Questionnaires Sociology

Front 1

why do positivists prefer questionnaires?

Back 1

they deliver reliable data

Front 2

why do questionnaires produce reliable data?

Back 2

by using the same set of questions they can be repeated exactly to re-test previous findings

Front 3

what kind of data do questionnaires generate?

Back 3

quantitative data

Front 4

what can quantitative data be used for?

Back 4

can be used to test hypotheses and identify correlations between variables

Front 5

why are questionnaires good on a large scale?

Back 5

they produce representative data

Front 6

what do interpretivists claim about data from questionnaires?

Back 6

low in validity

Front 7

why are questionnaires quick and cheap?

Back 7

there is no need to train interviewers or observers- responders complete and return questionnaires themselves

Front 8

what is especially true of postal questionnaires?

Back 8

gather large quantities of data from large numbers of people, widely spread geographically

Front 9

why is data from questionnaires easy to quantify?

Back 9

pre-coded, close ended questions make it easy

Front 10

what are questionnaires a good way of maintaining

Back 10

detachment and objectivity

Front 11

what is achieved because a questionnaire has a set list of questions and restricted choice of possible answers?

Back 11

it is easily replicated

Front 12

what is an ethical problem with questionnaires?

Back 12

may ask intrusive or sensitive questions

Front 13

what do positivists see questionnaires as?

Back 13

a reliable method of collecting data

Front 14

what can sociologists do by asking the same questions?

Back 14

compare results obtained by different good of people

Front 15

what isn’t present with a questionnaire ?

Back 15

a researcher to influence the respondent’s answers

Front 16

what are questionnaires useful for?

Back 16

testing hypotheses about cause-and-effect relationships between different variables

Front 17

how are questionnaires often completed? (the conditions)

Back 17

often completed with little or no personal contact between researchers and respondents

Front 18

how do questionnaires differ from interviews or observations?

Back 18

there is no bias caused by the presence of a researcher

Front 19

what is achieved because questionnaires can collect information from large numbers of people

Back 19

increase the chance of obtaining a representative sample

Front 20

what does a representative sample allow?

Back 20

the findings of questionnaires are more likely to allow us to make accurate generalisations

Front 21

why do questionnaires have fewer ethical issues?

Back 21

because respondents do not have to answer and can easily withdraw their consent

Front 22

what is achieved because a questionnaire has a set list of questions and restricted choice of possible answers?

Back 22

it is easily replicated

Front 23

what is an ethical problem with questionnaires?

Back 23

may ask intrusive or sensitive questions

Front 24

why do questionnaires need to be brief?

Back 24

since most respondents are unlikely to complete a long, time-consuming questionnaire

Front 25

what does the fact people are unlikely to complete a long questionnaire limit?

Back 25

the amount of information that can be gathered

Front 26

what does the sociologist not know?

Back 26

if the respondent received the questionnaire or if it was completed by the named respondent

Front 27

what do positivists see questionnaires as?

Back 27

a reliable method of collecting data

Front 28

what can sociologists do by asking the same questions?

Back 28

compare results obtained by different good of people

Front 29

what isn’t present with a questionnaire ?

Back 29

a researcher to influence the respondent’s answers

Front 30

what are questionnaires useful for?

Back 30

testing hypotheses about cause-and-effect relationships between different variables

Front 31

how are questionnaires often completed? (the conditions)

Back 31

often completed with little or no personal contact between researchers and respondents

Front 32

how do questionnaires differ from interviews or observations?

Back 32

there is no bias caused by the presence of a researcher

Front 33

what is achieved because questionnaires can collect information from large numbers of people

Back 33

increase the chance of obtaining a representative sample

Front 34

what does a representative sample allow?

Back 34

the findings of questionnaires are more likely to allow us to make accurate generalisations

Front 35

why do questionnaires have fewer ethical issues?

Back 35

because respondents do not have to answer and can easily withdraw their consent

Front 36

what is achieved because a questionnaire has a set list of questions and restricted choice of possible answers?

Back 36

it is easily replicated

Front 37

what is an ethical problem with questionnaires?

Back 37

may ask intrusive or sensitive questions

Front 38

why do questionnaires need to be brief?

Back 38

since most respondents are unlikely to complete a long, time-consuming questionnaire

Front 39

what does the fact people are unlikely to complete a long questionnaire limit?

Back 39

the amount of information that can be gathered

Front 40

what does the sociologist not know?

Back 40

if the respondent received the questionnaire or if it was completed by the named respondent

Front 41

what is a major problem for questionnaires?

Back 41

very low response rates

Front 42

what is the response rate especially low for?

Back 42

postal questionnaires

Front 43

what do few of those who receive a questionnaire bother to do?

Back 43

complete it and return it

Front 44

what might reduce response rates?

Back 44

complex language of bad design

Front 45

what does a low respondent rate mean?

Back 45

that those who return their questionnaires may be different from those who don’t, so results are unrepresentative

Front 46

who mail fail to respond?

Back 46

busy people

Front 47

what do positivists see questionnaires as?

Back 47

a reliable method of collecting data

Front 48

what are people with time on their hands more likely to do?

Back 48

return questionnaires

Front 49

how may researchers increase the response rate?

Back 49

by sending out follow-up questionnaires, collecting by hand, or offering incentives

Front 50

what do these methods of increasing the response rate do?

Back 50

add to the cost and time

Front 51

what is another key problem with questionnaires?

Back 51

they are very inflexible

Front 52

what can the researcher not do once the questionnaire has been finalised?

Back 52

explore new areas of interest that might emerge during the course of the research

Front 53

what does a low response rate distort?

Back 53

distorts the representativeness of the sample, marking generalisations unsound

Front 54

what do interpretivists argue about questionnaire data?

Back 54

that it lacks validity

Front 55

what do questionnaires involve?

Back 55

little or no contact between the researcher and respondent

Front 56

what does the lack of contact between researcher and respondent mean?

Back 56

questions and answers cannot be clarified or misunderstandings cleared up

Front 57

what is there no way of knowing?

Back 57

whether the respondent and researcher both interpret the questions and answers in the same way

Front 58

what can sociologists do by asking the same questions?

Back 58

compare results obtained by different good of people

Front 59

what may responders do?

Back 59

lie, forget, not know, not understand, or try to please or annoy the researcher

Front 60

what may some respondents give?

Back 60

socially desirable answers they feel they ought to give, rather than tell the truth

Front 61

what happens when respondent give answers that are not full or honest?

Back 61

undermines the validity of the data

Front 62

what is it called when the respondent answers with the response they feel they ought to give?

Back 62

right answerism

Front 63

what may questionnaires impose?

Back 63

the researchers meanings, rather than revealing those of the respondent

Front 64

what does the researcher choose?

Back 64

which questions to ask and decides the response categories

Front 65

what do close-ended questions do

Back 65

limit the answers respondents can give

Front 66

what isn’t present with a questionnaire ?

Back 66

a researcher to influence the respondent’s answers

Front 67

what are questionnaires useful for?

Back 67

testing hypotheses about cause-and-effect relationships between different variables

Front 68

how are questionnaires often completed? (the conditions)

Back 68

often completed with little or no personal contact between researchers and respondents

Front 69

how do questionnaires differ from interviews or observations?

Back 69

there is no bias caused by the presence of a researcher

Front 70

what is achieved because questionnaires can collect information from large numbers of people

Back 70

increase the chance of obtaining a representative sample

Front 71

what does a representative sample allow?

Back 71

the findings of questionnaires are more likely to allow us to make accurate generalisations

Front 72

why do questionnaires have fewer ethical issues?

Back 72

because respondents do not have to answer and can easily withdraw their consent