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Chapter 7 Survey research
Suggested Activities and Resources
1. As the text notes, many resources are available to assist in constructing surveys to be delivered
For any of these options, require that demographic items and also an open-item be included to
assure that they practice creating a survey that includes varied item formats. Additional (although
free) downloads may be necessary to supplement their initial access depending upon item type.
This will be a challenging exercise for the students and will take more than a full class session if
done in class.
2. An excellent resource is available through ERIC that summarizes questionnaire development
well and complements the content in Chapter 7. A brief Guide to Questionnaire Development,
written by Dr. Robert Frary, at the Office of Measurement and Research Service, Virginia
3. Many researchers are conducting surveys that are delivered electronically. The following on-line
source provides some assistance.
• Jonathan Baron of The University of Pennsylvania has a chapter posted on the Web that is a
In addition, some references of articles also follow to support this content. It is relevant content
to include in class to supplement Chapter 7. The Archer (2003) article, for example, provides
some of the benefits of conducting web-based surveys. The article is brief and can serve as an
excellent foundation for class discussion.
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• Bertot, J. C. & McClure, C. R. (1996). Electronic Surveys: Methodological implications for
using the World Wide Web to collect survey data. Proceedings of the ASIS Annual Meeting,
33, 173-185.
• Goree, C. T., & Marszalek, J. F. III (1995). Electronic Surveys: Ethical issues for researchers.
College Student Affairs Journal, 15, 75-79.
• Watson, S. C. (1998). A primer in survey research. Journal of Continuing Higher Education,
46, 31-40.
4. Bring bad examples of surveys to class and have the class restructure them as a class exercise.
Bad examples are easy to find. I have used surveys I have gotten in the mail as well as some from
the research literature. Sometimes it is fun to bring in magazine types of surveys or those found
on line. To reinforce concepts, have students identify the level of data generated from each of the
items on your sample survey and we work together to modify the survey items.
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Chapter 7 Test Items
• 1. Of the following, which is an example of a survey research topic?
a. Does the intervention increase reading skills?
b. Is there a relationship between task performance and age?
c. What are the participants’ opinions regarding effective instruction?
d. Are there differences by SES on the new aptitude measure?
2. According to your text, one particular challenge of self-report studies is that
a. people don’t believe the findings from self-report studies.
b. self-report studies are more challenging to conduct than other types of research.
c. self-report studies often suffer from lack of participant response.
d. It is not possible to obtain valid results from self-report studies.
• 3. Of the following, which is most likely a survey research topic?
a. Is there a gender difference in science achievement on The Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA)?
b. Do parents believe that the new middle school science club is worth the funds the
district spent?
c. What is the experience of ten-year olds at the summer Science day camp held at the
university?
d. Is there a relationship between science self-efficacy and students science grades in
eleventh grade?
• 4. Melanie is conducting a survey for her thesis that examines
administrative policies in middle schools that are intended to decrease bullying. After
developing her survey and piloting the instrument with a small group, she then
administers the instrument to a sample of 2300 middle school administrators. Which of
the following survey research designs best describes Melanie’s study?
a. Cross-sectional
b. Trend
c. Cohort
d. Panel
• 5. Ms. Wang’s study addresses the reasons that parents report for sending their
children to dance lessons. She has defined her topic and reviewed the literature, and has
stated her questions. The next step in Ms. Wang’s study is to
a. identify and select research participants.
b. create her research instrument.
c. seek informed consent permission.
d. report on her research findings.
6. Survey data are collected in two primary ways. These two ways are through
a. self-report instruments and achievement tests.
b. projective assessments and self-report instruments.
c. Interviews and questionnaires.
d. Projective assessments and observation.
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7. The most common form of surveys in education are referred to as
a. developmental surveys.
b. school surveys.
c. sample surveys.
d. practical surveys.
• 8. Ida is a teacher who is interested in other teachers’ opinions of full day versus
part day kindergarten programs. Ida’s study can best be described as a
a. developmental survey.
b. school survey.
c. practical survey.
d. sample survey.
9. Survey data are often collected via which of the following?
a. standardized tests.
b. ability measures.
c. questionnaires.
d. observations.
10. After identifying a topic, survey researcher next
a. select an appropriate sample.
b. review the literature.
c. collect valid and reliable data.
d. examine the research context.
11. Of the following all EXCEPT which are examples of difficulties faced by survey
researchers as noted in your text?
a. Surveys aren’t often used in educational research
b. Development of a questionnaire is difficult
c. Response rates are often low
d. People don’t like to complete surveys
• 12. As a researcher you examine viability of local theatre productions. A survey that
asks those who have recently attended an event about the likelihood they will attend
another similar event is best classified as a(n)
a. school survey.
b. opinion poll.
c. developmental survey.
d. follow-up survey.
• 13. Of the following, which is an example of a survey research topic?
a. Are there gender differences in students’ SAT math scores?
b. Is there a relationship between aptitude for math and language skills?
c. Is there a difference in school attendance rates based upon school size?
d. How d students and administrators feel about the new uniform policy?
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• 14. As a researcher you are interested in self-reported changes in interest in music in
the senior population. You will collect data at the time of retirement and each year for
five years. This type of research can be classified best as a(n)
a. school survey.
b. opinion poll.
c. developmental survey.
d. follow-up survey.
• 15. Which of the following is an example of a study that can be described as
quantitative survey research?
a. Hanna interviews second grade teachers to understand teacher’s relationships with
their students.
b. Olivia observes how many times children talk out during class.
c. Marcia observes the nature of affection in three different classes.
d. Darlene describes the characteristics of effective management employed by a second
grade teacher.
• 16. A local company has donated land and is willing to support either an outdoor
sports area or a new playground. A representative from the company sent out a survey to
determine which is more desired by the community. This type of research can best be
classified as
a. school.
b. opinion.
c. developmental.
d. follow-up.
• 17. Seth sends out a survey to all parents and teachers in the district to gather
opinions about local school safety. Seth’s study is an example of ________ survey
research.
a. cross-sectional
b. trend
c. cohort
d. panel
18. The ________________ survey consists of the same group but different samples from
that group over time.
a. cross-sectional
b. trend
c. cohort
d. panel
19. The ________________ type of survey consists of different groups and different samples
over time.
a. cross-sectional
b. trend
c. cohort
d. panel
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20. The type of survey research that involves one group administered the survey at one time
best describes
a. cross-sectional
b. trend
c. cohort
d. panel
21. The ____________ type of survey research consists of the same group and the same
sample over time.
a. cross-sectional
b. panel
c. trend
d. cohort
• 22. Don studies high school seniors’ concerns about world events during their post–
secondary experiences. He surveys the entire senior class state-wide. He surveys them
again every year for eight years. Don is illustrating a ___________ type of survey.
a. cross-sectional
b. trend
c. cohort
d. panel
23. A census is
a. a large scale cohort study.
b. a cross-sectional study of the full population.
c. a combination of a panel survey and a trend survey.
d. a follow-up study of all potential participants.
24. A cross sectional survey design compared to cohort design differs in that cross sectional
surveys collect data
a more frequently than in a cohort design.
b. once compared to multiple times in a cohort.
c. from different groups compared to same group in a cohort.
d. twice as compared to once in a cohort.
25. The main benefit of cross-sectional survey designs is that they are
a. more generalizable than longitudinal designs.
b. more reliable than longitudinal designs
c. more convenient than longitudinal designs.
d. more valid than longitudinal designs.
26. Of the following, which is the sample technique most often used in survey research?
a. Cluster
b Stratified random
c. Systematic
d. Purposive random
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27. The advantages of a telephone survey data collection include
a. less expense.
b. less training.
c. ability to obtain depth in data.
d. short data collection.
28. Which of the following is NOT a relative benefit of questionnaire survey over other
survey data collection methods?
a. Higher response rates
b. Relative expense
c. Confidentiality and anonymity
d. Standardized procedures
29. One of the primary benefits of interview survey methods is
a. a relative decrease in administration time.
b. that they allow for confidentiality and anonymity.
c. that there is likely increases in return rate.
d. the relative ease of scoring procedures.
30. The majority of surveys use ____________ as the primary data collection method.
a. questionnaires
b. observation
c. interview
d. telephone
• 31. One drawback of personal administration methods is that
a. it is difficult to get personal data.
b. there is a strong possibility of response sets.
c. administrators must be trained.
d. possible interviewer bias.
32. Of the following, which is an unstructured item?
a. Rank order
b. Likert scale
c. Free-response
d. Checklist
33. Compared to questionnaires, interviews generally
a. cost less.
b. take less time.
c. are more reliable.
d. have higher return rates.
• 34.-40. Consider the questionnaire items below as you answer the following questions.
1. Age ______
2. Total years teaching 1-5_____ 6-10 ______ 11-15 ______16-20 _______
3. 21-25 __________ more than 25 _______
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4. School ____________
5. Number of children in your average-sized class _______
6. Do you agree that class size negatively affects instruction
SA A U D SD
7. Please list the ways in which class size effects your instruction.
• 34. Data collected from item 3 will be _________ level data.
a. nominal
b. ordinal
c. interval
d. ratio
• 35. Data collected from item 4 will be ________ level data.
a. nominal
b. ordinal
c. interval
d. ratio
• 36. Item 5 is an example of a(n) ___________ type of item.
a. Likert
b. open-response
c. semantic differential
d. checklist
• 37. Item 2 is an example of a ____________ type of item.
a. Likert
b. open-response
c. semantic differential
d. checklist
• 38. All things being equal, the most biased item is
a. item 2.
b. item 3.
c. item 4.
d. item 5.
• 39. All things being equal, participants are most likely to find ____________ the
most sensitive item.
a. item 1
b. item 2
c. item 3
d. item 4
• 40. The item that will provide the least reliable data is likely
a. item 2.
b. item 4
c. item 5.
d. item 6.
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41. The typical response rate first mailings of questionnaires is approximately
a. 10-30%
b. 20-40%
c. 30-50%
d. 40-60%
• 42. Pam conducted a survey study and received an initial response rate of
approximately 34%. She sent a second mailing and obtained an additional 6%. What do
you suggest for Pam now?
a. Her response rate is adequate. Analyze her data and report her findings.
b. Her response rate is low. Send a third mailing.
c. Her response rate is too low. Redesign the survey.
d. Her response rate is low. Try to determine if there is a systematic reason why.
• 43. Max conducted a survey study and received an initial response rate of
approximately 68% with his first mailing. What do you suggest for Max now?
a. His response rate is low. Try to determine if there is a systematic reason why.
b. His response rate is low. Send a second mailing.
c. His response rate is adequate. Send a second mailing.
d. His response rate is too high to send a second mailing. Analyze his data and report his
findings.
44. An advantage of the interview over questionnaires is that they
a. are less expensive.
b. provide in-depth data.
c. are less time consuming.
d. are easier to score.
45. One disadvantage of interviews compared to questionnaires is that they
a. require more skills to administer.
b. result in an smaller response rate.
c. produce less biased results.
d. provide less complete data.
46. Telephone interviewing is most effective when
a. the items are mainly selection-type items.
b. the interview is lengthy.
c. the information requested is sensitive.
d. building rapport with the participant is important.
47. An interview guide’s primary purpose is to provide information to the
a. participant about the study.
b. Institutional Review Board for the purposes of obtaining permission for participation
of human subjects.
c. researcher to assist in standardizing the interview.
d. site personnel to help the researcher in gaining entry.
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• 48. Marcy developed a survey to administer to parents of college students living on
campus. One of the questions on her survey was, “Describe your level of satisfaction
with your child’s residence life experiences.” Marcy found that few people answered
this question. This is likely because
a. the item is sensitive.
b. the respondent is not in a position to answer the item.
c. the item is open-ended.
d. the item is unclear.
• 49. Money and time are both tight at the charter school. Jill, the director, sent out a
survey to get parents’ perceptions of purchasing priorities for the school. She had a
group of parents respond to the questionnaire as a pilot. She had them rate their
priorities on a rating scale with the points “necessary”, “very important”, “purchase if
money is available”, “not necessary”, “don’t purchase”.
She was disappointed to find that the pilot parents rated everything as necessary. This
will not help her make purchasing decisions. Of the following, what is the best strategy
for Jill?
a. Send it out as it is. The larger general population of parents will have more variance
than the small pilot.
b. Revise the instrument to include open-response items to get richer data.
c. Revise the instrument so parents must rank items to purchase relative to each other.
d. Conduct in-person interviews with the same items.
50. The most common way to present results of individual survey items is to
a. report mean responses by item.
b. report percent of agreement to items.
c. present median responses.
d. present modal responses.
51. Generally, as number of items increases on a survey the
a. reliability increases.
b. reliability decreases.
c. content validity increases.
d. content validity decreases.
52. Which of the following is a criteria for writing questionnaire items?
a. Do not include potentially controversial items
b. Include questions that influence respondents
c. Organize items from specific to general
d. Limit items to the same format
53. According to your text which of the following should be included in the cover letter?
a. The human subjects protocol number
b. The purpose of the study if it is for your thesis or dissertation
c. The intended results of the study
d. The purpose of the study
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• 54. Li sent out a survey and received an initial response rate of 44%. If her study follows
typical response patterns from the literature, what can she expect her response rate to be
after a second mailing?
a. 50%
b. 54%
c. 60%
d. 64%
• 55-60 Will conducted a study of High School lunch preferences. Consider the sample
items below from his survey and answer the following questions.
1. Grade 9 10 11 12
2. Gender M F
3. How often do you buy school lunch? _____________
4. Of the following, circle those that apply to why you buy lunch.
Convenience Cost Friends buy
Please rate your agreement regarding if the school should serve these items:
5. Pizza SA A U D SD
6. Chef Salad SA A U D SD
7. French Fries SA A U D SD
8. Fruit SA A U D SD
9. Soup SA A U D SD
10. Do you think the cost of school lunches is fair?
__________________
11. What other items would you like to see offered at the school
__________________
• 55. Data collected from item 2 is an example of a(n) ____________ level data?
a. nominal
b. ordinal
c. interval
d. ratio
• 56. Which of the following items will likely provide the least reliable data?
a. Item 1
b. Item 3
c. Item 6
d. Item 10
• 57. Of the following, how is item 6 best categorized?
a. Likert
b. Checklist
c. Free response
d. Demographic
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• 58. Of the following, how is item 11 best categorized?
a. Likert
b. Checklist
c. Free response
d. Demographic
• 59. Of the following, how is item 4 best categorized?
a. Likert
b. Checklilst
c. Free response
d. Demographic
• 60. Of the following, how is item 2 best categorized?
a. Likert
b. Checklilst
c. Free response
d. Demographic
• 61. Of the following, which research question would be LEAST likely addressed
through a survey study?
a. Are SAT scores a better predictor of GRE or LSAT scores?
b. Are SAT scores related to reported happiness at the end of Junior Year?
c. What is the average difference in SAT score between those enrolled in Engineering
courses and those enrolled in Business courses?
d. Are the SAT scores at branch campuses significantly lower than they are at the
state’s main campuses?
• 62.-66. Felicia is opening a new Spa. She went to several banks in town and passed out
the survey on Saturday mornings to bank customers as her potential clients. Consider the
sample items below from her survey and answer the following questions.
1. Age ___________
2. Gender M F
3. Please circle how many times you have had a facial.
0 4 or fewer between 4-10 more than 10
4. Please circle how many times have you had a massage.
0 4 or fewer between 4-10 more than 10
5. On which day of the week are you most likely to get a massage?
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
6. Please rate your agreement to the following items:
Health insurance should pay for massage. SA A U D SD
An hour massage should not cost more than $60.00. SA A U D SD
Facials should be done monthly. SA A U D SD
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Spas should be open after work hours. SA A U D SD
I would go to a spa if I had one in my neighborhood. SA A U D SD
7. Would you go to the spa with your friends, spouse, or alone? _________________
• 62. Which sampling strategy did Felicia employ?
a. Stratefied
b. Random
c. Cluster
d. Convenience
• 63. Data taken from item 5 will consist of which level of data.
a. Nominal
b. Ordinal
c. Interval
d. Ratio
• 64. Data taken from item 4 will consist of which level of data?
a. Nominal
b. Ordinal
c. Interval
d. Ratio
• 65. The questions under item 6 are best described as
a. semantic differentials.
b. Likert scales.
c. Performance items.
d. Aptitude measures.
• 66. Felicia’s strategy can best be described as a __________ survey design.
a. Cohort
b. Panel
c. Cross-sectional
d. Longitudinal
• 67. The Hidden Valley school district has space concerns. They are considering moving the
fifth grade students to the middle school. However, they would like to get students’
input. In an effort to get the best information, they administer a survey regarding whether
fifth graders should move to the middle school to every fourth grade student. The survey
study is best described as
a. A projective study.
b. A census study.
c. A population study.
d. A sample study.
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• 68. Jabar developed a survey to administer to measure untenured faculties
perceptions of support by their Deans. One of the questions on his survey was, “Do you
receive adequate support from the Dean” Jabar found that few people answered this
question. This is most likely because
a. the item is sensitive.
b. the respondent is not in a position to answer the item.
c. the item is open-ended.
d. the item is unclear.
• 69. At a recent school board meeting the district discussed discontinuing the Latin
language classes at the high school. Ms. Bose requested that before a decision was made
that the board survey the families in the district. The board agreed and as decided to use
a free software program to design and deliver the survey. Which of the following might
the board decide to use?
a. Survey Monkey
b. LimeSurvey
c. Zoomerang
d. SPSS Survey
• 70. Hakeem developed an attitudes about the importance of green space on campus.
The measure was five items long and he administered it to twenty five people in his pilot
study. He conducted a reliability analysis of the scale and found it to be quite low (.25).
Given he needs to have a reliability estimate of .80 to appease his dissertation committee,
which of the following would you suggest to Hakeem?
a. Administer the pilot to more people and do the analysis again.
b. Lengthen the scale and send it out without another pilot.
c. Lengthen the scale and conduct another pilot to see if it goes up.
d. Reduce the number of items to two or three to increase reliability.
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Chapter 7 Answers
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