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Survey Design

Survey Design. How to design a survey to get reliable results. Reliable Research. To increase reliability , sociologists work to avoid common errors in the design of research questions Most common mistakes are using questions that are: Double-barreled Loaded Threatening

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Survey Design

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  1. Survey Design How to design a survey to get reliable results

  2. Reliable Research • To increase reliability, sociologists work to avoid common errors in the design of research questions • Most common mistakes are using questions that are: • Double-barreled • Loaded • Threatening • Written with Built-in Assumptions • Unclear • Written with Technical Jargon

  3. Double-Barreled Questions • Questions that make the mistake of asking two or more questions in one • Example: You ask your friend, “Is Mrs. Silverman’s class easy and interesting?” • What is the problem with this question? • The response “yes” is unclear • Yes, it is easy? or yes, it is interesting? or yes to both?

  4. Leading/Loaded Questions • Questions that subtly push a respondent to give a certain response • May be worded to get either a positive or negative response • Examples: (underline the loaded words) • “Should the president of the college fix the dangerous and potholed streets around campus?” • “Should the president of the college spend even more money on repairing streets when the students are in need of those funds for classes?”

  5. Leading/Loaded Questions • Clip from Yes, Minister: Leading questions & getting the survey results you want

  6. Threatening Questions • Questions that may be worded in a way that is threatening towards the respondent • Example: (underline the threatening words) • “Have you ever compromised your academic integrity and violated the Milton Honor Code by cheating on exam?” • How would you rewrite the above question to be less threatening? • “Have you ever cheated on an exam?”

  7. Questions with Built-In Assumptions • Questions that assume something about the respondent or topic without knowing for sure • Examples: (identify the built-in assumption) • “How has redistricting changed Milton?” • “The textbook we use for our class is well-written.” • How can you avoid built-in assumptions?

  8. Unclear Questions • Unclear questions assume that the respondent understands how you define a term • Examples: (underline the unclear word/wording) • “Do you study with friends often?” • “Is Mrs. Silverman a good teacher?” • What can you do to avoid unclear questions?

  9. Questions With Technical Jargon • Technical jargon should also be avoided in research questions because the respondent may not be as familiar with an industry as the researcher • Examples: (underline the jargon) • “Is the pedagogy of this instructor effective?” • “Does Milton have PLCs?” • “Does Milton have a stronger backfield than Alpharetta?” • Did you notice any other problems with the questions above?

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