Deck 5: Conducting Research That Employs Social Surveys

Question 1

A social survey is ______.

A) a clinical social worker's notes from a therapy session, which are part of the client's record and the agency's information system
B) a qualitative researcher's notes from observing people in natural settings
C) the agency's client record that includes information on gender, race, and so forth
D) a purposeful inquiry into a social subject for a designated sample of people by a researcher using a recording instrument

Answer 1

a purposeful inquiry into a social subject for a designated sample of people by a researcher using a recording instrument

Question 2

One of the advantages of using the social survey to collect data is that it ______.

A) addresses the issue of causation in regard to what is the cause of the client's improvement from pretest to posttest
B) improves the generalization of study results to a large population
C) enhances the likelihood that statistical significance will be achieved in the analysis of the data
D) flexibility in responses

Answer 2

improves the generalization of study results to a large population

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of a tool for collecting data for a social survey?

A) the Beck Depression Inventory
B) the clients' grades in school
C) the clinician's notes in the clients' records
D) the principles of critical thinking enumerated in this book

Answer 3

the Beck Depression Inventory

Question 4

Which of these types of social surveys is most efficient, according to the text?

A) the face-to-face interview survey
B) the phone interview survey
C) the mailed survey
D) the online survey

Question 5

Under what circumstances is it wise to conduct a social survey, according to the text?

A) when you need to gain an in-depth understanding on a social phenomenon
B) when depth of understanding is more important than efficiency in data collection
C) when you need to study diversity in social arrangements
D) when you need to collect data on a social or psychological phenomenon on a large sample of people in an efficient manner

Question 6

When social workers develop research studies designed to evaluate their practice, they will most likely use which of the following?

A) the face-to-face interview
B) the mailed survey
C) the face-to-face self-administrated questionnaire
D) the online survey

Question 7

Which of the following types of surveys is most likely to violate the ethical principle of voluntary participation?

A) the face-to-face interview
B) the mailed survey
C) the ballot box survey
D) the online survey conducted through the Internet

Question 8

You are likely to get the worst rate of participation when using the______.

A) face-to-face self-administered questionnaire
B) mailed survey
C) ballot box survey
D) face-to-face interview survey

Question 9

When using interviews for the social survey, you should not ______.

A) use questions that have a simple answer such as Yes and No
B) use less structured interviews for subjects for which there is a rather limited knowledge at the present
C) use more structured interviews for subjects for which there is a good deal of knowledge at present
D) avoid biasing responses to interview questions by sharing the study hypothesis with the study subject

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true about the use of different types of social surveys?

A) If you are conducting evaluative research, the face-to-face self-administered survey is not the best choice.
B) If you are conducting a qualitative study, one of the two forms of the interview survey is usually going to be your best option.
C) If you are conducting a descriptive study for a large population, you will likely need to employ the interview as your type of survey.
D) If you are conducting an explanatory study, your choice should place priority on efficiency rather than generalizability.

Question 11

When conducting your own social survey, your first step should be determining ______.

A) the questions you should put on the questionnaire
B) the purpose of the study
C) the study sample to employ
D) how the questionnaires will be distributed

Question 12

Suppose you are conducting a social survey. After you've decided on the purpose of your study and the nature of your sample, the next step in the process is identifying ______.

A) statistical test to employ in the testing of your study hypothesis
B) questions to put on the questionnaire
C) conclusions you will draw about the characteristics of the clients of your agency
D) variables that should be measured in your study

Question 13

What kind of sample must you draw in order to generalize your findings from your social survey to the study population on a scientific basis?

A) a convenience sample
B) a random sample
C) a purposive sample
D) a snowball sample

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a good tip for improving the response rate for a mailed questionnaire?

A) use agency letterhead with high-quality paper
B) type the address of the potential respondent on the mailed envelope rather than handwriting this address
C) avoid sending out the mailed questionnaire during holiday periods
D) sign the cover letter individually with blue ink

Question 15

The conclusions you draw from your social survey study should focus on the ______

A) literature that has been reviewed in the study process
B) opinions you have developed in your study process
C) results of your study
D) nature of the sample you have secured

Question 16

What form should the answer options to a survey question take if you are seeking opinions?

A) strongly agree; agree; undecided; disagree; strongly disagree
B) true or false
C) all of the time; some of the time; seldom; never
D) to a great extent; to some extent; not at all

Question 17

Which of the following is true about the wording of items for a question on a questionnaire?

A) You should keep the items on the questionnaire complex so as to capture the full essence of the concepts under investigation.
B) You should capture more than one concept in each question (e.g., both satisfaction with service and recovery from the treated behavior) so as to increase the efficiency of the questionnaire.
C) It is okay for your questionnaire to take 30 min to complete; in fact, you should state this in your cover letter so as to enhance the response rate.
D) You should avoid professional jargon and acronyms (e.g., PTSD, DSS, EMDR).

Question 18

The questionnaire for a social survey typically has ______.

A) items that call upon the respondent to construct an essay
B) questions with specified options for response such as (a) agree, (b) undecided, or (3) disagree
C) a story that informs the respondent about a key theme in life
D) the purpose of advocating for a given position on a political issue

Question 19

Among the advantages of the social survey is ______.

A) efficiency
B) depth of contribution to our knowledge base
C) advocacy
D) social justice

Question 20

Which of the following questions would be most appropriate for a semi-structured interview?

A) Will you be able to attend your next counseling session?
B) What is your most important need with regard to your goal of improving your parenting?
C) Would you recommend this agency to another person who has the same needs as yourself?
D) Would you return to this agency in the future for the kind of help you got with the services you received?

Question 21

The social survey normally uses a questionnaire to obtain information from a group of respondents.

Question 22

If you employed the Beck Depression Inventory to collect data, you would be using an exploratory study rather than a social survey.

Question 23

The mailed survey will likely have a higher participation rate than a phone survey.

Question 24

A vehicle for distributing an online survey is SurveyMonkey.

Question 25

Because of the issue of voluntary participation, you will need to pay more careful attention to ethics in research when you employ the face-to-face type of survey rather than the mailed one.

Question 26

One of the five steps for conducting a social survey is the step of choosing a statistic for testing the study hypothesis.

Question 27

A major advantage of the face-to-face self-administered survey is that the participation rate is much higher when the measurement tool is given in person by the researcher to a captive audience.

Question 28

When you employ the mailed survey, you should include an introductory letter along with an addressed, stamped envelope for the return of the questionnaire.

Question 29

When you employ the mailed survey, you should include a statement of the study hypothesis, or some other statement regarding your expectations of the results of your study.

Question 30

If you are conducting a quantitative descriptive study using a mailed social survey, you should rely mostly upon open-ended questions.

Question 31

What are two of the advantages of the mailed survey over the interview survey?

Question 32

What are two things you could do to improve the response rate of the mailed survey?

Question 33

Under what circumstances would it be wiser for you to employ an interview survey rather than a mailed survey?

Question 34

Suppose that someone decided to visit a set of bars to witness certain kinds of behavior. This person will make notes which will be analyzed using a protocol for qualitative data analysis. Explain if this researcher would be employing a social survey and, the rationale for your answer.

Question 35

Describe how the social survey could be employed in the evaluation of social work practice by the social worker.