Methods ch. 9: doing survey research

questionnaire

clearly defines the topic of study and systematically gathers data

cantril scale

measures well-being closer to the end of the continuum representing judgements of life or life evaluation

open ended item

questionnaire item that allows participants to respond to their own words rather than selecting a response from provided alternatives

restricted item

questionnaire item that provides participants with a limited number of specific response alternatives

partially open-ended item

questionnaire item that provides participants with response categories but includes an "other" response category

rating scale

a type of measure or questionnaire item that allows for a graded response

demographics

collecting demographic information is an important part of most surveys, we have to figure our a way to be inclusive

gender

links gender identity, gender expression, and cultural expectations about social status, characteristics, and behavior that are associated with sex trait; more relevant than collecting data on sex as a biological variable

sex

describes anatomical and physiological traits, often assigned at birth

5 principles for gender questions

inclusiveness, precision, autonomy, parsimony, privacy

inclusiveness

people deserve to be counted, everyone should be able to see themselves and their identities represented in surveys and other data collection instruments

precision

use precise terminology that reflects the complex and multidimensional nature of sex, gender, and sexual orientation

autonomy

respect identity and autonomy, data collected must allow respondents to self-identify whenever possible

parsimony

collect only necessary data, gathered in pursuit of a specific and well-defined goal

privacy

use data in a manner that benefits respondents and respects their privacy and confidentiality, research findings should be shared with respondents to ensure the benefit, and data should be shared only under rigorous privacy and confidentiality standards

race

genetic makeup and biological features, heritage you're born with regardless of location or any learned behavior

ethnicity

background of a respondent based on common ancestry, language, history, society, or nature, inherited status based on the society in which one lives, learned behaviors

likert scale

five-point scale in attitude measurement research, respondents indicate the degree of agreement or disagreement with a series of statements

mail survey

method of administering a survey that involved mailing questionnaires to participants, nonresponse bias may be a problem

nonresponse bias

a problem associated with survey research, caused by some participants not returning a questionnaire resulting in a biased sample

internet survey

survey conducted on the internet in which a questionnaire is distributed via email, listservs, or posted on a website. Such surveys are subject to potential respondent bias as only those who have access to the internet can respond

telephone survey

method of conducting a survey that involved calling participants on the telephone and asking them questions from a prepared questionnaire

face-to-face interview

method of administering a questionnaire that involves face-to-face interaction with the participants. Two types are the structured and unstructured review

mixed-mode survey

a survey method that employs more than one type of survey

probability sampling

a sampling technique in which each member of a population has a known probability of being in the sample

representative sample

a sample of subjects in which the characteristics of the population are adequately represented

biased sample

a sample that is not representative of the population it is supposed to represent

simple random sampling

a sampling technique in which every member of a population has equal chance of being selected for a sample and in which the sampling i done on a purely random basis

stratified sampling

a sampling technique designed to ensure a representative sample that involved dividing the population into segments and randomly sampled from each one

proportionate sampling

a variation of stratified sampling in which the proportion of subjects from each stratum is matched to the proportion of subjects in each stratum in the population

systematic sampling

a sampling technique in which everything kth element is sampled after a randomly determined start

cluster sampling

a sampling technique in which naturally occurring groups are randomly selected for inclusion in a sample

multistage sampling

a variant of cluster sampling in which naturally occurring groups of subjects are identified and randomly sampled, individual subjects are then randomly sampled from groups chosen

sampling error

the deviation between the characteristics of a sample and a population

validity

the extent to which a measuring instrument measures what it was designed to measure

reliability

whether a measure or questionnaire produces the same or similar responses with multiple administrations of the same or similar instrument

cross-lagged panel procedure

a longitudinal design where two or more variables are repeatedly measured at two or more different time points, speaks to directionality, strengthening evidence for a causal relationship

mediation

a statistical process used to understand the underlying mechanisms or pathways through which an independent variable affects a dependent variable, helps researchers explore why and how an IV influences a DV