Posted on: 8th Apr 2020 1693 Views

Research survey: Understanding and Evaluating

A research survey is a quantitative data collection technique that includes asking questions from participants. Study studying research subjects in college often found surveying to be a difficult task.

In this article, an expert team of Ireland assignment help will provide a guide on How to do survey research. The information in this guideline will help you in performing a survey effectively.

Before developing an understanding of the process of conducting survey research, let’s first gain knowledge about the meaning of survey research.

Research Survey 

Research Survey: Definition

A research survey can be referred to as the accumulation of facts about a group of people. It is the research method that includes asking a question to gather information about the phenomenon. Survey research also includes analysis of information for producing outcomes. Surveys are considered to be a flexible technique of data collection that researchers can utilize for performing different types of research.

It is a data collection method that researcher mainly uses for performing quantitative studies. In such a type of investigation, the investigator utilizes statistical or mathematical techniques for analyzing data with the motive of reaching a valid conclusion.

Example: A company is planning to launch a new product in the market. Before introducing the product in the market marketing team in an organization has performed a survey.

The aim of performing the survey by the marketing team is to analyze the expectations of customers from the launch of new product.

How to do a Research survey?

The 6 steps of performing a survey efficiently are:

Step1: Responding to the survey participants

Before performing a survey you need to design good research questions. Based on the research question, you need to select a target audience who will be participating in the survey.

A population is a group of people about who you intend to gather information.  It is very much essential for you to make sure that the survey which you are performing generates results that can be generalized.

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Step 2: Determining the type of survey to conduct

The two basic types of survey are:

  1. With a questionnaire, you can distribute questions through the mail.
  2. In an interview, you can ask a set of questions to participants using the phone.

You should decide on the type of survey to be performed based on the sample size and the location where the survey is to be performed.

Step 3: Designing survey questions

At this step, you need to think about the type of research questions you will ask participants. When determining the type of questions, you should also determine the content of the question, ordering, layout, the phrasing of questions, etc.  There are two types of questions that you can ask participants during the survey are:

Open-ended questions:  It is the type of questions to which respondents can provide detailed answers.  Such types of questions you can utilize when you intend to perform qualitative research.

Open-ended questions do not contain options. Open-ended questions are more suitable when you are using an interview research method for the collection of data. By using the open-ended question you can gather detailed information about the subject.

Close-ended questions: This type of question contain predetermine options from which the respondent has to select one.  Close-ended questions are more suitable for performing quantitative research.  By using the close-ended questions you will be able to gather numerical data that you can analyze using the statistical techniques.

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Step 4: Distribution of survey

Before starting the survey, you should first formulate an effective plan which should include detail about when, and how to perform a survey. It is very much essential to determine in advance the number of responses you will need and the techniques that will be utilized for accessing samples.

After that, you need to prepare an effective research design. At the time of formulating the research design, you should make sure that it is appropriate for answering research questions.  You can perform surveys online using mail or by appointing a professional for performing specific activities for you.

Step 5: Analysation of responses

The procedure of analyzing the fact includes the processing of data by utilizing computer software. Analysis of data in research mainly includes removing incomplete or unreliable data with the motive of extracting useful information.

Another technique that you can use for analyzing data is the thematic analysis technique. In the thematic analysis research technique, you need to label all responses and then categorize them.  You can also use strata or SPSS for analyzing information.

Step 6: Writing the results

After completion of the collection of data, you need to analyze the facts to draw a valid conclusion.  In the research methodology part of the research paper, you need to provide information about the procedure or technique you will use for performing a survey.

It is also very crucial for you to provide detail about the types of research questions, and sampling methods that you will utilize during the survey.  In the Appendix of your research paper, you can place your questionnaire.

After that, you can provide a brief about the techniques which you have to utilize for accumulating and analyzing the facts about specific subjects or phenomena.  In the result section of the research paper, you need to provide a summary of key findings.

What are the uses of surveys in research?

A survey as a research technique is mainly utilized for the collection of facts related to different fields.   It is the research method that the researcher mainly uses for a variety of purposes such as:

  • Social research:  Research performs such a form of research survey for accumulating data about the characteristics and experiences of various social groups.
  • Market research:  The main purpose of the survey is to accumulate facts about the latest trends and market situations.
  • Health research: It is a type of investigation that the investigator executes for gathering information about symptoms and treatment given to patients suffering from a specific type of disease.
  • Politics: The researcher performs such type of research for gathering information about the views of the public about the political parties or conditions in the nation.

Different forms of research survey

1. Investigative research

Any marketing or commercial plan should include exploratory research. Rather than collecting statistically precise data, it focuses on the discovery of new ideas and insights. As a result, exploratory research is best used as the first step in your overall research strategy. It’s most typically used for describing company concerns, possible growth opportunities, alternative courses of action, and selecting statistical research subjects.

2. descriptive Research

Because of its quantitative structure, descriptive research makes up the majority of online surveying and is considered conclusive. In contrast to exploratory research, descriptive research is organized and structured so that the data gathered may be statistically inferred from a population.

3. Causal research

Like descriptive research, causal research is quantitative in nature as well as preplanned and structured in design. For this reason, it is also considered conclusive research. Causal research differs in its attempt to explain the cause and effect relationship between variables. This is opposed to the observational style of descriptive research because it attempts to decipher whether a relationship is causal through experimentation. In the end, causal research will have two objectives:

  • To understand which variables are the cause and which variables are the effect.
  • To determine the nature of the relationship between the causal variables and the effect to be predicted.

Conclusion

From the above technique, it has been concluded that surveys are the most useful technique for gathering a huge amount of information about a specific phenomenon. Another fact that has been discovered is that by using the survey technique in research you can produce generalized outcomes.

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