Transcript Type Bryman Alan author names here Social Research Methods Chapter 10: Self-completion questionnaires Slides authored by Tom Owens.

Type Bryman
Alan
author names here
Social Research Methods
Chapter 10: Self-completion
questionnaires
Slides authored by Tom Owens
What is a self-completion
questionnaire?
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Also called a self-administered questionnaire
No interviewer present
Respondent writes answers on form
Returned to researcher or deposited for
collection
• Usually postal questionnaires
• Can be distributed in person or by email
Page 232
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Comparing self-completion questionnaires
and structured interviews
Self-completion questionnaires tend to:
– have fewer open questions
– have easier to follow designs
– be shorter, to reduce ‘respondent fatigue’
Page 233
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Self-completion questionnaires have
advantages…..
• Cheaper and quicker to administer (to
widely dispersed populations)
• No interviewer variability
• Convenience for respondents
Page 233, 234
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
….but many disadvantages
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Cannot probe or prompt
Can only ask salient questions
Few open-ended or complex questions
Respondent can see the whole questionnaire
before answering (question order effects)
Cannot ensure that the ‘right’ person answers
Cannot collect additional data
Respondent fatigue if too many questions
Excludes people with limited literacy skills
Greater risk of missing data
Pages 234, 235
Lower response rates
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Tips to improve response rates to
postal questionnaires:
Since response rates are relatively low there is a risk
of sample bias; a rate of 60%+ is needed to be
acceptable (Mangione,1995).
Response rates can be improved by:
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Writing a good covering letter
Including a stamped addressed envelope
Issuing reminders
Using shorter questionnaires
Give clear instructions
Using a layout attractive to the respondent
Providing monetary incentives
Page 236
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Tips on designing a self-completion
questionnaire:
• Use an uncluttered layout
– neither too short and cramped nor too long and
bulky
• Aim for clear presentation
– variety of font sizes, bold print, italics, and
CAPITAL letters can be used
– but be consistent!
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Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Arrange fixed answers vertically
Because this makes the questionnaire less
confusing to read
Because questions can be distinguished from
answers
Because the respondent is less likely to make a
mistake
Because the questionnaire is easier to pre-code
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Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Give clear instructions about how to respond
– how to indicate choice of answer:
a tick, a circle, an underline…..?
– if more than one answer can be given:
sometimes you might want the respondent to
select a number of possibilities from a list.
Page 239
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Keep questions and answers together
• Never spread a question over two
pages
• Locate the answers alongside each
corresponding question, particularly
for questions involving Likert scales
Page 239
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Formatting a Likert scale
In the next set of questions, you are presented with a statement. You are being
asked to indicate your level of agreement or disagreement with each
statement by indicating whether you: Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), are
Undecided (U), Disagree (D), or Strongly Disagree (SD).
Please indicate your level of agreement by circling the appropriate response.
23. My job is like a hobby to me.
SA
A
U
D
SD
24. My job is usually interesting enough to keep me from getting bored.
SA
A
U
D
SD
25. It seems that my friends are more interested in their jobs.
SA
A
U
D
SD
26. I enjoy my work more than my leisure time.
Tips and skills
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SA
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U
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SD
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Using diaries as a form of selfcompletion questionnaire
• As an alternative to structured observation in
quantitative research
• In a structured form:
– with closed entries, like a questionnaire
– recording time-use (amount of time spent on
different activities)
• Can reduce error due to memory problems
• But can be more intrusive than a questionnaire
Page 240
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
A diary study to examine
gender and time use
Sullivan’s (1997) studied the ways in which the experience of
domestic time is gendered:
• the diaries recorded the amount of time spent by household
members on particular activities in a one-week period
• these activities were rank-ordered into seven categories ranging
from cooking to domestic travel
The diary method enabled Sullivan to show the differences
between men and women regarding the performance of certain
tasks and the proportion of their time spent on doing tasks
together.
Research in focus 10.1
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Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Guidelines for preparing a diary for
quantitative research
• Corti (1993)
– provide clear instructions for respondents
about how to complete diary and how often
– include model of a completed diary entry
– provide checklist of items, events or
behaviours to include in each entry
– show blocks of time in columns
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Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition
Evaluating diaries as a form of selfcompletion questionnaire
• Advantages
– precise estimates of time
spent on activities (valid,
reliable data)
– shows chronological
order of events
– useful for personal or
sensitive issues
• Disadvantages
– cost of producing
diaries and monitoring
completion
– boredom, fatigue and
attrition
– failure to record details
– selective inclusion of
events
Page 243
Bryman: Social Research Methods, 4th edition