Week 5
mloi01
Week5Feedback.docxRunning head: SURVEY METHODS 1
SURVEY METHODS 2
,
I appreciate the online submission of the assignment. I want to remind you of the importance of submitting assignments on-time to avoid late penalties. This is particularly true with the signature assignment that is worth a significant portion of your overall course grade.
In a 6-9-page paper using a minimum of 5 scholarly sources, you are to complete a three- part assignment. In the first, you are to select a method of survey administration and the provide the rationale for that selection for each of 4 different research objectives. In part 2, you are to provide a list of questions that would be used on a questionnaire to meet the objectives. Finally, assuming that you may be using a survey in your research, you are to decide on and explain the method of administration you would use.
You met the assignment requirements with respect to the use of scholarly sources and meeting page expectations. I was surprised to not see the textbook on the reference page given that this should be your primary source for basic information. The text was selected by the faculty due to both content and level. That is why this is required, not optional, reading.
There is an issue with respect to APA formatting that is somewhat surprising given this is the fifth week in the course. First, you are not adhering to the required line spacing. Second, you need to be applying feedback on past assignments. For instance, how the assignment should be spaced is shown below as an example. Finally, while you want to use headings to organize your paper, this can be overdone. In the first part 1 of the assignment, you are asked to decide on the method of survey administration for a number of scenarios. In part 2, you are being asked to provide a list of questions that would meet the objective. Together, these are not mini-papers for each scenario. Therefore, it is not necessary or appropriate to have an introduction and conclusion for each one with is often redundant and repetitive. It is important to remember that scholarly writing is to be both precise and concise. That is, you want to provide the necessary information without excess verbiage and repetition. A brief introduction to the paper overall or even each part might be appropriate but is not necessary. You were advised of this previously.
Overall, in part one, you are not providing a sufficient rationale for the selection of your survey method. As advised in the feedback on the last assignment, this involves examining the specifics of the information needs, who are the target respondents and availability of sampling frames and the criteria to be used in the selection of a method. This is discussed at length in the required reading. As noted in the assignment instructions, “The researcher needs to carefully consider the objectives of the study, the questions that need to be asked and the target respondents in addition to the pros/cons of the alternatives.”
It is also critical to be realistic! For instance, is it reasonable to expect respondents to fill out a questionnaire as they exist the Superbowl? It is not. This would also be expensive to recruit and train a large number of fieldworkers to go to the facility and wait outside the stadium since you would not be able to obtain tickets. Your rationale is also inconsistent. On the one hand, you state the advantage of a self-administered questionnaire is that there is no interviewer bias. You follow this by saying that one of the advantage of the procedure that you propose is that “researcher might have to interview spectators.” This can easily result in interviewer bias. Note also that it not the “researcher” who would be collecting the data. You are also missing the major point. Spectators at the game are not seeing the commercials. These are seen by all those watching the game on TV, the television viewing audience.
In the second scenario you suggest that the criteria to be used is speed and cost but provide no rationale other than that the population is large. We studied sampling in week 3. Therefore, you should have an understanding as to why a census would not be taken but a sample of patients. In addition, just because there is a large population, even if you were taking a census, this does not just suggest that speed and cost are the only the appropriate criteria. What about response rate? The complexity of questions? The length of questionnaire? Characteristics of the sample? In this case, you also do not chose one method as required. This is not an either/or situation. While it is clear that the hospital would have the addresses of patients, how an online survey would be administered is unclear. It is also not clear what you mean by an online survey. As explained in the text, this can involve an e-mail survey or an internet survey where respondents are directed to a website,
In the third scenario, you recommend a personal interview arguing that an honest reply is more likely. You not only have no evidence to support this, but it is in contrast to what you stated previously about the issue with interview bias. You also suggest that you can observe respondent’s behavior. First, this is not part of the objective. Second, it is not clear how you can observe “difficulties” in answering, Third, even is this is possible, why would you expect to be an issue when all you are asking is about the decision to be in law enforcement. This would not be considered a sensitive topic such as sexual behavior, drinking, drug use, a history of mental illness in the family, etc.
In the final scenario you recommend an online survey due to ease, cost, automation of responses and expected higher response rates. There is no evidence to suggest that latter. What you are not addressing is how you would reach respondents. You also bring up that the respondent would be anonymous but do not connect this with the nature of the study or the respondents. It is not clear why anonymity would be an issue when all you are asking are opinions about the training that would be best for a career in IT. Again, this is not a sensitive topic.
In the second part of the assignment, you are to list question that may be asked to meet the objective described in the scenario. While we have yet to discuss questionnaire design, this requires that you draw on what you learned about measurement in week 4.
You did not complete the third part of the assignment.
In the next assignment you are required to demonstrate your understanding of experimentation by evaluating one of three experiments in a 5-7-page paper. This is to include a discussion of the objectives and design of the study as well as an assessment of internal and external validity using appropriate experimental terminology.
