3.6 – Questioning & Bias (Text Section 2.4 & 2.5)

Creating Questions A very common method of collecting data is to use a survey. Surveys are a very convenient method because they can be done in a variety of ways, i.e. by phone, mail, , in person, etc. The most important part of a survey is the wording of the questions. Good questions should be simple, relevant, specific, and readable. Avoid questions that use slang and/or abbreviations, as well as questions that involve negativity or those which lead the reader to choose a particular answer.

Survey Question Styles Open - respondents reply in their own words. Eg. “What is the most important issue for teenagers in your community?” Closed – respondents select from a given list of responses. Eg. “Which issue below is most important issue to teenagers in your community?”  homelessness  youth gangs  drug use  poverty  hunger

Information – respondents answer questions related to their background. Eg. Circle the appropriate response Gender: M F Age: under over 65 Checklist – respondents check off particular items as they see appropriate. Eg. “Which of the following sports do your enjoy watching?”  basketball  baseball  hockey  soccer  golf

Ranking – respondents rank a list of options in order of importance. Eg. Rank the following list of teenage concerns in order of importance from 1 (most important) to 4 (least important). __Graduating High School __Getting a Summer Job __Learning to Drive __Having a Girl/Boyfriend Rating – respondents rate a particular item. Eg. “How satisfied were you with the DJ from the Christmas Formal?”  very satisfied  satisfied  dissatisfied  very dissatisfied OR: “Rate each of the following from 1 (very good) to 10 (very bad)

Avoiding Bias Definition: Bias is an unintended influence as a result of a data gathering method. Types of Bias: Sampling Bias – when the chosen sample does not accurately represent the population. Eg. Surveying only one grade in a school when the question is geared to the entire school. Solution – Implement stratified sampling.

Non-Response Bias – when not all surveys are returned. This will affect the sample size and hence the accuracy of the survey. Solution – Do personal surveys or wait for all surveys to be returned. Response Bias – Factors in the sampling method that influence the result, such as questions that are leading or unclear or give extraneous information Solution - Clear, concise, meaningful questions.

Household Bias – when one type of respondent is over represented. This occurs when groupings of different sizes are polled equally. Solution - use stratified random sampling i.e. Be sure each group representation is proportional to the entire population. Eg. If a school has 300 grade 9’s, 200 grade 10’s, 400 grade 11’s, and 100 grade 12’s, then a sample of 100 that is proportional to the entire population would include: 30 grade 9’s, 20 grade 10’s, 40 grade 11’s, and 10 grade 12’s (take 10% of each grade)

To avoid bias:  questions must be carefully worded and presented  samples must be carefully selected  the sampling method must be carefully chosen

Survey Assignment: Your target population is teenagers. Choose one of the following topics: (alternate topics can be used, subject to teacher approval) - television viewing habits - eating habits - spending habits - exercise habits - study habits - post secondary plans - extra curricular activity involvement You may work with a partner. Each pair is to write a questionnaire, which must:  Include a minimum of 10 questions (maximum of 12 questions).  Use each type of question (open, closed, information, checklist, ranking, and rating).  Take into account the characteristics of good questions and the types of questions to avoid.  Identify and justify the type of sampling which would be best suited to administer your questionnaire. The final product must be typed or printed neatly. Have another group or student proofread and make suggestions for improvement before submitting your questionnaire.