1. Methodology: Questionnaires.
LO: To understand when it is useful to
use questionnaires and the strengths
and weaknesses of this method.

2. Social survey: Questionnaires
A questionnaire is
a list of pre-set
questions. A
useful tool for
conducting a
social survey
because it can be
used to gather
information from
a large number of
people.

3. There are four main types of questionnaire
used in sociology and social research
1. Factual surveys: these gather information about
features of peoples lives rather than asking for thoughts,
feelings or opinions.
2. Attitudinal surveys: these ask peoples views on topics
and issues.
3. Social psychological surveys: these develop out of
attitudinal surveys and try to group people into
personality types
4. Explanatory surveys: designed to test a hypothesis - for
instance a questionnaire designed to establish causality
(what causes a social phenomenon).

4. Questionnaires.
There are 2 ways in which these can be
conducted:
SELF COMPLETION- questionnaires you
give to your sample to complete on their
own.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRES/
STRUCTURED INTERVIEW

5. Pilot questionnaires
Before doing your final questionnaire, you
must test out your questionnaire to see:
Whether your questions are understood.
To make sure there are no mistakes.
To see if you get the sort of answers you
wanted to get.
To find out whether you need extra
questions.

6. Types of questions.
Closed Questions
Designed to get quantitative data which is quick
and easy to analyse.
Involves the researcher pre-setting the
responses.
Open Questions:
Ask the respondent to answer a question in their
own words.
This provides more qualitative information.

7. Pre-coded or Closed questionnaires
1. How many hours do you spend on
homework per week?
A. 1 - 3 hours
B. 4 – 6 hours
C. 7 – 9 hours
D. 10 – 12 hours
E. More: Please specify…………………
Designed to get quantitative data which is quick and easy to
analyse. Involves the researcher pre-setting the responses.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of closed questions?

8. Pre-coded questionnaires
Advantages Disadvantages
• Easy to produce • Limited choice of answers.
standardized, statistical Respondents cannot
data. explain their views fully.
• Data is usually reliable. • Meaning of questions
Researchers can check maybe unclear.
findings and repeat the • May lack validity because
research the researcher imposes a
• Easier for respondents to limited choice of answers.
reply- may make response May not reflect social
rate higher. reality of respondent.

9. Open-ended questionnaires
1. What is you opinion on the
The open ended amount of homework given
questionnaire has a each week?
number of pre-set
questions, but no
________________________
choice of answers.
________________________
This enables ________________________
respondents to ________________________
dictate their own ________________________
answers.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of open
questions?

10. Open-ended questionnaires
Advantages Disadvantages
 It’s hard to classify and turn into
 Produces more valid data statistical data.
 May not be as reliable as pre-
because it allows the
coded questionnaires. Because it
respondents to use their can produce a wide range of
own words to express how answers, it could be difficult to
they feel. compare to other similar
research. May also be difficult to
repeat research and get similar
 They provide more detail
results.
and depth compared to  Often people will be put off by
pre-coded questionnaires having to provide so many long
answers- this can affect the
overall response rate and some
questions may be left blank.

11. Keyword
Census
The ten-yearly survey of the whole UK
population in the form of a written
questionnaire.

12. Theoretical
Positivists prefer because they deliver reliable
data e.g. Replicable due to using same set of
questions
Can be used to access both quantitative and
qualitative information. However generates
more quantitative data that can be used to test
hypotheses and correlations between
variables
Often large scale and therefore more
representative
Interpretivists suggest they lack validity

13. Discuss in pairs the advantages
and disadvantages to using
questionnaires generally

14. Overall advantages of using questionnaires….
1. Inexpensive- cheap to classify results.
2. Representativeness
3. Postal questionnaires allow a geographically
dispersed sample.
4. No interviewer bias with self completion
questionnaires.
5. Can be confidential and anonymous allowing
people to feel free to express their views.
6. Produces quantitative and reliable
7. Hypothesis Testing
8. Detachment and objectivity- little or no contact
between researcher and respondent (no bias)

15. Overall disadvantages of using questionnaires….
1. Response rate- often low- unrepresentative?
2. Need to be brief to keep respondents attention
3. Respondents may not understand or read the
questions.
4. Answers may be incomplete or illegible.
5. May not access enough qualitative information.
6. Data may not be valid or even truthful
7. Detachment- questions cannot be clarified or
misunderstandings cleared up
8. Impose researcher meaning- e.g. q’s asked

16. Question
In Michael Schofield’s (1965) research on
the sexual behaviour of teenagers a young
girl was asked in a questionnaire “Are you
a virgin?
She answered “No, not yet”
Identify the problems of questionnaire
research that this suggests