Experimentation is a rather complex topic that will require careful reading of the required chapter in the text. I also recommend that you look each over each of the three options before selecting the one you intend on analyzing. Please let me know if you have any questions as you undertake this assignment.
Dr. P
Dr. Susan M. Petroshius 70 - late penalty = 65 6/18/2020
Selecting Survey Methods and Questions
Dr. Susan Petroshius
Selecting Survey Methods and Questions
Surveys are a critical part of quantitative studies in that they enable researchers to obtain crucial information to support the investigation of the primary problem. Different methods of survey administration exist but the most appropriate one depends on the objectives of the study, the respondents desired, and the questions that one needs to ask (Donohoe & Karadakis, 2014). In this light, this article recommends methods of survey administration for various scenarios, as well as developing a list of questions to be utilized during the process. Comment by Susan Petroshius: Source? This is not necessarily true. There are many quantitative studies such as observation studies that do not involve surveys. Comment by Susan Petroshius: This is a dated source. It is not clear why you are relying on this as opposed to the required reading that also discussed the pros/cons of alternative methods that is critical in determining the most appropriate method. Comment by Susan Petroshius: This is not an article but a paper.
a. To determine the effectiveness of advertising of a specific product during the Super Bowl on increasing consumer awareness of the product.
Introduction, recommendation and justification
The appropriate method of survey administration to be used in this scenario is paper-and-pencil survey. Paper-and-pencil survey administration is appropriate for three main reasons. First, it allows the researcher to interview many people within a very short time. Secondly, the method limits the influence of the interviewer on the feedback that respondents give (Weigold, Weigold, Drakeford, Dykema & Smith, 2016). Comment by Susan Petroshius: Why is this important in this particular scenario? Comment by Susan Petroshius: Again, why is this important here with these respondents and this objective?
Another reason why this method of administration has to do with the nature of the exercise. To obtain the right feedback on the effectiveness of advertising of a specific product during the Super Bowl on increasing consumer awareness of the product, the researcher might have to interview spectators as they walk out of the stadium. Usually, the people are in a rush to get home and they exit in large numbers. A quick paper-and-pencil survey, therefore, enables the researcher to reach many respondents and to take as little of their time as possible. Comment by Susan Petroshius: Why? Given what you stated, what make you think they would stop? What other alternatives are there? Comment by Susan Petroshius: The commercials are on television for the viewing audience, not people attending the game.
List of questions
To meet the objectives of the survey, the questionnaire will contain the following questions (let us assume the name of the specific product is mineral water):
i. Do you use mineral water?
ii. What brand of mineral water do you prefer?
iii. Please name three brands of mineral water that you know.
iv. Did you see [the specific mineral water brand] in the stadium’s advertising board today? [ Please tick in the appropriate box ]
[ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] Not Sure Comment by Susan Petroshius: The use of the product category, preferred brands, and the ability to name three are not relevant to what you are measuring which is brand awareness. This is not measured.
Method of survey Comment by Susan Petroshius: This is what was and/or should have been discussed prior to the questions to be asked.
Paper-and-pencil survey is among the oldest survey administration methods in market research. According to Weigold et al (2016), this method of survey injected efficiency and cost effectiveness in market research. In this method, processing of questions lies squarely with the respondent, which encourages obtaining of more useful and unbiased information. This method is ideal in situations where researcher need to reach a big sample. It would be impossible to reach super bowl fans through the internet as they walk out of the stadium. Comment by Susan Petroshius: This is not relevant to the assignment. Comment by Susan Petroshius: First, where is the evidence of this. Second, why is this needed.
Conclusion Comment by Susan Petroshius: You should not have to have a conclusion.
Paper-and-pencil surveys require interviewers to be present. In this case, it would be impossible for the researcher to attend to all respondent at the same time. Online survey would have been the best method to reach such a big population but the circumstances make it inappropriate. Even with the shortcomings, paper-and-pencil survey remains the best-fit survey administration method to achieve the objects of this study. Comment by Susan Petroshius: Why?
b. To determine the level of satisfaction of patients who are admitted to a hospital during the past 6 months.
Introduction Comment by Susan Petroshius: This is not necessary.
To measure patient satisfaction, hospital management needs to reach out to the patients with appropriate questions. The study intends to interview patients who have been admitted at the hospital during the past 6 months. This is a large population and it might require a survey administration method that can reach many people fast and cheaply. Comment by Susan Petroshius: Why? There is not rationale for this.
