This document outlines a hierarchical set of research questions to help identify large categories of issues in surveys and more specific questions within each category. It discusses how determining if a proposed question fits the purpose of the intended survey can help eliminate unnecessary questions, as the length of a survey's questionnaire impacts its success. Finally, it defines the target population as that which is studied in a survey, with the typical unit of analysis being people but also possibly objects, organizations, etc. Data is collected from individual units of analysis to describe and summarize the overall population.

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G. Do teachers leave the profession early
because of inadeguate frinoe benefits?
B. Do teachers leave the profession early r 1- Do teachers leave the profession early
because of the structure of their pav scale? ' because their health insurance benefits ire
r 1. Do teachers leave the profession early inadequate?
because the upoer limit on their oay scale is r 2. Do teachers leave the profeasion early
too loW? because their life insurance benefits are
r 2" Do teachers leave the profession early inadeouate?
because their rate of orooress on the oby r 3. Do teachers leave the profession early
scale is too sloW? because their retirement benefits are
inadequate?
I
I r A hierarchical set of research questions like
this can help researchers identi! large r IDENTIFYING THE TARGET pOpULATtON
categories of issues, suggest more specific r Almost anything can be described by means
issues within each category, and con-ceive of
of a survey.
possible questions.
r By d,etermining whether a proposed question
r That which is studied in a survey is called the
ftts the purposes of the intended survby, unit of analvsis.
researchers can eliminate those that d6 not r Although typically people, units of analysis
r This is important, since the length of a can also be objects, clubs, companies,
survey's questionnaire or interview schedule classrooms, schools, govemment agencies,
is a crucial factor in determining the survey's and others.
success.
r Survey data are mllected ftom a number of
r For example, in a survey of faculty opinion individual units of analysis to describe those
about a new discipline policy recenily units; these descriptions are then
instituted in a particular school district, each summarized to describe the population that
faalty member sample.d and surveyed would the Units of analvsis represent.
be the unit of analysis. r ln the example given above, data collected
.r ln a survey of urban school districts, the from a sample of faculty members (the unit of
school distilct would be the unit of analysis. analysis) would be summarized to describe
the population that this sample represents (all
of the faculty members in that particular
school district).
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