SURVEY RESEARCHexplanation and measure them with other survey
questions (i.e. control variables). Later, we statis-
tically examine their effects to rule out alternative
explanations. Surveys are sometimes called corre-
lational because the researchers do not control and
manipulate conditions as in an experiment. In sur-
vey research, we use control variables to statisti-
cally approximate an experimenter’s physical
controls on confounding variables.
Steps in Conducting a Survey
To conduct a survey, researchers start with a theo-
retical or applied research problem. We can divide
the steps in a survey study as outlined in Figure 1.
The first phase is to create an instrument—a survey
questionnaire or interview schedule. Respondents
read the questions in a questionnaire themselves
and mark the answers themselves.An interview
scheduleis a set of questions read to the respon-
dent by an interviewer, who also records responses.
To simplify the discussion, I will use only the term
questionnaire.
Survey research proceeds deductively. First, we
conceptualize variables and then operationalize
each variable as one or more survey questions. This
means we write, rewrite, and again rewrite survey
questions for clarity and completeness. Once we
have a collection of survey questions, we must
organize them on the questionnaire and group and
sequence the questions. Our research question,
the types of respondents, and the type of survey (see
types of surveys later in this chapter) should guide
how we do this.
Let us say you are going to conduct a survey.
As you prepare a questionnaire, think ahead to
how you will record and organize the data. You
also should pilot test the questionnaire with a small
set of respondents who are similar to those in
the final survey. If you use interviewers, you must
train them with the questionnaire. In the pilot test
and interviewer training, you ask respondents and
interviewers whether the questions were clear, and
you need to explore their interpretations to see
whether your intended meaning was clear (see
pilot testing and cognitive interviewing later in the
chapter).^11
Step 3:- Decide on target population.
- Get sampling frame.
- Decide on sample size.
- Select sample.
Step 4:- Locate respondents.
- Conduct interviews.
- Carefully record data.
Step 1:- Develop hypotheses.
- Decide on type of survey
(mail, interview, telephone). - Write survey questions.
- Decide on response categories.
- Design layout.
Step 6:- Describe methods and findings
in research report. - Present findings to others for
critique and evaluation.
Step 5:- Enter data into computers.
- Recheck all data.
- Perform statistical analysis on data.
Step 2:- Plan how to record data.
- Pilot test survey instrument.
FIGURE 1 Steps in the Process of Survey
Research