Module Two - Research Methods II

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Module Two 2-1 Discussion: Questionnaire Critique Hi everyone, When creating a sound questionnaire design, there are several key principles that are important to take into consideration. The wording used in the questions is highly important as any confusion can lead to inaccurate results. Therefore, the language used should be clear, concise, and easy to understand by all participants. If the correct wording is not used or the language is hard to follow, the respondents may interpret the questions differently (Jhangiani, et al., 2019). Not only is the wording important but the way the question is formatted is also crucial. When writing questions, the researcher should have the answering process in mind so that the questions are tailored correctly (Jenn, 2006). Additionally, leading or opinion-based questions should be excluded from the survey as those types of questions would violate the APA’s code of ethics by allowing the researcher’s bias to influence the research. The flow of questions from one to the next should be seamless and easy to follow, but still have a natural order to avoid order effects that can influence the results (Jhangiani, et al., 2019) . After the questions are compiled, it is also useful to take the response options into consideration. Additionally, rating scale confusion should be minimized to produce to the most accurate results. Another key principle, which is especially important in our own surveys, is to ensure that there is enough time to collect the responses from participants. It is helpful to send out a survey several times in some cases to help avoid nonresponse bias (Rosnow & Rosenthal, 2014). Sending out the survey too late could lead to a lack in responses or rushed responses from the participants. There are other applicable principles but these are just a few of the key ones. When relating these principals to one of the questionnaires in our resources, I found that Lee and his colleagues research both embodied and violated some of the key principles previously discussed (2017). The Cyberbullying Perpetration Scale survey and the Cyberbullying Victimization Scale that the researchers used included 20 questions that were all to be answered using the response options “1=Not at all, 2=Rarely, 3=Sometimes, 4=Often, 5=Very Often.” While sliding scales can be useful in some instances, the response options violate key principles as they are not properly described and leave a lot of room for misinterperation by the participants. For example, one participant may view “often” as every day but another might think of it as every other day, or even every third day. This confusion can lead to inaccurate results. The wording of the questions used however was quite effective as the language was clear and concise and asked specifically what the researcher’s were wanting to explore. For example, one of the questions

asks if the individual, with intent to damage another’s reputation, has spread rumors online about them, and another asks more specifically about posting on the Facebook and Twitter platforms to damage someone’s reputation (Lee, et al., 2017). The wording and format of the questions displays a good survey as it leaves less room for individual interperetation of the questions being asked and the question’s are written with the answering process in mind, both key principles. The researchers also offered their survey in two different ways, in-person and online surveys, this assists in reducing the risk of nonresponse bias, another great embodiment of a good survey. Overall, the questionnaire was well constructed but still has room for improvement. References: Lee, J., Abell, N., & Holmes, J. L. (2017). Validation of Measures of Cyberbullying Perpetration and Victimization in Emerging Adulthood. Research on Social Work Practice , 27 (4), 456-467. https://doi- org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1177/1049731515578535 Jenn N. C. (2006). Designing A Questionnaire. Malaysian family physician : the official journal of the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia , 1 (1), 32– 35. Jhangiani, R., Chiang, I., Cuttler, C., & Leighton, D. (2019). Constructing surveys . Research Methods in Psychology. https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/psychmethods4e/chapter/constructing-surveys/ Rosnow, R. L., & Rosenthal, R. (2014). Beginning Behavioral Research (7th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9780133557084

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