Questionnaires

• What is a questionnaire?

  A method of research which uses questions to collect data.
• What are the three types of questionnaires?

  1. Closed
  2. Open
  3. Structured
• Paragraph one - advantage

  • Ofsted.
  • Self - completion, closed questionnaire.
  • Practical advantage - closed questions are quick to answer.
  • Theoretical advantage - closed questions that are quicker to fill in are more likely to be answered which improves validity of data and possibly means more answers will be collected which improves generalisability.
  • Positivists prefer this type of questionnaire because it collects quantitative data and is more scientific.
• Paragraph one - ofsted

  • Review into sexual abuse in schools and college.
  • Used self completion questionnaire with closed questions to collect quantitative data (practical strength)
  • Large sample was able to be used because of speed of filling in questions (theoretical strength)
  • Self - completion makes honest answers more likely (theoretical strength).
• Paragraph two - advantage

  • Howard league.
  • Open - ended questionnaire.
  • Ethical advantage - people may be more likely to answer because they can develop their own answers and are more comfortable.
  • Theoretical advantage - collects in depth data that has context which makes answers more valid.
  • Questionnaires are generally preferred by positvists but open questionnaires are preferred by interpretivists because in depth, qualitative data can be gathered.
• Paragraph two - howard league

  • Investigated young people's experiences with the police.
  • Could've been a sensitive topic but open ended questions allowed for developed and individual answers (ethical benefit).
  • Qualitative data is more in depth and improves validity (theoretical benefit).