Big Picture of Survey Research Paper

The Big Picture of Survey Research

Although you likely are generally familiar with what surveys are and some of their purposes, it is useful to consider what, precisely, survey research is and how it can be used. For this Assignment, consider how you would define and explain what constitutes survey research as well as which types of research questions can be best addressed using survey methods research. Then formulate one research question you would be interested in studying (whether for your thesis, dissertation, research study, grant, program evaluation, or personal interest). Finally, explain how survey research methods could be used to answer this question.

The Assignment (4- to 5-page paper):

• Define and explain what constitutes survey research.
• Explain one strength and one weakness of survey research. Be specific, and provide examples.
• Explain which types of research questions can best be addressed using survey research.
• Describe one specific research question you would be interested in studying (for your Final Project or Dissertation), and explain how you could use survey research to answer this question.

Support your Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are to provide a reference list for all resources, including those in the Learning Resources for this course.

Readings

• Course Introduction (located under Course Home)
• Course Text: Bradburn, N., Sudman, S., & Wansink, B. (2004). Asking questions: The definitive guide to questionnaire design—For market research, political polls, and social and health questionnaires(Revised edition). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
  • “Preface and Acknowledgments”
  • Chapter 1, “The Social Context of Question Asking”
  • Chapter 12, “Asking Questions FAQs”
• Course Text:DeVellis, R. F. (2017). Scale development: Theory and applications (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Preface
  • Chapter 1, “Overview”
• Course Text: Groves, R. M., Fowler, F. J. Jr., Couper, M. P., Lepkowski, J. M., Singer, E., & Tourangeau, R. (2009). Survey methodology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
  • Preface
  • Chapter 1, “An Introduction to Survey Methodology”
  • Chapter 12, “FAQs About Survey Methodology”

• Article: Krosnick, J. (1999). Survey research. Annual Review of Psychology, 50, 537–567. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the MEDLINE with Full Text database.

• Article: Westaby, J. D. (2006). How different survey techniques can impact consultant recommendations: A scientist-practitioner study comparing two popular methods. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 58(4), 195–205. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the PsycARTICLES database.