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Quantitative Methods: Survey Design. Valerie Dao and Matthew Schwarz Fulbright Research Mentorship Program Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The Basics of Survey Design. Surveys provide a numeric (quantitative) description of the trends, attitudes, or opinions within a given population
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Quantitative Methods: Survey Design Valerie Dao and Matthew Schwarz Fulbright Research Mentorship Program Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
The Basics of Survey Design • Surveysprovide a numeric (quantitative) description of the trends, attitudes, or opinions within a given population • The researcher uses a subset of the population—or a sample, to generalize and draw conclusions about the entire population
Components of a Survey Method Plan • 1. Clarify the purpose • 2. Assess Resources • 3. Population and Sample • 4. Variables in the study • 5. Instrumentation • 6. Collect Data • 7. Process data • 8. Analyze results
Step 1: Clarifying the Purpose • Why conduct a survey? • Who are the stakeholders? • Who is the population of interest? • What issues need to be explored?
The Initial Proposal • The first section of the survey design should highlight : • 1. basic purpose • Draw from a sample to generalize about a population • 2. rational for survey research • In terms of measuring the variable and convenience of data collection in this method • Indicate time frame • Cross sectional vs. longitudinal • Form of data collection • Questionnaires, interviews, structured record reviews, structured observations
Step 2: Assess the Resources • What are you internal resources? • What are you external resources?
Assess the Resources • You need to explore the available resources at your disposal to better plan and edit your survey • Internal • Your research institution • Budget • Facilities • Time • [staff] • External • Outside funding • Fellowships, grants
Step 3: Population and Sample • You will not be able to test the entire population, so you need to define a sample to draw conclusions from • How many people will be included? • What is the size of your target population? • What can the budget allow? • How will the size affect your results? • How will the respondents be selected?
The Population and the Sample • Types of sampling • Single-stage: access to names in population, direct • Multi-stage(clustering): sample organizations/groups initially, obtain more info from within those clusters, and then samples with the given information • Identify selection process • Random sample vs. non-probability • Stratification • Proportionality and representation of true population • Take samples from each subgroup within a population
Step 4: Variables in the study • Relate what is measured (the variable) directly to the questions in the instrument • Identify the independent and dependent variables
Step 5: Instrumentation • The survey instrument is the actual questionnaire or data collection document that will be used in the study • It can be an original document, a modified instrument, or an intact instrument that someone else has already implemented • When writing your own instrument, focus on what you need to know
Designing your survey • Open vs. closed questions • Types of response formats • Ratings • Rankings • Multiple choice • Yes/no • Types of measurement • Attitudes • Knowledge • Beliefs • Behaviors • evaluation
How to effectively design your questions • Your questions need to have validity • Determines whether or not you can draw meaningful and useful inferences from your data • When designing your questions you want to make sure that you control for • 1. Bias • 2. Precision
Validity of instrumentation • Accuracy is how close the estimator is to the true value of the parameter being measured • Precision refers to the repeatability of the measurement • If the instrument is both accurate and precise then it is consider to be valid • Accuracy relates to the quality of the result whereas precision is the quality of the operation by which the result is obtained
Step 6: Collect Data • What is the medium you will use for collecting your data? Consider what you are asking and what will be most convenient and comfortable for your respondents • Main Methods • In person • Mailing • Electronic/online • Telephone
Step 7: Processing Data • Coding • Open ended questions • Data Entry • Set-up your document collection • Avoid errors
Step 8: Analyzing your results • How will you use the data you have collected? • 1. Report on level of participation • 2. Response bias • How will the people who did not respond change the results of your survey? • 3. Plan to provide descriptive analysis for dependent and independent variables • Means, standard deviations, range, etc. • 4. identify the statistics/program for testing major questions or hypotheses in your study • Rationale for each test accompanied