Deck 8: Collecting Research Data With Questionnaires and Interviews

Question 1

Questionnaires and interviews have in common the feature that

A) they are both suitable for collecting highly personal information.
B) it is convenient to record the responses to either method of data collection.
C) both are less convenient than direct observation to collect data about observable phenomena.
D) both can be used to collect data about nonobservable phenomena.

Answer 1

both can be used to collect data about nonobservable phenomena.

Question 2

In this text the term survey research is used to refer to

A) quantitative research studies that rely on questionnaires or interviews for data collection.
B) research in which questionnaire or interview data are used to study cause-and-effect relationships.
C) qualitative research using questionnaires or interviews to provide thick descriptions of phenomena.
D) the use of telephones or computers to collect questionnaire or interview data.

Answer 2

quantitative research studies that rely on questionnaires or interviews for data collection.

Question 3

The interview technique is better than a questionnaire when

A) a small sample is adequate.
B) in-depth responses are desired.
C) factual information must be obtained.
D) cost is a major consideration.

Answer 3

in-depth responses are desired.

Question 4

An advantage of questionnaires over interviews is that questionnaires

A) allow more flexibility in administration and in response.
B) can be designed to require less subjective responses, thus minimizing bias.
C) permit greater depth of response.
D) are likely to yield more data on negative aspects of the respondents.

Question 5

Research has shown that when respondents receive questionnaires dealing with topics of great concern to them,

A) respondents provide more biased data.
B) more follow-ups are necessary to obtain a satisfactory response rate.
C) respondents are less responsive to personal appeals to participate.
D) the response rate is higher.

Question 6

All the following statements are to be answered on a scale measuring degree of agreement or disagreement. Which statement is best constructed according to common guidelines for constructing questionnaire items?

A) Every teacher should have several well-defined interests.
B) Although unions are important in industry, they are inappropriate in education.
C) Grouping students on the basis of ability provides for maximum attention to individual needs.
D) Forcing students to take driver education is contrary to individual freedom.

Question 7

A guideline that should be observed in constructing questionnaire items is to

A) avoid predetermining how you will report the results of an item.
B) be sure to use precise, technical language.
C) avoid questions that require research participants to respond to two separate ideas in a single answer.
D) use open-form items whenever possible.

Question 8

An important guideline in designing a questionnaire is to

A) use black ink on white paper.
B) randomize item order.
C) provide examples to explain potentially confusing items.
D) put important items near the end of the questionnaire.

Question 9

An important benefit of doing a pilot test of a questionnaire is that it

A) encourages respondents to be more truthful in answering questionnaire items.
B) permits respondents to decline to participate.
C) increases the proportion of questionnaire recipients who complete the questionnaire.
D) allows the researcher to revise and retest the questions until most respondents understand them.

Question 10

Which of the following is a serious problem in using an anonymous questionnaire?

A) Follow-ups are difficult and inefficient.
B) No subgroup analyses can be performed.
C) Respondents answer less thoughtfully and completely than on signed questionnaires.
D) Respondents do not make a serious effort to answer accurately.

Question 11

The researcher provides a prepaid postcard with an individualized code on it, along with a copy of the questionnaire that contains no code, to each respondent, and requests that they be returned separately. This procedure

A) enables the researcher to match each questionnaire with the correct respondent.
B) enables the researcher to provide complete anonymity to respondents.
C) makes it impossible to follow up with nonrespondents to increase the rate of response.
D) is recommended for any questionnaire to be mailed to a sample that is widely distributed geographically.

Question 12

The major advantage of closed-form questionnaire items over open-form questionnaire items is that closed form items

A) yield data that are more easily analyzed.
B) are easier to design.
C) are more valid.
D) are less threatening.

Question 13

When attitude or opinion questions are asked on a questionnaire, it has been found that

A) some respondents give opinions on topics about which they know nothing.
B) uninformed responses can be eliminated by adding a "no opinion" choice.
C) most attitudes can be satisfactorily measured with one well-phrased item.
D) open-form attitude items usually provide more valid data.

Question 14

Research has shown that individuals who express a favorable or unfavorable attitude toward fictitious organizations tend to ___________than other respondents.

A) have more formal education
B) express less favorable attitudes
C) use a "don't know" or neutral response choice more often
D) express more favorable attitudes

Question 15

Precontacting the members of a sample to whom a questionnaire will be sent generally

A) reduces the problem of individuals with little knowledge of the topic responding to questions.
B) eliminates the problem of missing data.
C) improves the response rate.
D) increases the honesty of individual responses.

Question 16

The form of precontact that evidence suggests has been found most effective in eliciting a response to a mailed questionnaire is

A) a postcard.
B) a letter.
C) a telephone call.
D) an email.

