self report tech & desi

• Questionnaires

  Questionnaires are made up of a pre-set list of questions to which participants respond. They can be used as part of an experiment to assess the DV.
• Questionnaire Evaluation : Strengths

  1. Strength - Can be distributed to lots of people. Gather large amounts of data quickly and researcher does not need to be present when completed. This reduces the effort involved and makes questionnaires cost effective.
  2. Strength - Straightfoward to analyse, especially if closed/fixed choice questions are used. Statistical data can easily be converted to graphs and charts for comparison.
• Questionnaire evaluation : limitation

  
  

  1. Response bias. Respondents may favour a particular kind of response. This means that all respondents tend to reply in a similar way
  2. Responses may not always be truthful. Respondents tend to present themselves in a positive light. Thus social desirability bias is possible.
• Interviews

  Face to face or online interaction between an interviewer and interviewee.

  There are three types of interviews : Structured, unstructured and semi-structured
• Structured interview

  List of pre-determined questions asked in fixed order

  1. strength - Easy to replicate. Straightfoward to replicate because of standardised format. The format also reduces differences between interviewers.
  2. Limitation - Interviewers cannot elaborate. Interviewers cannot deviate from the topic or explain their questions. This may limit the richness of data collected.
• Unstructured interview


  No set questions, there is a general topic to be discussed but the interaction is free-flowing and the interviewee is encouraged to elaborate.

  1. Strength - Greater flexibility. Unlike a structured interview, points can be followed up as they arise. More likely to gain insight into interviewee's worldview and collect unexpected information.
  2. Limitation - Increased risk of interviewer bias. Closer dialogue between interviewer and interviewee. Means more opportunity for unconscious cues.
• Semi-structured interview

  List of questions that have been worked out in advance but interviewers ask further questions based on previous answers.
• Designing questionnaires

  Writing good questions : Avoid jargon, avoid double barelled questions and avoid leading questions.
• Designing questionnaires - closed question

  Closed questions - respondents have limited choices.

  1. Strength - easier to analyse. can produce graphs and charts for comparison and makes it easier to draw conclusions.
  2. Limitation - responses are restricted. Forced into an answer that may not represent true feelings which may reduce the validity of the findings
• Designing questionnaires - open question

  Open questions - respondents provides own answers expressed in words.

  1. Strength - Responses not restricted. answers more likely to provide detailed, unexpected information. Likely to have more external validity than statistics
  2. Limitation - Difficult to analyse. wider variety of answers than produced by closed questions. may be forced to reduce data to statistics.
• Designing interviews

  Interview schedule - a standardised list of questions that the interviewer needs to cover, can reduce interviewer bias

  Quiet room - will increase the likelihood that the interviewee will open up

  Rapport - begin with neutral questions to make participants feel relaxed

  Ethics - remind interviewees that answers will be treated in confidence.