Recommendation and justification of the method of survey administration
In this case, there are two appropriate methods of survey administration. The first one is online survey and the second one is mail survey. Online survey is applicable to all patients who can access the internet. One can obtain such patients’ email addresses from the hospital’s electronic health records (EHR). This method is appropriate because it can reach a large sample size cheaply and fast (Ball, 2019). In case there are patients who do not have access to the interne, or they are internet illiterate, then mail survey is appropriate. Mail survey is more expensive than online survey and the response rate is lower. However, it remains the best alternative to online survey. Comment by Susan Petroshius: Why are these two criteria most important here? Comment by Susan Petroshius: Source? What is this dependent on? Comment by Susan Petroshius: Why? You need to be providing your rationale.
List of questions to be used on the questionnaire
The following are some questions that would be used in the questionnaire to meet the objectives of the study:
i. How often do you visit the hospital? Comment by Susan Petroshius: Not relevant. Also, how is a person to answer this? When needed???
ii. How would you rate your experience with our services? [Please tick the appropriate box] Comment by Susan Petroshius: Go back to assignment 4. You are not measuring experience but satisfaction. How would this be operationally defined?
[ ] Very Satisfied, [ ] Satisfied, [ ] Dissatisfied, [ ] Very Dissatisfied, [ ] Not Sure.
iii. On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this facility to your family or friends? Comment by Susan Petroshius: These two questions are not directly relevant. What would be are the various elements that might have an impact on patient satisfaction. This could have been examined by looking at scholarly sources measuring this.
iv. What would you change or improve concerning our services if you could?
Methods of survey
According to Ball (2019), online surveys provide the cheapest and fastest means of obtaining feedback from respondents. In addition, majority of human population is currently online. Comparatively, face-to-face interviews would require interviewers to travel to the respondents’ physical location. This costs a fortune in terms of transportation, accommodation, and other logistical needs. Mail surveys, on the other hand, are not as cost effective as online surveys but they work better than face-to-face interviews, particularly when the sample size is large. Comment by Susan Petroshius [2]: You need to be considering your sources and the generalizability. As this author states, this article: “discuss the benefits and pitfalls of online surveys for breastfeeding and lactation research,”This is not what there studies are all about. Comment by Susan Petroshius: What about telephone surveys?
Conclusion Comment by Susan Petroshius: This is repetitive and not necessary. It is also not clear why you are assuming the hospital draws patients from a broad geographical area. Even is this is the case, it does not negate mail or telephone interviews.
Customer satisfaction is critical for organizations whose functioning depends on their goodwill. For this reason, hospitals regularly seek feedback from patients to determine where they stand in terms of the quality of service. To this end, online surveys are ideal especially if the patients are many and come from distant places. In place of online surveys, mail surveys can obtain the feedback without costing as much as it would if face-to-face interviews would have been used.
c. To determine if there is a relationship between the decision to pursue a career in law enforcement and gender.
Introduction
Career decision making is a difficult process and deeply personal (Bacanli, 2016). In many societies, certain careers are thought to be preserves of certain genders. Such careers are demanding in terms of physical energy and commitment. For example, law enforcement entails dealing with dangerous characters who might harm officers deemed weak. This study intends to find out if there is a relationship between the decision to pursue a career in law enforcement and gender. Comment by Susan Petroshius: It is inappropriate to generalize these findings to this study since this is not only dealing with adolescents but also those who are in Turkey. If this study were dealing with those non-adults, it would have to be started given issues of ethics and informed consent of non-adults. Comment by Susan Petroshius: This sounds somewhat biased. You might want to use the term people. You need to be providing evidence for your assertions. While it is general knowledge that there are dangers inherent in such as career, it is not general knowledge that there is a relationship between “characters” and officers who are perceived as being weak.
Recommendation and justification of method of survey administration
The recommended method of survey administration is face-to-face structured interview. This is because this method connects the interviewer and the interviewee at a personal level. As such, one is more likely to get an honest reply to questions posed. In addition, face-to-face interviews offer the researcher the opportunity to observe the behavior of the respondents when asked certain questions (Mahfoud, Ghandour, Ghandour, Mokdad & Sibai, 2015). Consequently, the researcher might be able to quantify the level of difficulties respondents face when making this career decision.
List of questions
The following questions would be used on a questionnaire to meet the objects of the study:
i. Would you wish to be a law enforcement officer? Why? Comment by Susan Petroshius: You are not addressing the sample. Wouldn’t you be contacting those who have chosen this as their career?I understand that we have not discussed questionnaire design but given you are conducting a quantitative study, would you not want to be using structured questions as opposed to those that are open-ended. If any other method was used, you would have to have a question on gender.
ii. What do you think is the biggest hurdle that people of your gender in law enforcement careers face that impedes their success?
iii. Between men and women, who do you think are better law enforcement officers? Why?