Question 17

It is essential that the cover letter for a questionnaire survey

A) be individually typed.
B) not refer to the respondent's institutional affiliation.
C) specify when the questionnaire needs to be returned.
D) include an explicit payment for the respondent's time.

Question 18

Which of the following guidelines should be followed in preparing the cover letter for a mailed questionnaire?

A) Refer to the respondent's affiliation with a group relevant to the questionnaire's topic.
B) Avoid the use of appeals to the respondent's interest in doing good.
C) Explain why the results of the questionnaire study cannot be made available to the respondents.
D) Provide a summary of the literature that supports the study's objectives.

Question 19

When accompanying a questionnaire that includes sensitive or potentially threatening questions, the cover letter should

A) provide a specific description of how confidentiality will be maintained.
B) emphasize the importance of respondents answering sensitive questions honestly.
C) indicate that respondents can request an analysis of how their responses compared to those of other respondents.
D) all of the above.

Question 20

If more than 20 percent of the questionnaires are not returned after several follow-up attempts, the researcher should

A) send another copy of the questionnaire to the nonrespondents.
B) select an additional sample and mail them the questionnaire.
C) administer the questionnaire by telephone or in person to a random sample of the nonrespondents.
D) discontinue attempts to contact nonrespondents.

Question 21

Research studies suggest that, on average, three follow-up contacts with nonrespondents increases the response rate to a questionnaire by aboutpercent.

A) 10
B) 25
C) 40
D) 50

Question 22

The first step in conducting a study that will employ interviews to collect research data is to

A) specify how the data will be analyzed.
B) train interviewers.
C) select a sample.
D) define the purpose of the interview.

Question 23

Key informants tend to differ from other members of the defined population in all but which one of the following ways?

A) Possession of a unique perspective on the phenomenon of interest to the researcher
B) Greater knowledge about the phenomenon being investigated
C) Better ability to communicate with the researcher about the phenomenon
D) Possession of the emic perspective concerning the phenomenon

Question 24

An interview that seeks to learn how informants structure their social or physical world is called

A) a confirmation survey interview.
B) a participant construct interview.
C) a projective technique interview.
D) a key informant interview.

Question 25

An important characteristic of focus group interviews is that

A) interviewees are selected to have a wide range in their level of knowledge about the research topic.
B) the research topic is explored through a relaxed, free-flowing discussion among the participants.
C) it saves time because up to 30 individuals can be interviewed at once.
D) the interviewer takes major responsibility for structuring the discussion.

Question 26

The first question that the interviewer asks each respondent is, "Do you think parents should be able to send their child to any school in the city, should only send their child to the school nearest their home, or should pay a special fee if they wish their child to attend a school other than the one in their neighborhood?"This question is typical of those asked in

A) an unstructured interview.
B) a structured interview.
C) a standardized open-ended interview.
D) an informal conversational interview.

Question 27

In an unstructured interview, the interviewer tends to

A) follow a general plan that allows the individual to respond freely. b not have predetermined objectives.
B) not have predetermined objectives.
C) not take notes or record the interview.
D) use structured questions to probe more deeply.

Question 28

A major advantage of conducting telephone interviews with the aid of a computer is tha

A) it prevents the interviewer from rephrasing questions.
B) a live interviewer is not needed to ask the questions.
C) the computer can be programmed to detect when a respondent is lying.
D) the computer indicates the next appropriate question based on the previous response.

Question 29

A significant disadvantage of telephone interviewing as compared with face-to-face interviewing is that

A) telephone interviewing is more costly.
B) there is more likelihood that the interviewer will fake data in telephone interviews.
C) frequent call-backs become very expensive if no one answers the phone.
D) only persons with telephones can be reached.

Question 30

Research comparisons of telephone and face-to-face interviews show that

A) telephone interviews cannot be used to collect sensitive data.
B) about twice as many face-to-face interviews are completed.
C) telephone interviews are much easier to monitor and supervise.
D) about 20 percent of U.S. households do not have telephones, thus leading to biased samples.

Question 31

An essential criterion for selecting individuals to conduct research interviews is to select

A) males to interview male respondents and females to interview female respondents.
B) interviewers who are older than the respondents.
C) interviewers who are members of the respondent target population.
D) interviewers who are able to relate to the respondents positively.

Question 32

A major purpose of the interview guide in a study involving several interviewers is to

A) train interviewers in question wording, format, recording procedures, and allowable probes.
B) serve as a script from which interviewers should read when conducting the interview.
C) provide information for answering any queries from respondents about the research hypotheses.
D) all of the above.

