10'45 1'00 Online questionnaires Jane and Clare

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10.45- 1.00 Online questionnaires Jane and Clare

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Programme
1000 - 1040 Introduction 1045 - 1.00
Online questionnaires 1.00 - 1.45 Lunch
1.45 - 3.00 Online Interviews 300 - 3.10
Tea break 3.10 - 3.45 Ethics and
online research 3.45 - 4.00 Any questions,
evaluation, online futures, future
directions etc
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Structure

• Set up computer account
• Types of online questionnaires
• When to use an online questionnaire
• Advantages of online questionnaires
• Disadvantages of online questionnaires
• Sampling issues
• Break
• Design issues overview
• Activity timing of questions
• Implementation overview
• Activity Developing an online questionnaire

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1. Activity Register for an account

• Go to www.surveys.com and register for an
  account.
• You will have to provide them with some
  background details.
• Remember to check the relevant box to say you
  dont want loads of spam.

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2. Types of online questionnaires
Web-based questionnaire questionnaire designed
as a web-page and hosted on web-site E-mail
questionnaire questions are submitted as part of
the email itself Questionnaire attached to an
email questionnaire is sent as an attachment to
an email e.g. as a word document
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3. When to use an online questionnaire?

• Internet offers great methodological potential
  and versatility
• Resulted in proliferation in online
  questionnaires
• But use of online questionnaire must be
  appropriate and justified for each particular
  research project
• e.g. to address aims of research, selection of
  most relevant questionnaire type and question
  format for addressing aims, establishing a
  justified sampling strategy to recruit relevant
  respondents and ensure appropriate response rate

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4. Advantages of online questionnaires

• Speed and volume of data collection
• Savings in costs
• Flexible design
• Data accuracy
• Access to research populations
• Anonymity
• Respondent acceptability

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5. Disadvantages of online questionnaires

• Sample bias
• Measurement error
• Non-response bias
• Length, response and drop out rates
• Technical problems
• Ethical issues

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6. Sampling issues

• Recruitment
• Sampling
• Identity verification
• Incentives
• Response rates

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In conclusion
The quantity of information that may be
generated, and the speed at which responses can
be collected, can result in pleasing piles of
data- but we should be wary of being seduced by
sheer quantity data is only useful if it is
representative of the larger population. Wakeford
(2000, 33)?
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7. Design issues
Will your questionnaire be easy to use? Or will
the interface, colours and question types
frustrate people and put them off?
Usability
Will your questionnaire be accessible? Or will it
crash on old computers, render weirdly on
different operating systems and be impossible to
use with a screen reader?
Accessibility
Will your questionnaire be doable? Or are your
multi-media dreams running ahead of your
technical ability and are your data arriving in
an unusable format?
Doability
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Exploring online research methods links

• Questionnaires module
• Design issues 1 Appearancehttp//www.geog.le.ac
  .uk/orm/questionnaires/quesdesign1.htm
• Design issues 2 Contenthttp//www.geog.le.ac.uk
  /orm/questionnaires/quesdesign2.htm
• Technical guide module
• Web formshttp//www.geog.le.ac.uk/orm/technical/t
  echforms.htm
• Key design issueshttp//www.geog.le.ac.uk/orm/tec
  hnical/techdesign.htm

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8. Optional activity exploring question formats

• Complete the following questionnaire as quickly
  as you can
• http//wads.le.ac.uk//gg/orm/timingform.htm
• Consider how the different question formats
  influence the ease of response, and quality of
  data collected.

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9. Online Survey Implementation Overview

• Wide range of options available for developing
  online questionnaires.
• Most claim to be WYSIWYG and to require no
  technical knowledge. (This is never true!)?
• Before deciding on what to use
• Do some research
• Speak to your technical support
• Run a pilot

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Implementation Options

• Technical support Get someone else to do it for
  you.
• Questionnaire tools
• Commercial (SurveyMonkey)?
• Public/freeware (BOS)?
• Institutional (Plone, bespoke systems)?
• Hand crafting
• Building a questionnaire using your technical
  skills and the software and hardware resources
  available.
• Typically using HTML, JavaScript, ASP, Flash etc.
  

See our Technical Guide for further
advicewww.geog.le.ac.uk/orm/technical/techsoftwar
e1.htm
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Using an online tool

• Bristol Online Survey (BOS) www.survey.bris.ac.uk
• Developed by the Institute for Research and
  Learning Technology at the University of Bristol.
• Enables researchers to develop, deploy, and
  analyse surveys via the Web.
• Used by approximately 80 universities and other
  public bodies and companies. http//www.survey.bri
  s.ac.uk/support/faq/accounts/which-other-universit
  ies-and-organisations-are-using-bos

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10. Activity Developing an online questionnaire

• In pairs.
• You are researchers who are interested in
  exploring the ways in which parents use online
  parenting websites for advice and information.
• You have decided to use an online questionnaire
  to administer a survey and have secured
  cooperation from the main parenting websites to
  help you access participants.
• Spend 10 minutes thinking about the types of
  questions that you would want to ask to address
  this issue .

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Activity Using the Bristol Online Survey Tool

• In pairs.
• Login to BOS (www.survey.bris.ac.uk) using the
  username and password you have been provided
  with.
• Use the Parents survey as a template and edit the
  questions in order to start to develop your
  survey.
• Try to use some different question formats.

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