Questionnaires
Sociology: AQA A Level, topic 1.3.5
Questionnaires
Questionnaires are one of the main tools of positivist sociologists, as data from structured questions is easily quantified, so it can be more scientifically analysed.
The imposition problem
- The key problems/concerns with questionnaires are the imposition problem and validity.
- The imposition problem refers to the risk that the researcher might impose their own views and framework on the people being questioned.
- The researcher has already decided what the important questions are as part of their research preparation, so only a limited number and type of questions are available.
Validity
- Problems of validity arise because people may not answer the questions honestly.
- They may give the answer that they think the research expects or answers that are seen as socially acceptable.
- They might also misinterpret the wording of questions and give a different response to the one that is intended.
Types of questionnaire
- There are a number of different types of questionnaires, all with different strengths and weaknesses.
- They include:
- Structured questionnaires.
- Open-ended questionnaires.
- Postal, online and online self-completion questionnaires.