Among data gathering techniques discussed, are surveys. While surveys may provide a quick blanket method of gathering tangible data, the shortcomings are also well known. Several are covered on page 449.
In undergraduate studies, I did a psychology project on surveys. We asked a series of 10 rather private questions. We did so through different methods - oral surveys, written surveys (private, when sitting next to others), online surveys. The results were tabulated and we assessed how people answered. The results supported our hypothesis - different research methods produced different answers. Some differences were slight, others more pronounced.
I learned (and followed up with research on similar studies) that there are many aspects of surveys which produce different results. My own experience with surveys is less than enthusiastic... I think of surveys as more of a nuisance and something I rarely ever take the time to answer thoroughly. Probably the most irritating aspect was one of the worst college professors I've had. He handed out our semester-end surveys and jokingly said "write what you want, I'm tenured." Besides being irritated as heck at the comment, I felt my input was futile and didn't care to give the survey much effort. I'm sure most of us have had times where we just put anything to get a survey over with...
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1 comment:
I agree with your comments on surveys being a nuisance at times, and feeling as though the answers aren't always being taken seriously. My research paradigm leans more toward the qualitative side, anyway, but if there's anything that has confirmed my bias toward conducting extended interviews and ethnographic observation for my thesis, it's been seeing the reaction to researchers who have asked members of the community I'm researching to answer survey questions online. The reactions range from indifference to annoyance to downright hostility. There is a sense from the community members that the researchers are just trying to "use" them, that the researchers don't really care about the complexity of the community, and that the researchers are intellectually lazy in their approach to their studies. (In all honesty, the surveys in question are usually not particularly well written and administered by inexperienced researchers.)
In contrast, when I discuss the type of research I want to do with the same community members, I generally get positive reactions, from "that's really interesting!" to "you should look at [x,y, and z questions]" to "you really need to talk to my friend so-and-so". This may be more due to the fact that I'm perceived as an in-group member of the community, but I think it also has to do with the fact that I'm showing my investment in my research by wanting to engage extensively with each participant, instead of treating them as another number to increase my n.
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