Survey As A Research Method

Introduction[edit | edit source]

Survey is a common research method used in health and social care services. Survey research is a form of inquiry that rests on the assumption that meaningful information can be obtained by asking the parties of interest what they know, what they believe, and how they behave.[1]

In survey research, the data usually collected by using standardised form whether by interview or questionnaire. Surveys are designed to give a snapshot of how things are at specific time or condition without any control or manipulation of participants or variables [2].

Surveys are widely considered as a quantitative method which well situated to provide a factual and descriptive information, in contrast to qualitative methods that give a deeper understanding of participant views by using focus groups or unstructured interviews[3].

Definition:[edit | edit source]

A survey is defined as a “system for collecting information from or about people to describe, compare, or explain their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour.” [4]

The Process of survey research:[edit | edit source]

The Survey system comprises seven activities.[4]

  1. Setting objectives for information collection
  2. Designing the study
  3. Preparing a reliable and valid survey instrument
  4. Administering the survey
  5. Managing survey data
  6. Analyzing survey data
  7. Reporting the results.
  • Survey Design : There are different types of survey designs ( face to face or telephone interview- mailed surveys using postal or electronic media[5]. Choosing appropriate design for any research survey depends on sampling plan and sampling procedures[5].
  • Sample selection: Depends on target population size, its homogeneity and sampling media .
  • Sample size calculation: Depends on 5 factors:

- Statistical power

- ability of researcher to access target population .

- Degree of precision required( to measure precision by level of significance type 1 error or confidence interval)''

- Degree of population stratification .

- Selection of analysis unit [6][7].

  • Survey Tool Development: survey should be worded carefully according to study aims and objectives using different styles of questions (open and closed-ended questions).Psychometrics is a branch of survey research that enables researchers to determine validity and reliability of questionnaire.[8]
  • Execution of Survey: This process starts by stage starts by piloting questionnaire to test both survey instrument and procedures.After that the survey could be conducted and data collection starts.
  • Data analysis and Reporting survey results: at that stage data analysis and effective presentation of results are important elements in a successful survey.[6]

Format of Interviews and Questionnaire Items[edit | edit source]

The broadest distinction among item types is open-format versus closed format items.[1][4]

Open Format Items[edit | edit source]

Open-format items permit a flexible response. These are commonly used in interviews and allows a greater breadth of response. The depth of response usually depends on the respondents willingness and articulating capabilities. The major issue that is associated with open format items is the analysis as respondents responses may vary.

Closed-Format Items[edit | edit source]

Closed-format items restrict the range of possible responses. Mailed questionnaires often include a high proportion of closed-format responses. Highly structured interviews also use closed-format items. There are basically four types of closed-format items:

  1. Multiple Choice
  2. Likert Type
  3. Semantic differential
  4. Q-Sort Items

  Methods of collecting Survey Data[edit | edit source]

Following are the three ways of collecting survey data[1]

  1. Personal Interviews
  2. Telephone Interviews
  3. Written Questionnaires

Personal Interviews[edit | edit source]

In this method, the researcher conducts personal interviews of the respondents. Interviews can be conducted using different forms of questionnaires and the response can be documented accordingly. Interviews usually achieve greater depth of response, maintain control over who actually responds, determine the opinions of those who cannot read and may have higher response rates.

Mailed Interviews[edit | edit source]

In this method, the researcher mails the survey tool or questionnaire to the respondent Compared to personal interviews mailed surveys are more economic permit a broader sampling frame and larger numbers of participants. Disadvantages of this method include unavailability of appropriate mailing lists of participants, low response rates, inability to gain information from individuals who cannot read, and lack of control over who actually responds to the questionnaire  

Internet Interviews[edit | edit source]

In this method, the researcher uses the internet to get the responses from the respondents. With the wide availability of the internet in recent time has led to an increase in the use of this method. The most basic way to conduct an Internet-based survey is to send an e-mail to a group of respondents, with the questionnaire embedded within the e-mail. There are softwares available to design the survey and collect information, with use of these survey software the survey can be conducted in an easy and fast way.Following are the advantages and disadvantages of internet-based survey:

Advantages of internet based survey:[edit | edit source]

  1. Less cost .
  2. Easy access to thousands of social and vocational groups.
  3. Time saving.( In process of data collection and analysis).[9]

Disadvantages of internet based survey:[edit | edit source]

  1. Sampling problems ( like generating a sampling frame )
  2. Selection bias ( which may affect generalisation of study findings ).
  3. Access issues ( some virtual community users could consider research invitations as a rude behaviour or email may be considered as a spam[9] [10].

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Carter R, Lubinsky J. Rehabilitation Research-E-Book: Principles and Applications. Elsevier Health Sciences; 2015 Jun 30.
  2. ↑ Kelley, K., Clark, B., Brown, V. & Sitzia, J. 2003, Good practice in the conduct and reporting of survey research, Oxford :.
  3. ↑ De Vaus, D.A. 2002, Surveys in social research, Psychology Press.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Fink A. The survey handbook. Sage; 2003.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dillman, D.A., Smyth, J.D. and Christian, L.M., 2014. Internet, phone, mail, and mixed-mode surveys: the tailored design method. John Wiley & Sons.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Glasow, P.A., 2005. Fundamentals of survey research methodology. Retrieved January, 18, p.2013.
  7. ↑ Barlett, J.E., Kotrlik, J.W. and Higgins, C.C., 2001. Organizational research: Determining appropriate sample size in survey research. Information technology, learning, and performance journal, 19(1), p.43.
  8. ↑ Litwin, M.S. and Fink, A., 1995. How to measure survey reliability and validity (Vol. 7). Sage.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Wright, K.B., 2005. Researching Internet-based populations: Advantages and disadvantages of online survey research, online questionnaire authoring software packages, and web survey services. Journal of computer-mediated communication, 10(3), p.JCMC1034.
  10. ↑ Andrews, D., Nonnecke, B. and Preece, J., 2003. Electronic survey methodology: A case study in reaching hard-to-involve Internet users. International journal of human-computer interaction, 16(2), pp.185-210.
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