Question: 13.5
One of the major reasons why survey research may not be effective is that the survey instruments are less useful than they should be. What would you say are the four possible major faults of survey instrument design? Survey research is a very common approach to obtaining data through responses given by participants. According to Ponto (2015) "The primary purpose of this type of survey research was to obtain information describing characteristics of a large sample of individuals of interest relatively quickly" (p.168). To properly design some correct survey researchers must first set a goal and purpose. They need to define what they are trying to accomplish or learn from the study. Then they need to determine who the need to…show more content… This error occurs in the research design and can affect the accuracy of the responses. Unclear and complex instructions can create confusion even before the respondent begins to answer the questions. The respondents need to know what is being asked of them, how to respond to the questions, the purpose of the survey, and what to do if they don't know the answer to a question. Furthermore, the questions of the research need to have a purpose and be designed to the level of understanding of the respondents. The questions should also be sensitive to the culture, ethical background (if a cross-cultural research), and level of education. Furthermore, the survey design needs to define the type of questions. Are they open- ended or close-ended? Or a mixture of both? According to Krosnick, Lavrakas, & Visser (n.d.) the open-ended surveys should be mainly used during face-to-face…show more content… Once the researchers have established the goal and purpose of the survey, they need to define the format of survey whether it is a phone, email, mail, online, or face to face interview survey. For example, older or technologically challenged populations can find it difficult to complete an online survey and be more responsive to a mail-in survey with a paid postage envelope. On the other hand, technologically savvy groups may prefer a quick online survey they can complete from their phone.
When developing the survey design, it is important to provide clear instructions and clear information. When God instructed Noah to build an Arc, He gave Noah clear instruction. God told Noah exactly what would happen and why it was happening. God gave Noah the exact measurements and detailed information on how they could survive and "Noah did everything just as God commanded him" (Genesis 6:22, New International Version). Noah survived the flood because he wasn't given ambiguous information and he understood what was asked of him. Similarly, respondents need to feel confident in knowing what is being asked of them and how it is to be