WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology sample

How useful are questionnaires in social research? A questionnaire is a series of questions on paper or online, which a researcher uses to find out about a social issue. Questionnaires are probably the most widely used research tool in sociology, and in many other subjects. The term ‘survey’ is sometimes used instead of ‘questionnaire’, but ‘survey’ is a more general term which includes other methods in addition to questionnaires. Quantitative data Knowledge Questionnaires are mainly used to collect quantitative data and have the advantage of being a useful way of collecting a large amount of data. Questionnaires are a popular research method as they are usually a quick and cheap way of collecting data, compared with other methods. The respondents to a questionnaire usually complete the questionnaire themselves, which means there is no need for a team of interviewers, saving money and time. Interviewers require training, which costs money, in addition to their wages, and takes more time. Lots of people can complete the same questionnaire at the same time, meanwhile, making research quicker. There can be a problem, however, if questionnaires have a very low response rate. Response rates Example Postal questionnaires are one way of handing out questionnaires. This method might gain a particularly low response rate as people might not bother to complete and return the questionnaire. Including a pre-paid, addressed envelope might improve the response rate, but might have significant cost implications for a large sample. An alternative is to attempt door-to-door questionnaires or to ask people to complete them at work or school. Modern technology has provided even cheaper, quicker and easier ways of using questionnaires with readily available survey software. Nonetheless, all these methods of distributing questionnaires will meet the same problem. Only a certain type of person is likely to fill out questionnaires. Many people do not feel they have the time nor the inclination to complete questionnaires. It is likely that those who do will have strong views on a topic. This would make the sample unrepresentative, meaning that those who reply to the questionnaire are not typical of the people that received the questionnaire. Open and closed questions Knowledge The biggest advantage of questionnaires is the facility to repeat them in different places and at different times, but being able to compare the results, as the data has all been collected in the same way. Questions can all be standardised, and therefore answers can be easily compared. Sociological enquiry and research methods 242 Chapter 6 WHAT AM I GOING TO LEARN? To understand different types of questionnaire and consider their usefulness. Starter ... Think of a topic you would like to investigate. At this point, it can be about anything. Try to devise five questions for other students to answer. Report back on any problems you had. Questionnaires can be a useful method of collecting a large quantity of comparable data.