Self-report methods

• Define 'questionnaire'

  A set of written questions used to assess a persons thought and/or experiences
• Evaluate 'questionnaires'

  Strengths: cost effective, quick data collection, easy to analyse & no researcher present

  Weaknesses: responses might not be truthful & response bias
• Define 'open questions'

  Questions that do not have a fixed range of answers and respondents are free to answer freely providing qualitative data
• Define 'closed questions'

  Questions that have a fixed range of answers providing quantitative data
• Define 'structured interviews'

  Interviews that are made up of a set of predetermined questions that are asked in a fixed order
• Evaluate 'structured interviews'

  Strengths: replicable

  Weaknesses: limited richness of data and unexpected information
• Define 'unstructured interviews'

  An interview that works a lot like a conversation with no set questions but a general aim will be discussed
• Evaluate 'unstructured interviews'

  Strengths: more flexibility

  Weaknesses: interviewer bias & harder to analyse data
• How to write good questions

  1.Avoid use of jargon

  2.Avoid use of emotive language and leading questions

  3.Avoid use of double barrelled/negative questions