Self report

• Closed questions


  One worded answers that gather quantitative data
• Closed questions strengths

  • Closed questions are quick and easy for participants to answer
  • Closed questions are more likely to be structured in a certain order, therefore high in internal reliability
  • Due to time efficiency, large samples can be collected increasing generalisability
  • Quantitative data is easy to analyse
• Closed questions weaknesses

  • Lacks detail, participants can't express opinions fully therefore it lacks validity
  • Risk of response bias e.g. saying yes to everything
  • The score for all participants on each question is only nominal data so only the mode can be calculated - limited analysis
  • Can force participants into an answer which isn't true to them
  • Lack of reason for their answer
• Open question

  Provides qualitative data, as you allow the participant to respond however they want and it can be rich in detail
• Open question strength

  • They can produce qualitative data, giving participants the opportunity to fully express their opinions, thus increasing validity
  • All info is analysed so information is not lost by averaging answers - increasing validity
• Open question weakness

  • Answers may be subjective and open to interpretation, leading to bias and issues in validity
  • Time-consuming for the researcher to analyse all responses
  • Responses may not be relevant to research
  • Findings are based on individuals so may lack generalisability
• Rating scales


  This type of question asks the individual a question and then they must highlight on a numerical scale what they feel best reflects their view
• Rating scale strength

  • Gives an idea of how strongly the participant feels
  • Gives quantitative data that is easy to compare
• Rating scale weaknesses

  • People tend to go to the middle of the scale so the response doesn't look too extreme
  • Doesn't give a reason for the answer
  • Could be interpreted in different ways
• Structured interview

  Predetermined questions, no other questions are asked apart from the ones planned
• Structured interviews strengths

  • Less likely for the interviewer to influence the answer
  • Easier to gather quantitative data, making it easier to analyse
• Structured interviews weaknesses

  The nature of the interview is very artificial and respondent may not feel as though they can answer the questions.
• Unstructured interview


  A topic of discussion is planned, but no questions are decided in advance; they tend to be open questions
• Unstructured interview strengths

  • More friendly and sociable so the respondent may feel that they can answer with more depth and ease
• Unstructured interview weaknesses

  • Due to broader answers the data may be difficult to analyse and compare
  • Takes up more time to do
• Interview


  A series of questions that are given verbally, face-to-face between an interviewer and an interviewee
• Interview strengths

  • Structured interviews are easier to analyse if quantitative
  • Semi-structured and unstructured interviews enable the researcher to gain detailed info
  • In face-to-face interviews, the interviewer can respond more flexibly to gain useful, detailed info
• Interview weaknesses

  • Structured interviews are limited by fixed questions and therefore lack validity
  • Researcher bias can occur and the expectation of the interviewer may alter the way the respondent answers questions.
• Questionnaire


  A series of questions in a written form
• Questionnaire strengths

  • Easy to administer and can be emailed to participants, making it time and cost-efficient
  • Participants may be more truthful than in an interview is the answers are personal as they are written down without immediate judgement of someone
  • Data easy to analyse if quantitative
• Questionnaire weaknesses

  • Response biases - e.g. tending always to say no or always ticking the same box
  • Limited because unlike unstructured interviews there is less flexibility - if someone has written an answer that you do not understand it can lead to research being misinterpreted
  • Data relies on questionnaire being returned which is not guaranteed
• Semi-structured interview

  Some questions are pre-planned before the interview and then others are created at the time of the interview
• Semi-structured strengths

  • Less likely for interviewer to influence the answer
  • Easier to gather quantitative data making it easier to analyse
• Semi-structured weaknesses

  Nature of the interview is very artificial and respondent may not feel as though they can answer questions
• General strengths of questionnaires and interviews

  • Can generate quantitative and qualitative data
  • Structured interviews and questionnaires can be easily repeated to increase external and internal reliability
  • Structured interviews and questionnaires can be easily assessed for reliability and improved by removing or changing inconsistent items
• General weaknesses of questionnaires and interviews

  • Participants can be affected by biases such as social desirability and leading questions
  • Only some people are willing to fill out questionnaires or participate in interviews so may not be representative of the population
• Validity

  • Learning questions lower criterion validity due to bias
  • Social desirability lowers construct validity due to uncontrollable variables
  • Forced-choice questions lowers concurrent validity as participants might have given a different answer if given the opportunity
  • Standard response set where participants answer all questions similarly without much thought meaning responses aren't genuine
• Social media self-report

  • Questionnaire form
  • Asked how long a person spent on social media and how they felt about the king's coronation