The Survey Research Method is a widely used in the social sciences, education, business and medicine. It is a method of obtaining information about a population from representative sample.
A series of 10 artricles on the survey research method.
What is the survey? How to plan a survey? How to collect survey data? Judging the quality of a survey? How to conduct pretesting? What are focus groups? More about mail surveys. What is a margin of error? Designing a questionnaire. More about telephone surveys.
Simulation on conducting interviwes, analysing data and using data for implementation.
"Survey research studies large and small populations (or universes) by selecting and studying samples chosen from the populations to discover the relative incidence, distribution and interrelations of sociological and psychological variables"
(Fred Kerlinger, Foundations of Behavioral Research, 1973. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston).
Types of Surveys
1) Cross-Sectional Survey
Just like all surveys, the cross-sectional collects information from a sample drawn from a population. It involves collecting data at one point of time. However, the time period for collection of data can vary from 1 week to 6 months. If you are using a questionnaire to collect data, you can ask respondents about the past, present or the future.
2) Longitudinal Survey
In longitudinal surveys, data are collected at different points in time in order to study changes. There are 3 types of longitudinal surveys:
a) Trend studies: you identify a general population of persons that is sampled at each data collection point. When you collect data the next time, you do not survey the same individuals but possess similar characteristics to the earlier sample. For example, in 2003 you collect data on attitudes towards mathematics from a sample of 500 Form II students and in 2004 you administer the same attitude scale to another group of 500 Form II students. You aim to see if there are changes in attitudes towards mathematics or trends that are present.
b) Cohort studies: you identify a specific population (eg. teachers in Perak who have a masters degree) and list the names of all members of this population. At each data colection point, you select a sample of respondents from this population and administer the questionnaire. At another point you might select another sample from the same population of teachers and administer the questionnaire. Thus, although the population would remain the same, different individuals would be sampled each time.
c) Panel studies: you identify a sample from the beginning and follow the individuals over a period of time with the aims of noting changes in specific respondents and explore reasons why these individuals have changed. The only problem is the loss of subjects which you cannot replace. For example, you want to find out what happens to a sample final year science students from University of Malaya in the next three years. These are called 'tracer studies'.
Steps in Conducting a Survey Using a Questionnaire
Methods of Data Collection in a Survey
1) Questionnaire
- administered to a group face-to-face
- mail
2) Interview
- personal (one-to-one)
- telephone
What is usually asked in a Questionnaire?
The aim of using the questionnare or conducting an interview is ask people question with regards to:
what they know (Who is the Prime Ministers of Malaysia?)
what they believe (Should access to higher education be further expanded?)
what they expect (Do you expect to be promoted in the next two years?)
what they feel (Do you agree that your principal is autocratic?)
what they have done (How often do you use the library?)
what they plan to do (Do you intend to do a masters degree?)
Questions can be asked about the reasons for the responses to some of the above questions.
Common Types of Information Asked in a Questionnaire
a) Factual Information
b) Opinions, Feeling, Beliefs and Attitudes
c) Present, Past and Future Behaviour or Practices or Actions
The Survey Research Method is a widely used in the social sciences, education, business and medicine. It is a method of obtaining information about a population from representative sample.
