self report techniques

Question 1

what is a open question ?

Answer 1

does not have fixed range of answers and respondents are free to answer in any way they wish and they tend to produce qualitative data that is rich in depth and may be difficult to analyse

Question 2

what is a closed question ?

Answer 2

after a fixed number of responses , quantative data like this is usually easy to analyse but may lack depth , can be seen in the form of likerts and on a scale

Question 3

what is a questionnaire ?

Answer 3

pre set list of written questions that access thoughts / feelings . there are a number of different styles of questions

Question 4

strengths of open questions

Answer 4

• more flexibility in way particiapant can answer the questions whilst retaining structure necessary
• more detail can be given

Question 5

limitations of open questions

Answer 5

• data being analysed can be open to interpretation
• much harder to analyse participant responses in order to draw conclusions

Question 6

strengths of closed questions

Answer 6

• very easy to analyse as respondents can be reduced to numerical data so makes it more objective
• data lends itself to statistical analysis and comparisons

Question 7

limitations of closed questions

Answer 7

• does not allow participants to expand on answers so lacks detail

Question 8

strengths of questionnaires

Answer 8

• cost effective , can gather large amounts of data quickly
• can be completed without the reseacher being present so reduces researcher effect and demand characteristics

Question 9

limitations of questionnaires

Answer 9

• responses may not be truthful - form of demand characteristics called social desirability bias
• often produce a response bias where repsondents reply in a similar way

Question 10

what is a unstructured interview ?

Answer 10

informal chats with no set questions
the interaction tends to be free flowing

Question 11

what is a structured interview ?

Answer 11

formal interview with pre determined questions that are asked in a fixed order

Question 12

strengths of structured interviews

Answer 12

straightforward to replicate due to their standarised format
targeted questioning
some questions produce quantitative data

Question 13

limitations of structured interviews

Answer 13

cannot ask follow up questions so no elaboration which can be frustrating
social desirability bias

Question 14

strengths of unstructured interviews

Answer 14

more sensitive approach to topics
can follow up points so likely yo gain more insight

Question 15

limitations of unstructured interviews

Answer 15

time consuming
social desirability bias
analysing data is more difficult
more skilled specialist interviewer so more expensive