Survey design

Introduction

Key terms: Quantitative research, making a survey, asking questions, response options, finding respondents, Qualtrics, introductory course, relevant for students in any PhD phase. 

ECTS: 2
Number of sessions: 3
Hours per session: 3

This course explains how you can design a survey for statistical research. A survey is one of the most important and widely used quantitative data collection tools.  

A survey helps researchers to collect data about the backgrounds, behaviours and attitudes of relatively large samples of respondents in an efficient and structured way. Collected data can be subsequently assessed through statistical methods.

This course comprises a mix of lectures, exercises, discussions and reflections. We will discuss how you can design a survey, but not how you can analyse collected data. Performing statistical analysis is addressed in various other EGSH courses.  

Who is this for?

Relations with other courses 

 There is no overlap between this course and other EGSH courses. 

Sessions and preparations 

Session 1: The general survey framework
In the first session, we will discuss the development of the general framework of a survey, which consists of the research goals that a survey should help accomplish and an analysis plan for the collected data. In addition, we will discuss the main aspects of survey methodology and the overall process of survey design. 

Session 2: Survey contents, structure and presentation 
In the second session, we will discuss the main aspects of the survey itself, consisting of the questions, response options, the structure, and the layout. You will also start practicing making questions and response options for your own survey. 
Preparations: You will be asked to read an article to learn how survey questions and variables related to research goals; and you will be asked to devise research goals and corresponding variables for your own research.

Session 3: Collecting respondent data
The last session focusses on data collection. We will discuss the pros and cons of different data collection modes and how you can retrieve input of respondents from your research population. We will also discuss how you can pre-test a survey before administrating it within the target group. Lastly, participants will conduct peer-reviews of one another’s surveys, and engage in a critical reflection on the strengths and limitations of quantitative survey-based data collection and analysis. After the session, you will be asked to make a survey with the program Qualtrics.
Preparations: You will be expected to prepare a report consisting of an introduction to and explanation of a survey designed for your own research, along with the survey itself.