Page 48 - DMGT404 RESEARCH_METHODOLOGY

Research Methodology

Notes Content Issues

The content of your study can also pose challenges for the different survey types you might
utilize.
1. Can the respondents be expected to know about the issue?

If the respondent does not keep up with the news (e.g., by reading the newspaper, watching
television news, or talking with others), they may not even know about the news issue
you want to ask them about. Or, if you want to do a study of family finances and you are
talking to the spouse who doesn't pay the bills on a regular basis, they may not have the
information to answer your questions.
2. Will respondent need to consult records?
Even if the respondent understands what you're asking about, you may need to allow
them to consult their records in order to get an accurate answer. For instance, if you ask
them how much money they spent on food in the past month, they may need to look up
their personal check and credit card records. In this case, you don't want to be involved in
an interview where they would have to go look things up while they keep you waiting
(they wouldn't be comfortable with that).

Bias Issues

People come to the research endeavor with their own sets of biases and prejudices. Sometimes,
these biases will be less of a problem with certain types of survey approaches.
1. Can social desirability be avoided?

Respondents generally want to "look good" in the eyes of others. None of us likes to look
like we don't know an answer. We don't want to say anything that would be embarrassing.
If you ask people about information that may put them in this kind of position, they may
not tell you the truth, or they may "spin" the response so that it makes them look better.
This may be more of a problem in an interview situation where they are face-to face or on
the phone with a live interviewer.
2. Can interviewer distortion and subversion be controlled?

Interviewers may distort an interview as well. They may not ask questions that make
them uncomfortable. They may not listen carefully to respondents on topics for which
they have strong opinions. They may make the judgment that they already know what the
respondent would say to a question based on their prior responses, even though that may
not be true.
3. Can false respondents be avoided?
With mail surveys it may be difficult to know who actually responded. Did the head of
household complete the survey or someone else? Did the CEO actually give the responses
or instead pass the task off to a subordinate? Is the person you're speaking with on the
phone actually who they say they are? At least with personal interviews, you have a
reasonable chance of knowing who you are speaking with. In mail surveys or phone
interviews, this may not be the case.

Administrative Issues

Last, but certainly not least, you have to consider the feasibility of the survey method for your
study.

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