QUESTIONNAIRES

QUESTIONNAIRES

1. INTRO: Questionnaire is a list of written questions sent out to people through the post (postal questionnaire). They are a primary method and they are favoured by positivists. They are a standardised method and produce reliable information. Interpretists highlight problems.

2. STRENGHTS

   • They are a STANDARDISED method e.g. every respondent is asked the same question in the same way, the researcher can then be sure that everyone in the sample has answered the exact same questions. This makes the method RELIABLE.
     • LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE can be contacted quickly, easily and efficiently using a postal questionnaire. All the researcher has to do is identify the target sample and send them a list of questions to answer.
       • Researcher can explore potentially EMBARASSING AREAS (criminal, sexual matters) more easily than other methods. People can answer in private and anonymously therefore they may be more likely to be honest and reveal personal info. This increases the validity.
         • COMPARISONS can be made both over time and between societies. By asking the same questions we can compare the results obtained.

3. WEAKNESSESS

   • They are a very INFLEXIBLE method because once the questionnaire has been finalised the researcher is stuck with those questions and cannot explore any new areas.
     • The RESPONSE RATE for postal questionnaires tends to be very low. A 20-25% return of questionnaires is probably what most researchers would settle with. This may make the sample unrepresentative of the target population- lowers the validity. HITE- 100,000 sent out, 4.5% return.
       • The FORMAT of a questionnaire makes it difficult to examine COMPLEX ISSUES/OPINIONS. Even with open ended questions the depth of a respondents answer is more limited than with any other method. Making it difficult to gather information rich in depth and detail- lowers the validity.
         • When the researcher is not present it is hard to know whether the respondent understood the question properly. The lack of contact removes opportunity of clarifying what the meaning of a question meant to a respondent or deal with any MISUNDERSTANDINGS.

4. CONCLUSION: