Chapter 9Survey Research1© 2018 Cengage Lea

Chapter 9:
Survey
Research
1
© 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Learning Objectives
• Understand that survey research involves the administration of
questionnaires in a systematic way to a sample of respondents
selected from some population
• Describe how survey research is especially appropriate for
descriptive
or exploratory studies of large populations
• Describe examples of surveys as the method of choice for
obtaining
victimization and self-reported offending data
• Summarize differences between open-ended or closed-ended
questions, and offer examples of the advantages and
disadvantages of
each
• Recognize how bias in questionnaire items encourages
respondents to

answer in a particular way or to support a particular point of
view
2
Learning Objectives, cont.
• Describe different ways to administer questionnaires, and
offer examples of how they can be varied
• Recognize why it is important for interviewers to be neutral
in face-to-face surveys
• Provide examples of the advantages and disadvantages of
each method of survey administration
• Discuss how survey data can be somewhat artificial and
potentially superficial
• Understand how specialized interviews with a small
number of people and focus groups are different from
surveys as examples of collecting data by asking questions
3
Introduction
• Survey research is perhaps the most

frequently used mode of observation in
sociology and political science, and surveys
are often used in criminal justice research
as well
• You have no doubt been a respondent in
some sort of survey, and you may have
conducted a survey yourself
4
Survey Research Topics
• Counting Crime: asking people about
victimization counters problems of data
collected by police
• Self-Reports: dominant method for
studying the etiology of crime
– Frequency/type of crimes committed
– Prevalence (how many people commit crimes)
committed by a broader population
5
Survey Research Topics, cont.

• Perceptions and Attitudes: To learn how people
feel about crime and CJ policy
• Targeted Victim Surveys: Used to evaluate policy
innovations and program success
• Other Evaluation Uses: e.g., measuring
community attitudes, citizen responses, etc.
– Chicago Community Policing Evaluation Consortium
• General Purpose Crime Surveys
6
Guidelines for Asking Questions
• How questions are asked is the single most
important feature of survey research
• Open-Ended: Respondent is asked to
provide his or her own answer
• Closed-Ended: Respondent selects an
answer from a list
– Choices should be exhaustive and mutually exclusive
• Questions and Statements: Likert scale
7

Guidelines for Asking Questions, cont.
• Make Items Clear: Avoid ambiguous questions;
do not ask “double-barreled” questions
• Short Items are Best: Respondents like to read
and answer a question quickly
• Avoid Negative Items: Leads to misinterpretation
• Avoid Biased Items and Terms: Do not ask
questions that encourage a certain answer
• Designing Self-Report Items: Use of computer-
assisted interviewing techniques
8
Questionnaire Construction
• General questionnaire format: critical,
must be laid out properly and uncluttered
• Contingency Questions: Relevant only to
some respondents—answered only
based on the previous response
• Matrix Questions: Same set of answer
categories used in multiple questions

9
Ordering Questions
• Ordering may affect the answers given
• Estimate the effect of question order
• Perhaps devise more than one version
• Begin with most interesting questions
• End with duller, demographic data
– Do the opposite for in-person interview surveys
10
Self-Administered Questionnaires
• Can be home-delivered
– Researcher delivers questionnaire to home of sample
respondent, explains the study, and then comes back
later
• Mailed (sent and returned) survey is most
common
– Researchers must reduce the trouble it takes to return a
questionnaire

11
Warning Mailings & Cover Letters
• Used to increase response rates
• Warning Mailings: “Address correction
requested” card sent out to determine incorrect
addresses and to “warn” residents to expect
questionnaire in mail
• Cover Letters: Detail why survey is being
conducted, why respondent was selected, why
is it important to complete questionnaire
– Include institutional affiliation or sponsorship
12
Self-Administered Questionnaires
• Monitoring returns: Pay close attention to the
response rate; assign #’s serially
• Follow-up mailings: Nonrespondents can be
sent a letter, or a letter and another
questionnaire; timing
• Acceptable response rates: 50% is adequate,

60% is good, and 70% is very good
– Would we rather have a lack of response bias than a high
response rate?
13
Computer-Based Self-Administration
• Via Fax, Email, Web Site/Page
• Issues
– Representativeness
– Mixed in with, or mistaken for, spam
– Requires access to Web
– Sampling frame?
14
Discussion Question 1
What if you administered a survey? Would
you use the Internet? Why or why not?
15

In-Person Interview Surveys
• Typically achieve higher response rates than
mail surveys (80-85% is considered good)
• Demeanor and appearance of interviewer
should be appropriate; interviewer should be
familiar with questionnaire and ask questions
precisely
• Can probe for additional responses
• When more than one interviewer administers,
efforts must be coordinated and controlled
• Practice interviewing
16
What if you were interviewed as part of a
research project? How would you expect
the researchers to behave?
17

Computer-Assisted Interviews
• Reported success in enhancing
confidentiality
• Reported higher rates of self-reporting
– Computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI):
Interviewers read questions from screens and then type
in answers from respondents’
– Computer-assisted self-interviewing (CASI):
Respondent keys in answers, which are scrambled so
that interviewer cannot access them
18
Telephone Surveys
• 95.5% of all households have telephones
(2005, U.S. Census Bureau)
• Random-Digit Dialing
– Obviates unlisted number problem
– Often results in business, pay phones, fax lines
• Saves money and time, provides safety to
interviewers, more convenient
• May be interpreted as bogus sales calls; ease
of hang-ups

19
Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing
• A set of computerized tools that aid
telephone interviewers and supervisors by
automating various data collection tasks
• Easier, faster, more accurate, but more
expensive
• Formats responses into a data file as they
are keyed in
• Can automate contingency questions and
skip sequences
20
What if researchers called your landline or
mobile and asked you to participate in a
survey over the phone? Would you agree
to do it? Why or why not?
21

Methods Comparison
• Self-administered questionnaires are generally
cheaper, better for sensitive issues than interview
surveys
• Using mail: Local and national surveys cost the
same
• Interviews: More appropriate when respondent
literacy may be a problem, produce fewer
incompletes, achieve higher completion rates
• Validity low, reliability high in survey research
• Surveys are also inflexible, superficial in coverage
22
Strengths of Survey Research
• Particularly useful in describing large
populations
• Standardized questionnaires can ensure
uniform responses and measurement
• Protects against respondents interpreting
concepts differently

23
Weaknesses of Survey Research
• Standardized questionnaire items often represent the
least common denominator in assessing people’s
attitudes, orientations, circumstances, and
experiences
• Superficial coverage of complex topics
• Survey research cannot readily deal with the specific
contexts of social life
• Some populations might be hard to contact through
customary sampling methods
24
Should You Do It Yourself?
• Consider start-up costs
• Finding, training, and paying interviewers
is time-consuming and not cheap, and
requires some expertise

• Mail surveys are less expensive, and can
be conducted well by 1–2 persons
• The method you use depends on your
research question
25
1
WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENT
Week 1 Assignment: Journal
Chamberlain College of Nursing
PHIL347: Critical Reasoning
September 2020
This study source was downloaded by 100000753516947 from
CourseHero.com on 09-02-2021 13:52:49 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/67566867/Week-1-
Assignment-Journaldocx/
Th
is
stu
dy

re
so
ur
ce
w
as
sh
ar
ed
v
ia
C
ou
rs
eH
er
o.
co
m
WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENT 2
Week 1 Assignment: Journal

Critical Thinking
When the words critical thinking come to mind, I think that it
has to do with being able to
have great interpretation skills. It can be described as being
capable of evaluating circumstances,
understanding their surroundings, and being conscious of one's
emotions to provide appropriate
responses. When critical thinking, one should be able to view
things from another perspective.
Critical thinking is another form of knowledge which cannot be
tested but can only be acquired
by experiences or emotions that are lasting. Reading the basic
meaning of critical thinking of
each classmate in the discussion was really fascinating. We all
have so many different opinions
on two words. Being medical professionals, nurses use critical
thinking every single day.
Heart of the Matter
Looking through the author's perspective, I think the heart of
the matter is that, when it
comes to comparative reasoning, we ought to use the correct
criterion. As per the author, from a
rational perspective comparative reasoning is deemed poor and

inaccurate. You should utilize the
proper standards to reach at a rational interpretation, since
psychosocial factors can alter our
viewpoint (Facione & Glittens, 2016). What I am
comprehending from the author in this case is
that when we employ critical analysis, there will be stages
which we are moving across.
According to Facione and Glittens (2016), a few comparable
assessments and core aspects are
similarity, accessibility, comprehensiveness, competitiveness
and provability. This still
is dangerous and doubtful when using correlative reasoning.
The principles stressed by the writer
in these sections are that correlating thinking, and moral
thinking are not dependable and the
second principle is that, in attempt to be dependable, you ought
to explicitly examine, evaluate
and provide empirical observations (Facione & Glittens, 2016).
I describe the idea of moral
Th

is
stu
dy
re
so
ur
ce
w
as
sh
ar
ed
v
ia
C
ou
rs
eH
er
o.
co
m

WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENT 3
reasoning as there being specific principles and convictions on a
person or group of individuals.
Moral reasoning can direct a person in making a worthwhile
judgment. But as I learned of the
descriptions of moral reasoning in Ch. 13, I discovered that
there are pros and cons in any
argument. For example, the belief that god is real and that
he/she governs life and future against
evolutionary theory. Individuals that trust in research claim that
it all came from subatomic
particles.
Whenever a person compares anything, I interpret it as
comparative reasoning.
Comparison reasoning may even be a convincing point that can
cause a person or group to re-
examine their own thoughts or findings. And thereby, the
individual could compare it with
something less valued in order to make his argument appear
more appealing. Comparative
reasoning may arise whenever one perceives or introduces
themselves to anything foreign and

then begin to acquaint themselves with what the person may
well understand and equate the
common with the uncommon in order to obtain a better
interpretation (Facione & Glittens,
2016).
Challenges & Insights
The greatest challenge I see for myself this session is balancing
three classes, work, and
soon moving to a new home. To be able to graduate with my
BSN right after high school in just
three years, I will be determined to focus and not procrastinate.
I will not only study hard, have
time management, but also have self-care. This can be anything
from dressing up and hanging
with friends/family to just sitting in my room with a blanket and
coffee watching movies. I feel
discovering that the result of my personal analytical thinking
depends on how I handle those
circumstances. By knowing which method of learning and
judgment fits best with me, I can face
those challenges.

Th
is
stu
dy
re
so
ur
ce
w
as
sh
ar
ed
v
ia
C
ou
rs
eH
er
o.
co

m
WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENT 4
References
Facione, P., & Gittens, C. (2016). The Power of Critical
Thinking. In Think Critically Third
Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Th
is
stu
dy
re
so
ur
ce
w
as

sh
ar
ed
v
ia
C
ou
rs
eH
er
o.
co
m
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
http://www.tcpdf.org
Chapter 10:
Qualitative
Interviewing
1

Learning Objectives
• Recognize when to use qualitative
interviewing as a data-gathering tool
• Understand that there are multiple meanings
or constructions about reality
• Know the advantages and disadvantages of
semi-structured versus unstructured
interviews
• Understand the use of focus groups or
interviewing a group of people
simultaneously
2
Learning Objectives, cont.
• Be able to describe how to approach and
interact with participants
• Learn how to record or log data
• Understand ways to analyze and interpret
qualitative data
• Recognize how to enhance the quality of

information gathered
3
Introduction
• A qualitative interview is an interaction between
an interviewer and a respondent where the
interviewer has a general plan of inquiry,
including topics to be covered
• The interviewer might not have a specific set of
questions to be asked in a particular order
• Can be thought of as a purposeful conversation
• Allows researchers to study more complex
processes or the “hows” involving human
perspective
4
Qualitative Interviewing
• Qualitative interviews can be the sole way
of gathering data in criminal justice studies
• Allows the research to understand the

subjects’ perspectives
• Can gather firsthand accounts of their
impressions and their lived experiences
• Can also be used to understand how
people feel about their roles and identities
5
Key Features of Qualitative Interviewing
• Richness of human experience
• Approach to learning
• Critical realist perspective
– Your stance about the nature of reality (ontology)
– The nature of knowledge
6
Kinds of Qualitative Interviews
• Interview schedule: The structure of the interview
that may have predetermined questions or topical
areas to be discussed
• The interview schedule will influence how in-

depth and interactive your interviews should be
7
Structured and Semi-Structured Interviews
• A structured interview schedule consists of
predetermined questions and answer sets
• Structured interviews create standardized
responses so respondents are given the same
stimulus, allowing for responses to be compared
• Semi-structured interview has standardized
questions but allows the interviewer to explore
themes that emerge during the interview
• Researcher can probe for additional information
8
Unstructured Interviews
• Unstructured interviews are the most open style
of interviewing
• Provides the most breadth, depth, and natural
interaction with participants

• Two main approaches: conversations and
interview guide
– Conversations is an informal “chat” where conversation flows
organically
– Interview guide includes a list of topical areas that you want
to
cover in the conversation
9
Focus Group Interviews
• 6–12 people brought together to engage in
guided group discussion of some topic
• Focus groups can be used to generate
hypotheses, or combined with other types of
data gathering such as participant observation
• Can show how opinions are produced,
expressed, and exchanged in everyday life
• Can be either natural groups or artificial groups
– Natural groups have an existing connection
– Artificial groups are made up of individuals selected
according to
some criteria and are brought together for research purposes

10
Would you attend a focus group if asked?
Why or why not?
11
What if you interviewed a focus group?
Would you choose conversation or
interview guiding? Why?
12
Designing Qualitative Interview Questions
• Interview questions can assume different forms
• The branch approach involves having a main topic
with branching questions
• The river-and-channel approach involves many

streams of questioning that lead into the main
channel, with some streams diverging
• Must also decide what order to tell the story
– A diachronic delivery of material starts at the beginning and
progresses chronologically
– A synchronic framework does not depend on time
13
Interview Schedule
• Best to create an outline of more categories of
information you want to obtain before you start writing
• You can create categories and nested sets of topical
areas.
• How a question is worded can affect the response
• Be sure the questions encompass the overall subject,
there is a good flow between questions, the order
makes sense, and the language is appropriate
• Avoid double-barreled questions, complex questions,
difficult language, and affective words
14

Probes
• Prompt participants to elaborate on responses
by filling in more detail and depth
• It is important to have built-in prompts in case
you have quiet respondents
• You can use an attention probe (e.g., lean in),
a continuation probe (e.g., nod), clarification
probe (e.g., ask the respondent to clarify), or
follow-up questions
15
Gaining Access to Participants
• Establish your role: determine if you are an insider or
outsider
• To gain access to a formal organization, you will need
identify yourself as a researcher and make a formal
request and receive formal approval
• Best to use a four-step process: sponsor, letter, phone
call, and meeting
• To gain access to information subcultures, researchers
can gain access using a sponsor or hang out where
subjects hang out

• Compensation might be necessary to encourage
participation
16
What if you were searching for study
subjects? Are there any groups you would
be interested in studying that would claim
you as an insider?
17
Conducting Qualitative Interviews
• Qualitative interviews can be in-person, on the phone,
online, or through a survey
• Face-to-face are most common
• Reflexivity refers to your subjectivity and the meaning you
give to information
• It is important to remain critically conscious of your
reflexivity when conducting qualitative interviews
• During interviews, you will need to develop a rapport with

respondents
• This can be done through informal conversations or finding
something you and the respondent have in common
18
Conducting Qualitative Interviews, cont.
• Might need to conduct several conversations with the
respondents
• Active interviewing is a social exchange that allows for
natural conversation and spontanei ty
• The respondents’ answers determine the subsequent
questions
• During an interactive interview, you are purposefully
interactive
• The researcher must put on a social performance where
he or she must be the actor, director, and choreographer
19
Conducting Focus Group Interviews

• Must decide whether to have a natural or artificial
group, what the physical arrangement of the
group should be, and the appropriate length of
the interview
• Need to be aware of groupthink and dominant
group members
• If you are gathering data on a sensitive topic, you
must realize that participants can be upset by
having to share such information and that you
cannot ensure confidentiality
20
Recording Data
• After recording information, researchers must transcribe
the dialogue verbatim
• After returning from interviews, you must write up field
notes no later than the morning after
• Memoing involves writing about your research process
and is important to recognize subjectivity
• Operational, coding, and analytic are three types of
memos
• Operational memos are steps that you took in the
research process
– Coding memos allow you to document how you coded data

– Analytic memos provide ways to explore relationships in the
data.
21
Data Analysis and Making Claims
• Data is managed through tables, charts, and other
visual displays
• Data reduction involves putting aside information
that seems irrelevant
• Thinking units can also be used to sort stories
• Lofland and Lofland (1995) suggests the following
thinking units: meanings, practices, episodes,
encounters, roles, relationships, groups,
organizations, settlements, social worlds, and
lifestyles
22
Identifying Codes and Themes
• Coding assigns meaning to data
• Process of organizing raw data into categories
• Open coding involves exploring all possible

meanings before assigning conceptual definitions
• Microanalysis involves going deeper into the data
and challenging your original frame of reference
• The next step is to form categories and assign data
to these categories
• Data will have higher-level themes and lower-level
categories
23
Quality and Rigor
• To enhance the quality of qualitative
analysis, researchers should have an
established audit trail
• An important check is to look for negative
cases that contradict the emerging
themes
• Also perform member checks where
other researchers read the descriptions
and verify the accuracy of the work
24
CJUS 740

Discussion Assignment Instructions # 4
The student will post one thread of at least 750–850 words by
10:59 a.m. (ET) on Sunday.
For each thread, students must support their assertions with at
least 4 scholarly citations in APA format.
Any sources cited must have been published within the last five
years. The original thread must incorporate ideas and several
scholarly citations from all of the Learn materials for that
Module: Week. The reply posts can integrate ideas and
citations from the Learn materials for other Modules: Weeks.
Integrate Biblical principles in your personal thread and in all
replies to peers.
Due by Sunday 10:59 a.m (Eastern Time) September19,2021.
NO LATE WORK!
Discussion Board Question #4
What if you interviewed a focus group? Would you choose
conversation or interview guiding? Why or why not? What if
you were searching for study subjects? Are there any groups
you would be interested in studying that would claim you as an
insider?
References
King James Bible. (1970). The Holy Bible. Camden, New
Jersey. Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Maxfield, M. G., & Babbie, E. R. (2018). Research methods for
criminal justice and criminology (8th ed.). Boston, MA:
Cengage Learning.

Chapter 9Survey Research1© 2018 Cengage Lea

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Chapter 9Survey Research1© 2018 Cengage Lea

Similar to Chapter 9Survey Research1© 2018 Cengage Lea (20)

More from JinElias52

More from JinElias52 (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Chapter 9Survey Research1© 2018 Cengage Lea