Survey design

With Teacher Cajas

HELLO, DEAR STUDENTS!
WELCOME TO OUR
RESEARCH ONLINE
CLASS!
I hope you are as ready as I am to start learning and
have fun. We're in this together, so let's respect and
support each other.
“THE WORLD IS FULL OF WELL-MEANING PEOPLE
WHO BELIEVE THAT EVERY- ONE WHO CAN WRITE
PLAIN ENGLISH AND HAS A MODICUM OF COMMON
SENSE CAN PRODUCE A GOOD QUESTIONNAIRE. THIS
BOOK IS NOT FORTHEM."
(OPPENHEIM, 1992, P. 1)

Questionnaires in second
language research, p4
 What are questionnaires and what do they meausure?

ARE MEAUSURE
“any written instruments that present
Factual questions, classification or
respondents with a series of questions or
subject descriptors aiming to find who
statements to which they are to react either
the respondents are.
by writing out their answers or selecting
Behavioral questions: what the
from among existing answers." (Brown,
respondents are doing or have done
2001, p. 6)
(actions, habits, personal histories, etc.)
Questionnaires are not tests. They do not
Attitudinal questions (what people
have good or bad answers.
think): attitudes, beliefs, interests and
preferences, values

LET'S WORK IN GROUPS

1. Think of an area your would like to explore using

a survey design
2. Write a research question related to this area
3. Using the different aspects that a survey
measures, describe and explain what you would
like explore and why.

Let's make the most out of our learning sessions. Get to your
study space a few minutes before class and make sure your
internet connection and computer are working.
QUESTIONNAIRES
Definition
"Questionnaires are any written instruments that
present respondents with a series of questions or
statements to which they are to react either by
writing out their answers or selecting from among
existing answers." (Brown, 2001, p. 6)
ADVANTAGES Advantages
(a) researcher time,

AND (b) researcher effort

(c) financial resources.

DISADVANTAGES
Disadvantages
-Simplicity and superficiality of answers
-Unreliable and unmotivated respondents
-Respondents literacy problems(understanding)
-Little or not opportunity to correct respondent's
responses
-Social desirability (desirable, expected answers)
-Self-deception (respondents deceive themselves ,
"sense of personal worth)
-Acquiescence bias tend to agree with all
-Halo effect (overgeneralization)
-Fatigue effects

MEASUREMENT SCALES OF
VARIABLES
Nominal. Use numbers to classify variables into categories.
Ordinal. Rank- order
Interval. Same characteristics of nominal and ordinal but in
equal distances or intervals
Ratio. Nominal and ordinal with a true zero.

Read book Experimental Research Methods in Language

Learning. Pgs. 29 - 30

Activity, in groups, read and provide examples in each

variable.
CLASS ACTIVITY
Read the questions of the "General Teacher Questionnaire"
file and identify the following variables:
Nominal.
Ordinal.
Interval.
Ratio.
Please explain your answers