Research Methods- Questionnaires

Question 1

What kind of questions do questionnaires mainly use?

Answer 1

Closed questions and multiple-choice answers but some use open-ended questions

Question 2

How do closed questions affect reliability and validity?

Answer 2

Give you quantitative data which positivists like

Question 3

How do open-ended questions affect validity and reliability?

Answer 3

Give you insight into meanings and motives so qualitative data which interpretivists prefer

Question 4

What should questionnaires do?

Answer 4

• Use clear and simple questions which are easy to understand
• Give clear instructions and make it easy for respondent
• Have clear layout that doesn’t intimidate people
• Give range of options on multiple-choice questions
• Measure what you want to measure

Question 5

What should questionnaires not do?

Answer 5

• Ask questions that are embarrassing, threatening or complex questions
• Ask two questions instead of one
• Be too long
• Use sociological terms that few people understand
• Lead respondent to answer a question in a particular way

Question 6

What kind of topics can questionnaires be used to investigate?

Answer 6

TV viewing habits, purchasing habits, voting behaviour and experiences of crime

Question 7

What are advantages of questionnaires?

Answer 7

• Easy to administer
• Reliable
• Anonymous
• Suitable for sensitive topics
• Large sample, representative

Question 8

What are limitations of questionnaires?

Answer 8

• Respondents may not tell the truth
• Questions could be misleading or mean different things to different people
• Respondents can’t give extra information
• Questions can’t be explained
• Low response rate