11. self report design

what consists of self report design

1. questionnaire construction

2. design of interviews

ways to design a questionnaire

1. likert scale

2. rating scale

3. fixed choice

likert scale

respondent indicated their agreement/disagreement with a statement using a scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree (usually 5 points)

rating scales

respondents identify a value that represents their strength of feeling about a particular topic

fixed choice option

includes a list of possible options and respondents are required to indicate those that apply to them

designing interviews

1. interview schedule

2. setting

3. confidentiality

interview schedule

• most have this

• it is the list of questions that the interviewer intends to cover

• should be standardised to reduce the contaminating effect of interviewer bias

• the interviewer will either take notes or record it

setting

• for one to one, the interviewer should conduct it in a quiet room, away from others as this will increase the likelihood the interviewee will open up

• good practice to begin with neutral questions to establish rapport and make interviewee feel comfortable

confidentiality

• should be reminded on several occasions their answers will be treated in the strictest confidence, especially if covering topics that may be personal or sensitive

designing good questions

clarity is essential, avoid

1. overuse of jargon (technical terms familiar to those in a specialised field)

2. emotive language

3. leading questions

4. double barralled questions

5. double negatives