Question 33

In preparing interviewers to use an interview guide, the researcher should

A) avoid informing the interviewers about the study's hypotheses and research questions.
B) inform the interviewers about the study's hypotheses and research questions, and provide the rationale for each one.
C) allow the interviewers to use their natural interviewing style rather than training them to standardize their use of the interview guide.
D) focus on general principles of interviewing rather than on the specific aspects of the interview guide.

Question 34

In her interview notes the interviewer comments on the respondent's speech pacing and pauses during the interview. These notes reflect the interviewer's attention to the task of

A) understanding the respondent's language and culture.
B) being sensitive to nonverbal information.
C) gaining the respondent's trust.
D) appearing competent in the eyes of the respondent.

Question 35

An essential task of the interviewer during a research interview is to

A) record word-for-word each of the respondent's comments.
B) help the respondent feel comfortable in the interview situation.
C) clarify the interviewer's own experiences and beliefs concerning the research topic.
D) avoid taking notes so as not to distract the respondent.

Question 36

The chief advantage of note taking during an interview is that it

A) provides the most accurate possible record of the subject's responses.
B) speeds up the interview process.
C) enhances the respondents' concentration.
D) provides readily accessible data for analysis.

Question 37

Tape recording an interview generally

A) requires the interviewer himself to evaluate and classify the responses.
B) reduces the tendency of the interviewer to bias the data.
C) puts respondents on the defensive.
D) eliminates the option of anonymity.

Question 38

To analyze responses to open-form interview questions, quantitative researchers typically

A) calculate the number of times that particular words are uttered by each respondent.
B) replay a tape recording of the interview.
C) develop a category system to code the responses.
D) have two or more raters rate the responses of each respondent.

Question 39

Give at least two advantages and two disadvantages of the use of interviews compared to the use of questionnaires in a research study.

Question 40

Describe one desirable procedure for pretesting a questionnaire for use in a research study.

Question 41

Briefly identify four of the major steps involved in carrying out a research study based on a questionnaire.

Question 42

Describe two advantages to design and administration of a questionnaire on the World Wide Web as opposed to mailing a written questionnaire to respondents.

Question 43

Describe one procedure that can be used to provide anonymity to questionnaire respondents.

Question 44

Describe the difference between an open-form and a closed-form question, and identify which form usually is preferable for collecting qualitative information and why.

Question 45

Describe two important skills needed to write good questionnaire items.

Question 46

Describe one strategy that can be used to reduce the tendency for questionnaire respondents to give opinions about attitude objects with which they are unfamiliar.

Question 47

Describe one advantage of precontacting the sample to whom you plan to send a questionnaire.

Question 48

Describe four features that can be incorporated in a cover letter for a mailed questionnaire to make it effective.

Question 49

A researcher received 72 percent of the questionnaires that were sent to a sample of high school counselors. Describe one method the researcher could use to increase the response rate.

Question 50

Briefly list three steps involved in doing a research project with interviews as the means of collecting data.

Question 51

Place the following eight steps of a research study involving use of a questionnaire in the order in which they typically are carried out, from 1 to 8:
a. Writing a cover letter
b. Pilot-testing the questionnaire
c. Defining research objectives
d. Selecting a sample
e. Following up with nonrespondents
f. Designing the questionnaire
g. Precontacting the sample
h. Analyzing questionnaire data

Question 52

What is a key informant interview?

Question 53

Describe one of the defining characteristics of a focus group as used in educational research.

Question 54

Describe the format of each of the following types of interview used in qualitative research: (a) the informal conversational interview, (b) the general interview guide approach, and (c) the standardized open-ended interview.

Question 55

Describe two advantages of conducting interviews by telephone rather than in person.

Question 56

Describe one common problem in interview research that computer-assisted telephone interviewing virtually eliminates.

Question 57

Describe one selection criterion that researchers often establish in selecting the interviewers for a research study.

Question 58

Briefly describe the two phases in the training of research interviewers.

Question 59

State one circumstance in which superficial rapport with the interview respondent is sufficient and one circumstance in which the interviewer needs to develop stronger rapport.

Question 60

List one advantage and one disadvantage of note taking as a method of recording interview responses as compared to audio recording the interview.

Question 61

How does a researcher typically analyze the responses to closed-form interview or questionnaire items?

Question 62

A researcher is studying the unique needs of physically challenged students during the school day. Name two types of individual who could serve as a key informants for the researcher.

Question 63

Give an example of the type of information for which using only one item on a questionnaire would be suitable and an example of a type of information for which using only one item on a questionnaire would not be suitable.

Question 64

A researcher wants to learn the factors that determine where college students decide to live while attending a university. State one question that typifies what a quantitative researcher might ask in interviewing students on this topic and one that typifies what a qualitative researcher might ask.