Interfaces de Usuario

Surveys

Surveys aim to obtain information that can be analysed, notice trends, make comparisons and find facts. The national census is a survey where the aim is to obtain a 100 per cent response. Most surveys are not so ambitious but this can cause problems because the sample population has to be repre-sentative. If, for instance, you wanted to find out how students who are employed manage their workload, you could not ask all students, but you could take a percentage of each age group, gender, and subject studied from various parts of the country.

In surveys, all respondents are asked the same questions and, so far as possible, in the same circumstances. Again, this is not as easy as it seems:

questionnaires have to be piloted or tested first to make sure they are clear and unambiguous. Surveys can provide answers to the questions, ‘What?’,

‘Where?’, When?’ and ‘How?’ but not ‘Why?’

The advantages of surveys are that they can be a relatively cheap and easy way of obtaining large amounts of data. Sometimes, in the case of postal surveys, they are the only way of obtaining information and, of course, because they are anonymous they may encourage more honest answers.

The disadvantage is that the response rate on postal and self-administered surveys is very low. Also, because they are completed anonymously, there is no guarantee that the sample represents the population. Other surveys may be influenced by the characteristics and attitudes of the interviewer.

Telephone surveys are becoming increasingly used. They have a high response rate and it is possible to ensure understanding even though there are not the visual clues as in a face-to-face interview. Their primary advan-tages are that distance is no problem, they are quite low in cost and they offer personal safety for both interviewer and interviewee. However, unless you already have a background in statistics, analysis is very difficult for a novice researcher.

Questionnaires

Advantages

I questions require very careful wording;

I not too time-consuming;

I anonymity of respondent is assured;

I data collector remains detached;

I can reach a large number of people;

I easy to analyse.

Disadvantages

I no opportunities for clarification of questions;

I cost of reproduction;

I cannot probe interesting responses;

I respondent must be able to read and write proficiently;

I poor response rate;

I respondent may not be telling the truth.

There are many ways in which a questionnaire can be designed, which will depend on what you want to find out. Responses can be:

G Nominal: Identifying your answer from a predetermined list.

G Ordinal or Likert: respondent selects appropriate response from a scale, for example: Law degree students should study statistics.

Strongly agree/Agree/Not certain/Disagree/Strongly disagree.

G Interval scales: what is your age? Below

20/21–25/26–35/36–45/46–55/over 55. Circle one. L

Think about interviews you have taken part in or questionnaires you have completed. Consider how frustrated you have felt when you were not able to squeeze your answer into the box, or the questions were not the ones you would have asked. It is really important that you think about the way you design the questionnaire. The most common faults are:

I leading the question, asking it in a way that tells the respondent the answer;

I double questions, these give two or more choices, which may conflict;

I some questions use words which are not very precise;

I some questions are so complex they are impossible to answer properly;

I hearsay questions, these ask things about which the respondent is unlikely to have evidence, only opinion;

I closed questions which only lead to the answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

ACTIVITY 1 Traps and pitfalls

Consider the following questions from a questionnaire. Which common traps and pit-falls can you identify? Can you think of another way of phrasing them?

I How much time do you spend on travelling? A great deal/quite a lot/not much.

I Which type of school does your child go to?

Infant/Primary/Secondary/Comprehensive/Grammar/Other.

I Do you think your colleagues like to learn?

I Do you like to travel by train or bus?

I Should examinations at the end of compulsory schooling be easier or more difficult?

I Do you agree that men are more suited to a career in engineering?

I What do you think of the new government policy on early years education?

G Ranked responses: for example, rate the following museums and galleries visited in order of preference. Grade from 1 to 4 where 1 is the best.

Tate Modern National Gallery

Victoria and Albert Museum Tate Britain.

G Semantic differential: for example, place a tick on the line to show your opinion of the college accommodation.

Clean______________________________________ Dirty

Experiments

The key feature of this method is that the researcher deliberately introduces some form of intervention or innovation. An example might be the introduc-tion of an incentive system for office workers, with the view to changing their behaviour. It is reasonably easy to plan an experiment to test some-thing measurable and, of course, most of us are familiar with the concept of laboratory experiments, where there are carefully designed procedures. It is also possible to conduct experimental research out of the laboratory, partic-ularly in situations where there is a planned intervention or innovation.

Experimental research can also be conducted by exposing one group to a planned intervention and comparing it with a parallel or control group where there has been no intervention, and noting the differences. In this instance there would have to be ethical considerations as one group could be seen as being treated better than the other. Experimental research has to be planned very carefully, but does allow for conclusions to be drawn about cause and effect. To be regarded as useful research, large groups are needed and, as such, this methodology can be expensive. For further infor-mation see Robson (2002:109–142).