Self-administered questionnaires
One advantage of using diaries in quantitative research is that:
There is a reduced risk of attrition, as respondents tend to be highly motivated
They are likely to elicit data about sensitive issues or deviant activities
They highlight the thoughts, feelings and experiences that are unique to each respondent
None of the above
There is a reduced risk of attrition, as respondents tend to be highly motivated
Because of the manner in which diarists are approached, they are more likely to be more highly motivated to keep to the task. It must be said, though, that attrition is a common problem in research. For structured diary use in quantitative research there may not be the same problem of attrition as for free-text diaries used in qualitative research. Using a diary method for quantitative research will gather data about frequency and duration of behaviour only, so answer (b) might only be partially correct. Answer (c) relates to free-text diaries and so has no bearing on this question concerning quantitative research. Probably the diary scores better than a questionnaire for measurement validity of amounts of time spent on particular activities, their frequency, and sequencing.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 237-239
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 237-239
There is a reduced risk of attrition, as respondents tend to be highly motivated Because of the manner in which diarists are approached, they are more likely to be more highly motivated to keep to the task. It must be said, though, that attrition is a common problem in research. For structured diary use in quantitative research there may not be the same problem of attrition as for free-text diaries used in qualitative research. Using a diary method for quantitative research will gather data about frequency and duration of behaviour only, so answer (b) might only be partially correct. Answer (c) relates to free-text diaries and so has no bearing on this question concerning quantitative research. Probably the diary scores better than a questionnaire for measurement validity of amounts of time spent on particular activities, their frequency, and sequencing.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 237-239
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 237-239
Related posts
Corti (1993) makes a distinction between two types of researcher-driven diary:A. Valid and reliable diaries
B. Quantitative and qualitative diaries
C. Structured and free-text diaries
D. Open or closed answer diaries
The ‘time-use’ diary can provide quantitative data about:
A. The amount of time respondents spend on certain activities every day
B. The subjective meanings that concepts of ‘time’ have for different people
C. The way respondents make sense of their life stories in narrative form
D. The historical significance of clocks, watches and other devices for measuring time
In order to identify response sets in a Likert scale, you could:
A. Pre-code all items consistently from 1-5
B. Reverse the scoring of pre-coded answers
C. Only include items about socially desirable behaviours
D. Include explicit instructions to respondents not to deceive you
When using a Likert scale with a long list of items, it is usually better to:
A. Arrange the answers horizontally, in abbreviated form
B. List the answers vertically, for each consecutive item
C. Omit any instructions about how to select an answer
D. List all questions on one page and all answers on another
One of the advantages of self-completion questionnaires over structured interviews is that:
A. They are quicker and cheaper to administer
B. They create interviewer effects
C. They have greater measurement validity
D. They are less prone to inter-coder variation
Why is it generally better to present fixed choice answers in vertical rather than horizontal form?
A. It takes up less space on the page
B. It encourages respondents to choose more than one answer
C. It allows questions to be spread over more than one page
D. It makes the layout of the questionnaire more clear and unambiguous
Which of the following steps can be taken to improve response rates to postal questionnaires?
A. Write a personalized covering letter to introduce the research
B. Enclose a stamped addressed envelope with a postal questionnaire
C. Send out polite reminder letters
D. All of the above
Leave a Reply