self-report techniques

• Outline the self-report method

  Self-report techniques involve participants responding to a series of questions. They do this to provide the researcher with details regarding their feelings, thoughts and/or behaviour. Two types of self-report techniques include interviews and questionnaires.
• What is a structured interview?

  A structured interview is when the interviewer asks pre-determined questions in a set order.
• What is a strength of structured interviews regarding research focus?

  🟢 They are highly focused on the research aims because the interviewer cannot deviate from the set questions, ensuring relevant data is collected.
• Why are structured interviews easy to analyse?

  🟢 All questions are pre-determined and consistent across interviews, making it easier to summarise findings and draw meaningful conclusions.
• What is a limitation of structured interviews regarding unexpected responses?

  🔴 Interviewers cannot ask follow-up questions, which may limit the depth of data collected and result in missed valuable information.
• Why might structured interviews make participants uncomfortable?

  🔴 The rigid format prevents a natural conversation, which may make participants less willing to share personal information.
• What is an unstructured interview?

  An unstructured interview is when the interviewer sets the topic, but the interview is largely dictated by participants’ responses.
• What is a limitation of unstructured interviews regarding research focus?

  🔴 They may deviate from the research aims because participants' responses guide the interview, leading to irrelevant data being collected.
• Why can unstructured interviews be difficult to analyse?

  🔴 Questions and responses can vary greatly, making it harder to summarise findings and draw meaningful conclusions.
• What is a strength of unstructured interviews regarding unexpected responses?

  🟢 Interviewers can ask follow-up questions, allowing for more detailed and valuable information to be collected.
• Why might unstructured interviews make participants feel more comfortable?

  🟢 The conversation flows naturally without rigid pre-determined questions, making participants more willing to share personal information.
• what is a questionnaire

  A questionnaire is a list of pre-written questions for participants to answer. These are standardised (i.e. kept the same for all participants) to enable them to be easily handed out to large groups of people. They do not require the researcher to be present when completed. Questionnaires can comprise of two types of questions:
• Closed questions

  Closed questions refer to questions where participants are limited to choose from options provided by the researcher e.g. do you like football? Yes or No? Additional examples of closed questions include those using likert and rating scales.
• What is a strength of closed questions regarding data analysis?

  🟢 They make it easy to collate, analyse, and compare responses because participants choose from pre-determined options, leading to more objective conclusions and a faster research process.
• How do closed questions help ensure researchers gain relevant information?

  🟢 They restrict responses to a set of options, preventing irrelevant answers and saving time and money on administering new questionnaires.
• Why might closed questions limit the identification of trends?

  🔴 They restrict participants’ answers to those predicted by the researcher, potentially leading to researcher bias and less valid conclusions.
• How can closed questions lead to participant frustration?

  🔴 Participants may feel the pre-determined options do not suit them, leading to lower completion rates and smaller sample sizes, reducing population validity.
• Open questions

  Open questions refer to questions where participants are provided with the opportunity to respond freely.
• What is a limitation of open questions regarding data analysis?

  🔴 They make it difficult to collate, analyse, and compare responses because participants respond freely, leading to diverse answers that require subjective interpretation and slow down the research process.
• How can open questions result in researchers not getting the required information?

  🔴 Participants may provide irrelevant answers, wasting time and money by requiring new questionnaires to be administered.
• Why are open questions useful for identifying unexpected trends?

  🟢 They allow participants to respond freely rather than being restricted to pre-set options, reducing researcher bias and increasing the validity of conclusions.
• How do open questions help prevent participant frustration?

  🟢 They let participants respond freely without being restricted to unsuitable options, increasing questionnaire completion rates and improving population validity.