week 8: Week 8: Surveys and Qualitative Interviews

What is the main purpose of surveys?

To collect data from people for descriptive, explanatory, or exploratory studies

Who is the respondent in a survey?

The person who provides the survey data

Why are surveys useful?

They measure attitudes and behaviors of large populations

Name one guideline for designing survey questions.

Use clear question forms and avoid double‑barreled, negative, or biased items

What is a double‑barreled question?

A question that asks two things but allows only one response

How can you fix a double‑barreled question?

Ask each part of the question separately

Why should survey questions be kept short?

Short questions are clearer and easier to answer

What is an example of a negative survey item to avoid?

“Canada should not support United Nations peacekeeping missions”

Why avoid biased or leading questions?

They can influence respondents’ answers in a specific direction

Why include both open‑ended and closed‑ended questions?

To get detailed responses and standardized data

What makes closed‑ended responses valid?

They must be mutually exclusive and exhaustive

How can you make closed‑ended responses exhaustive?

Include an “Other” option for unlisted answers

What is a matrix question?

A set of questions that share the same answer categories

How can question order affect survey results?

It can cause fatigue or bias, so sensitive questions often go last

Name two self‑administered survey modes.

Mail‑based and online surveys

What is one advantage of telephone interviews?

They cost less and may yield more honest answers

What is one disadvantage of telephone surveys?

They exclude people without phones and risk hang‑ups

What is the response rate in a survey?

The percentage of selected people who actually participate

Why is a low response rate a problem?

It can introduce response bias

What is a cross‑sectional study?

A survey snapshot taken at a single point in time

What is a trend study?

Repeated cross‑sectional surveys of a population over time with different participants

What is a cohort study?

Following a specific subpopulation over time, possibly with different participants

What is a panel study?

Following the same group of participants over time

What is one strength of survey research?

It provides strong external validity for large populations

What is one weakness of survey research?

It has weak internal validity and limited causal inference

What defines a qualitative interview?

An interview using open‑ended questions and follow‑up probes

What is the miner approach in qualitative interviewing?

Assuming the subject has specific information and digging it out

What is the traveler approach in qualitative interviewing?

Acting as an acceptable novice to explore the topic with the respondent

What is data saturation?

The point when no new information emerges during data collection

What is a focus group?

A moderated discussion with 6–10 people on a specific topic

Why are focus groups considered exploratory?

They generate ideas rather than test hypotheses

Who leads a focus group discussion?

A moderator

How are focus group participants typically selected?

Not through rigorous probability sampling

Why must focus group sessions be recorded?

To capture all comments for later analysis

Name one advantage of focus groups.

They are fast and low cost

Name one disadvantage of focus groups.

Data are difficult to analyze

What is an in‑depth interview study?

A one‑on‑one interview for deep, detailed information

What is one advantage of in‑depth interviews?

They offer flexibility and rich detail

What is one disadvantage of in‑depth interviews?

They have high interviewer effects and low generalizability

What is another disadvantage of in‑depth interviews?

They can be time‑consuming to conduct and analyze