Which of the following is correct?
1. surveys are the most popular methods of data collection in the social sciences
2. surveys are employed primarily by quantitative researchers
3. surveys include the use of questionnaires and interviewing
4. all of the above
Which of the following is NOT one of the advantages of questionnaires?
1. they offer a greater assurance of anonymity than many other methods
2. they are not affected by problems of ‘non-contacts’
3. they offer lower consistency and uniformity than other methods
4. they produce quick results
Which of the following is NOT one of the limitations of questionnaires?
1. it is not possible to check whether the question order was followed
2. they do not allow probing and prompting
3. they offer a less considered and objective view on the issue in question than interviews
4. no influence on the part of the researcher
Questions that are not central to the research topic but aim to encourage the respondent to complete, amplify or expand the information given are called
1. probes
2. padding questions
3. prompts
4. filter questions
Which of the following is NOT one of the criteria of a response set?
1. that the response categories are exhaustive
2. that the response categories are adequately numbered to allow statistical analysis
3. that the response categories are mutually exclusive
4. that the response categories are uni-dimensional
The purpose of probes is to
1. help provide a complete answer
2. help amplify or expand collected information
3. guide the discussion
4. all of the above
The technique employed in probing is
1. the summary technique
2. the controlled no-directive technique
3. directive probing
4. all of the above
Which of the following is NOT one of the advantages of open-ended questions?
1. they allow freedom to express feelings and thoughts
2. they offer information not directly related to the question
3. they offer more details than pre-coded questions
4. they allow for creativity, self-expression and initiative
A general question (for example, ‘Do you read the Bible?’) followed by another more specific question (for example, ‘How often do you read the Bible?’) is
1. a primary
2. a prompt
3. a filter question
4. a probe
A specific question (for example, ‘How often do you read the Bible?’) that usually follows another more general question (for example, ‘Do you read the Bible?’) is
1. a primary
2. a secondary
3. a filter question
4. a contingency question
The question: ‘The International Committee on Health Issues found that marijuana smoking increased the levels of cholesterol among females. Don’t you also think that marijuana smoking affects cholesterol levels?’
1. includes suggestive questioning
2. entails prestige bias
3. is double-barrelled
4. is both a and b above
Which of the following is NOT one of the criteria employed by most researchers when determining the content of questions?
1. relevance
2. symmetry
3. clarity
4. none of the above
Which of the following is NOT one of the criteria that should be met when assessing the layout of questionnaires?
1. questions must be easy to read and easy to follow
2. sufficient space must be provided between the questions
3. questions should reflect clearly the essence of the topic they are supposed to address
4. sufficient space should be provided after open-ended questions for the respondent’s comments
Which of the following is NOT one of the criteria that should be observed when deciding about the content of questions?
1. questions must be relevant to one or more aspects of the study (except in case of secondary and tertiary questions)
2. ambiguous questions should be excluded from the questionnaire
3. threatening questions should not be included in the questionnaire
4. none of the above
A small-scale study that aims to address administrative and organisational problems of the whole study is termed a
1. pre-test
2. panel study
3. pilot study
4. trial test