Questionnaires

• Questionnaires are one of the main tools of positivist sociologists, as data from structured questions is easily quantified, so it can be more scientifically analysed.
• Types of Questionnaires 


  • There are a number of different types of questionnaires, all with different strengths and weaknesses.
  • They include:
  • Structured questionnaires.
  • Open-ended questionnaires.
  • Postal, online and online self completion questionnaires.
• Validity 


  • Problems of validity arise because people may not answer the questions honestly.
  • They may give the answer that they think the research expects or answers that are seen as socially acceptable.
  • They might also misinterpret the wording of questions and give a different response to the one that is intended.
• • The imposition problem refers to the risk that the researcher might impose their own views and framework on the people being questioned.
  • The researcher has already decided what the important questions are as part of their research preparation, so only a limited number and type of questions are available.