Sociology Questionnaires Overview

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Questions and Answers

Define questionnaires.

A form of social survey that can be sent home, emailed, or completed on the spot, asking participants to give answers to pre-set questions. There are two types: closed and open.

Define closed questions.

Respondents choose from a range of possible answers that the researcher has decided in advance, similar to multiple choice.

Define open questions.

Respondents are free to give whatever answer they wish, with no pre-selected answers.

Outline advantages of questionnaires.

Practical advantages, Reliable, Validity: hypothesis testing/detachment, Representativeness, Ethical advantages. Signup and view all the answers

Explain practical advantages.

Quick, cheap, and efficient; gather lots of data from many people; easy to quantify, and no need to recruit interviewers. Signup and view all the answers

Explain reliability advantages.

If research is repeated using an identical questionnaire, similar results are likely to be gathered, allowing comparisons over time. Signup and view all the answers

Explain validity; hypothesis testing.

Questionnaires can test hypotheses about cause and effect relationships, e.g., measuring educational achievement. Signup and view all the answers

Explain detachment and objectivity.

Questionnaires are unbiased due to little researcher involvement, especially with postal questionnaires. Signup and view all the answers

Explain representativeness advantages.

They collect data from a large number of people, making it more representative of the wider population. Signup and view all the answers

Explain ethical advantages.

Tend to pose fewer ethical issues; respondents can choose not to answer sensitive questions, ensuring anonymity. Signup and view all the answers

Outline disadvantages of questionnaires.

Practical problems, Representative issues; low response rate, Validity issues; inflexibility, snapshots, lying/forgetting, or right answers, Theoretical criticisms; interpretivist concerns. Signup and view all the answers

Explain practical problems.

Data collected can be limited and superficial; sometimes need incentives for higher completion rates. Signup and view all the answers

Explain representative problems.

Few people complete them, leading to unrepresentative results that can't be generalized. Signup and view all the answers

Explain inflexibility problem.

Questionnaires are inflexible; questions can't be changed, limiting the exploration of new areas of interest. Signup and view all the answers

Explain snapshots problem.

They only provide a picture of social reality at a specific moment in time, failing to produce a fully valid picture. Signup and view all the answers

Explain interpretivist problem 1.

Data from questionnaires lacks validity; methods should allow closer participant interaction. Signup and view all the answers

Explain lying/forgetting/right answerism problem.

Respondents may lie or give socially acceptable answers rather than the truth. Signup and view all the answers

Explain interpretivist criticism 2; imposing researchers' meaning problem.

Questionnaires may impose the researcher’s meanings, restricting participants' expression of what is important to them. Signup and view all the answers

What are ways to improve the response rate of questionnaires?

Financial incentives, short questions, colored ink, personalized letters, first-class mailing with return envelope, pre-contacting participants, follow-up contact, and appealing to participants' interests. Signup and view all the answers

Provide a practical example.

Dewson and Connor posted nearly 4,000 questionnaires to students at 14 higher education institutions. Signup and view all the answers

What is the evidence for low response rate?

Shere Hite's study sent out 100,000 questionnaires, but only 4.5 percent were returned. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Questionnaires in Sociology

A questionnaire is a form of social survey, available via mail, email, or in-person completion, where participants answer preset questions.
There are two main types: closed and open questions.

Closed Questions

Respondents select from predetermined answers, similar to multiple-choice formats.

Open Questions

Participants can provide any response they wish, without options given.

Advantages of Questionnaires

Practical Advantages:
- Quick and cost-effective for collecting substantial data.
- Easy to quantify and analyze, especially with pre-coded closed questions.
- No need for interviewer training, as participants self-administer the questionnaire.
Reliability:
- Standardized questionnaires yield similar results across repeated studies, allowing for temporal comparisons.
- Postal and online formats reduce researcher influence on responses.
Validity:
- Useful for testing hypotheses related to cause and effect, such as exploring correlations between educational achievement and family size.
Detachment and Objectivity:
- Mail questionnaires are unbiased due to minimal researcher involvement, allowing for objective data collection.
Representativeness:
- Collecting data from a large sample enhances generalizability of findings, as evidenced by Connor and Dewson’s study with 4,000 university students.
Ethical Advantages:
- Fewer ethical issues since respondents can skip intrusive questions, ensuring anonymity and confidentiality.

Disadvantages of Questionnaires

Practical Problems:
- Response data may be limited and superficial due to brief formats, leading to potential incentives like prize draws that increase costs.
- Uncertainty exists regarding whether the intended person completed the questionnaire.
Representation Issues:
- Low response rates skew results; for example, Shere Hite's study had only a 4.5% return from 100,000 questionnaires, leading to potential biases.
Validity Concerns:
- Questionnaires are inflexible as questions cannot adapt to new interests, leading to limited insights into participants' thoughts and feelings.
Snapshots:
- Capturing responses at a single moment in time limits understanding of changing social realities.

Interpretivist Criticisms

Lack of Depth:
- Critics argue that questionnaires do not offer the nuanced understanding required to grasp participant meanings due to detachment.
Respondent Issues:
- Participants may manipulate answers or provide socially desirable responses, diluting data integrity. Examples include misrepresenting sexual experience or misunderstanding questions.
Imposing Researcher Meaning:
- Researchers’ choice of questions may impose their own interpretative frameworks on responses, restricting participant expression of true feelings.

Improving Response Rates

Employ financial incentives, short questions, colored ink, personalized letters, and first-class mail with return envelopes.
Pre-contact participants and follow-up to enhance engagement.

Practical Application

Dewson and Connor’s study sent 4,000 questionnaires to higher education students, exploring socioeconomic influences on university decisions.

Evidence of Low Response Rates

Shere Hite's significant study highlights the impact of response rates with only 4.5% returns from a total of 100,000 distributed questionnaires.

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Description

This quiz covers the fundamentals of questionnaires used in sociology, focusing on their types, advantages, and methods of administration. Participants will learn about closed and open questions, as well as the practical and reliability aspects of using questionnaires in social research. Test your knowledge of these essential tools for data collection in sociology.