Method of survey
According to Mahfoud (2015), face-to-face interviews entail some kind of person-to-person connection between the interviewer and the respondent. This connection enables interviewers to ask deeply personal questions that might require long answers. Besides, this kind of survey administration method gives the time and space for the respondents to explain themselves at length. Nonetheless, interviewers play a major role in the manner in which respondents answer questions in face-to-face interviews. If the interviewer seems desperate for an answer, the respondent might lie just to please the interviewer. In addition, this method is cumbersome, costly, and time intensive because it involves a lot of travelling. Comment by Susan Petroshius: There is no evidence that these are “deeply personal” questions. Even political view and religious beliefs would be more personal. Comment by Susan Petroshius: Where is the evidence of this? If this is the case, why would you suggest using an interviewer?
Conclusion
Law enforcement is taxing and inherently risky. However, various functions within the force have been developed that do not involve as much risk as going out into the field. Nevertheless, gender is still pivotal in decisions taking people into law enforcement career. Whether one is willing to take this path or not is a deeply personal question. As such, face-to-face interviews are the appropriate method of administering the survey where one intends to determine the relationship between the decision to pursue a career in law enforcement and gender. Comment by Susan Petroshius: You are ignoring the fact that you have to reach these people. How would you do that? The target respondents and access has to be considered in making these decisions.
d. To determine IT professionals’ perceptions of the best preparation for an IT career.
Introduction
The objective of this study is to determine the perceptions of IT professionals concerning the best preparation for an IT career. In this study, the researcher would be looking for the opinion of the respondents when it comes to working towards a career in IT. To get a better perspective, a researcher might want to reach as large a sample as possible. This way, one can obtain a wide variety of perspectives from which one can obtain the overarching perception via generalization. As such, one needs a method of survey administration that would enable one to reach many respondents in the shortest time possible, and cheaply.
Recommendation and justification of method of survey administration
Online survey is the recommended method of survey administration for this study. This is because of various reasons. Firstly, it is easy to gather data from a large sample of respondents at minimal costs (Ball, 2019). Secondly, researchers can design the questionnaire in such a way that respondents can input data automatically. This makes the process of survey taking easy and fun hence fast. Ultimately, the researcher is likely to obtain higher response rates compared to other alternative methods. Comment by Susan Petroshius: You are ignoring a major issue. How are you reaching these people?
List of questions
The following questions would be used on a questionnaire to meet the objects of the study:
i. Do you need a degree qualification to succeed as an IT professional? Comment by Susan Petroshius: Be specific. What degree? High school? An associate degree?
ii. How much time did you spend studying and looking for your first job in IT? Comment by Susan Petroshius: This is not relevant.
iii. Do you agree with the following statements about preparation for a career in IT? Please only tick against statements that you agree with. Comment by Susan Petroshius: Pick. This is an inappropriate why to operationalize this concepts. You are listing two statements and asking a respondent to pick one. How could this be addressed? What about using a Likert scale as studied previously?
a) Preparation for a career in IT is time consuming because of time spent in school.
b) Technical skills are more valuable in IT compared to theoretical knowledge.
Method of survey
Traditional methods of data collection for research are cumbersome, time consuming, and costly. However, the internet provides a platform that is universal where anyone from anywhere on the globe can view the same piece of information (Regmi, Waithaka, Paudyal, Simkhada & Teijlingen, 2017). Online or internet-based data collection methods gather huge amounts of data in a very small timeframe. In addition, this method ensures the highest levels of protection of respondents especially if the nature of the survey requires anonymity. As such, respondents who would be hard to be accessed through face-to-face interviews can easily be targeted using the internet. Comment by Susan Petroshius: Source? What are you considering “traditional” methods? Comment by Susan Petroshius: You have stated this repeatedly. In addition, you are not making the distinction between an online survey and an e-mail survey.
Conclusion
Online surveys uphold the highest levels of security of the identity of respondents. In addition, the internet is accessible in most parts of the world, which makes it easy to reach a large and diverse sample size fast. Subsequently, this method of survey administration enables collection is large amounts of data in a short period of time.
References
Bacanli, F. (2016). Career decision-making difficulties of Turkish adolescents. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 16(2), 233-250.
Ball, H. L. (2019). Conducting Online Surveys. Journal of Human Lactation, 35(3), 413-417. doi:10.1177/0890334419848734
Donohoe, H., & Karadakis, K. (2014). Survey Administration. Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research, 6481-6483. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2924
Mahfoud, Z., Ghandour, L., Ghandour, B., Mokdad, A. H., & Sibai, A. M. (2015). Cell phone and face-to-face interview responses in population-based surveys: how do they compare?. Field methods, 27(1), 39-54.
Regmi, P. R., Waithaka, E., Paudyal, A., Simkhada, P., & Teijlingen, E. V. (2017). Guide to the design and application of online questionnaire surveys. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology, 6(4), 640-644. doi:10.3126/nje.v6i4.17258
Weigold, A., Weigold, I. K., Drakeford, N. M., Dykema, S. A., & Smith, C. A. (2016). Equivalence of paper-and-pencil and computerized self-report surveys in older adults. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 407-413.
