in the population

• Population – aggregation of elements from which the sample is selected

• Sample – selected element or respondent

• Sampling bias – those selected are not typical or representative of the larger population they have been chosen from

Questionnaire

Operationalization – measurement

> validity – what we intend to measure

> reliability – extent to which measures give consistent results

Open-ended questions – respondents provide answers

Close-ended questions – respondents elect an answer from the list of options

Make items clear – “Do you agree with the peace agreement?”

Make relevant questions Answers should match the questions and set of options – “Are you satisfied with Ateneo education?” “barely, sometimes, often, very”

Answers should be mutually exclusive – “How often do you study?” “everyday, everynight, every weekend, once a week, more than once a week, monthly, never”

NO double-barreled questions –

“Do you think that K-12 will make our students globally competitive and our education standards globally at par?”

NO questions with possibly different standards – “Do you think that students today are liberal?”

NO leading questions – “Due to changing times, do you agree that government policies must adapt to the changes?”

NO assuming questions – “How often do you go out with your gf/bf?”

NO difficult words - Embryonic Stem Cell

NO negative questions – “Do you NOT agree..”

NO ambiguity - e.g. Which one you support, big government or small government?