Chapter 9: Survey Research

Upon completion of this chapter, the student should be able to: 
  1. Illustrate how surveys may be used for descriptive, explanatory, and exploratory purposes. 
  2. Differentiate questions from statements by definition and example. 
  3. Outline the conditions under which open-ended and closed-ended questions are used. 
  4. List and illustrate several guidelines for asking effective questions. 
  5. Explain why social desirability is a problem in asking questions. 
  6. List three guidelines for good questionnaire format. 
  7. Describe the role of contingency questions and list three principles for their use. 
  8. Describe the role of matrix questions and list the principles for their use. 
  9. Explain why the order in which questions are asked is important and describe how this  principle is differentially applied in questionnaires and interviews. 
  10. List three principles for providing instructions for respondents of surveys. 
  11. List three methods for distributing self-administered questionnaires. 
  12. List three principles for mail distribution and return of questionnaires. 
  13. Present an argument for monitoring returns, and show how this can be done with the return rate graph. 
  14. List three principles regarding follow-up mailings. 
  15. State the response rates that Babbie considers adequate, good, and very good. 
  16. Present four advantages of interviews over questionnaires. 
  17. Restate the five general rules for successful interviewing. 
  18. Discuss the role of specifications in training interviewers. 
  19. List the advantages and problems with telephone surveys. 
  20. Show how computer-assisted telephone interviewing overcomes some of the weaknesses of the telephone survey. 
  21. Describe several variations for using computers for administering self-administered questionnaires. 
  22. Describe the advantages of online polling and offer some advice for successful online polling. 
  23. Contrast self-administered questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, and telephone interviews, and describe when each is most appropriate. 
  24. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of survey design. 
  25. Give two examples of secondary analysis and/or data archives, and summarize the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. 
  26. Describe how ethics enters into the use of survey research.