educational research Creswell book chapter

1. Survey Designs

2. › Define survey research, and describe when to use it, and how it developed
› Describe the types of survey designs
› Identify the key characteristics of survey research
› Describe how to construct and use a mailed questionnaire
› Describe how to design and conduct an interview survey
› Identify potential ethical issues in survey research
› List the steps in conducting survey research
› Identify criteria useful for evaluating survey research

3. Survey research designs :
are procedures in which investigators administer a survey to a
sample or to the entire population of people in order to describe the
attitudes, opinions, behaviors, or characteristics of the population. In
this procedure, survey researchers collect quantitative, numbered
data using questionnaires or interviews and statistically analyze the
data to describe trends in responses to questions and to test
research questions or hypotheses.

4. When to Use a Survey
› To describe trends.
› To determine individuals’ opinions about a specific issue.
› Surveys help identify important beliefs and attitudes of
individuals.
› For follow-up analyses.
› For program evaluation.

5. The Development of Survey Research
›1817 Marc Antoine Jullien de Paris designed a 34-page international survey of
national education systems.
›1890 Stanley Hall survey of children.
›1907 The Pittsburgh Survey examined social problems.
›Between World War I and World War II the modern survey as we know it began
to emerge. sampling techniques improved.
›By the mid-century, Scales improved, guidelines for clear questions,
standardizing interviewing questions, training interviewers, and checking for
consistency among interviewers.
›In recent years, Electronic surveys have been increasingly used, Survey
researchers can now generate an online survey to easily administer to anyone
with Internet access.

6. The Types of Survey Designs
Study
Over Time
Study at One
Point in Time
Time of Data Collection
Longitudinal
Trends in
the same
population
over time
Trend
Changes in a
subpopulation
group identified
by a common
characteristic
over time
Cohort
Changes
in the
same
people
over time
Panel
Cross Sectional
Attitudes and Practices
Group Comparisons
Community Needs
National Survey
Program Evaluation

7. Key Characteristics of Survey Research
› Sampling from a population
› Collecting data through questionnaires or interviews
› Designing instruments for data collection
› Obtaining a high response rate

8. Sampling from Population
(Population, Target Population or Sampling Frame, and Sample)
The Population
The group of individuals has one characteristic that distinguishes them
from other groups.
The Target Population or Sampling Frame
The actual list of sampling units from which the sample is selected.
The Sample
The group of participants in a study selected from the target population
from which the researcher generalizes to the target population.

9. Good Survey Research Factors:
› Having a good sampling frame list on which to select individuals To
reduce coverage error.
› Selecting as large a sample from the population as possible to
reduce sampling error.
› Using a good instrument with clear, unambiguous questions and
response options to reduce measurement error.
› Using rigorous administration procedures to achieve as large a return
rate as possible to reduce nonresponse error.

10. Questionnaires and Interviews
› Questionnaire is a form used in a survey design that participants in a
study complete and return to the researcher.
› Interview survey is a form on which the researcher records answers
supplied by the participant in the study. The researcher asks a question
from an interview guide, listens for answers, observes behavior, and
records responses on the survey.
The quantitative interview procedures, discussed here, are not to be
confused with qualitative interviewing. In quantitative survey interviews, the
investigator uses a structured or semi-structured interview consisting of
mostly closed-ended questions.

11. Types of Questionnaires and Interviews Based on Who
Completes or Records the Data
Who
complete
s or
records
the
data?
Participant
Mailed
Questionnaire
Electronic
Questionnaire
Researcher
One on one
Individual
Interview
To a
group
Focus Group
Interview
Over
telephone
Telephone
Interview

12. Instrument Design
› First, consider whether a survey instrument is available.
› We can modify an existing instrument.
› Design our own instrument by the following steps:
1.Write different types of questions (including personal,
attitudinal, behavioral questions, sensitive questions, and
closed- and open-ended questions).
2.Use strategies to construct good questions.
3.Perform a pilot test of the questions.

13. While constructing questions, must avoid the following Problems:
› Unclear question because of vague words
› Asking two or more questions
› Wordy or lengthy questions
› Question contains negatives
› Question contains jargon
› Response categories overlap
› Unbalanced response options
› Mismatch between the question and the responses
› Respondent does not have the understanding to answer question
› Not all respondents can answer the question of branching needed

14. Pilot Testing
› Test on a small number of individuals in the sample
› Ask for written feedback on the questions
› Revise the survey based on the written comments
› Exclude the pilot participants from the final sample for the
study

15. Strategies to Improve Response Rates
› Prenotify participants
› Use follow-up procedures
› Study a problem interesting to the population under study
› Use a brief instrument
› Consider the use of incentives

16. Three-Phase Survey Administration Procedure
Step 1:
First Mailing
of Survey
Step 2:
Second Mailing
of Survey
Step 3:
Postcard
Mailing
2 Weeks 2 Weeks 2 Weeks
Start 6 Weeks
Time

17. Response Bias
› The responses do not accurately reflect the views of the sample and
the population.
– Overly positive or negative
› Assess response bias, particularly when response rates remain low
› Wave analysis

18. Construct and Analyze a Mailed Questionnaire
› Write a cover letter to invite the participants to complete the
questionnaire
› Form and construct the questionnaire
› Identify what statistical procedures will be used to analyze data
from the mailed questionnaire

19. The Cover Letter Major Elements:
› Importance of participant. To encourage individuals to complete
the questionnaire.
› Purpose of the study.
› Assurances of confidentiality.
› Sponsorship, The cover letter includes the adviser’s name as well
as the institution.
› Completion time and returns.

20. Planning and Designing an Interview Survey
› The interviewer should maintain a neutral stance during the
interview
› Train the interviewers prior to the interview
› Take good notes of responses or use an audio recorder
› For telephone interviews, develop a telephone interview
guide prior to the interview

21. Potential Ethical Issues in Survey Research
› Overstating the benefits of participating in the study
› Placing interviewers or participants in unsafe situations
› Protecting the confidentiality of survey responses
› Disclosing the identity of individuals through data analysis of
a subset
› Not destroying instruments at the conclusion of the study

22. Steps in Conducting Survey Research
› Decide if a survey is the best design to use
› Identify the research questions or hypotheses
› Identify the population, the sampling frame, and the sample
› Determine the survey design and data collection procedures
› Develop or locate an instrument
› Administer the instrument
› Analyze the data to address the research questions or
hypotheses
› Write the report

23. Evaluating Survey Research
› Describes the target population
› Identifies and uses a systematic approach to identifying the sample
› Identifies the size of the sample and means for identifying the sample
size
› Identifies the type of survey used
› Mention survey instrument for data collection
› Reports the reliability and validity of past scores on the instrument
› Discusses procedures for administering the instrument
› Administration procedures provide a discussion about the follow-up
procedures to ensure a high return rate
› Provides a systematic procedure for analyzing the survey data