STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF USING QUESTIONNAIRES TO STUDY EDUCATION
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
High reliability, if researchers repeat the questionnaire to Younger children may not be able to read or understand the
the same parents/students or teachers, they are likely to get questions. Pupils / parents with poor literacy skills may be
similar results. THEORETICAL unable to complete questionnaires. PRACTICAL
Questions are standardised - can isolate variables (class) of Teachers, parents and students may be too busy to respond
each student/teacher to understand how these might affect to the questionnaire, resulting in a low, non-representative
the findings of an educational issue. PRACTICAL sample. THEORETICAL
Cheap - the sample of parents, teachers, pupils is larger and Low in validity, questionnaire responses are likely to be less
more representative. Questionnaires gather large quantities truthful. Students might lie e.g. for fear of getting into
of information quickly and cheaply from large numbers of trouble with their teachers, and give a socially desirable
pupils, teachers or schools. PRACTICAL response. THEORETICAL
Response rate is higher in schools than in other areas. If a It may be difficult to uncover deep meanings about
head teacher puts their authority behind the research, pupils educational issues using questionnaires, e.g. exploring why it
and teachers are under pressure to cooperate. Pupils, is that students reject labels. The researcher may impose
teachers and parents are used to completing questionnaires their own views on questions, meaning they are biassed.
issued by the school (student voice surveys). THEORETICAL PRACTICAL
Questionnaires are anonymous so respondents are more It may be difficult to get the consent of the school if the
likely to be honest; e.g. students may be more truthful on a questionnaires are to be used on teachers and students. The
questionnaire than with a researcher who they may see as school may not want research to be carried out on issues
an authority figure. Increases validity. THEORETICAL which may damage the school. ETHICAL
It is possible to identify correlations through using Having standardised, closed questions means respondents
questionnaires, e.g. considering the impact of poverty on may not be able to tell the researcher about other important
educational outcomes. THEORETICAL issues that the researcher has not considered. PRACTICAL
Children have a shorter attention span, a short questionnaire The data might be superficial and might be able to show
can be more effective than lengthy interviews. PRACTICAL patterns but does not give reasons why. THEORETICAL
Turning abstract ideas such as ‘deferred gratification’ into a
measurable form is difficult when researching pupils. Young
people have a poorer grasp of abstract ideas, less likely to
understand some questions. THEORETICAL
Schools may not keep lists that reflect the researcher’s
interests, e.g. the researcher may wish to investigate
ethnicity, the school may not keep lists of people sorted by
their ethnic origin. PRACTICAL
Pupils / parents may be concerned about presenting
themselves in a positive light, findings from questionnaires
may show social desirability bias. THEORETICAL
, STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF USING INTERVIEWS TO STUDY EDUCATION
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
Interviews uncover meanings connected to educational Time consuming - hard to complete.
issues by building a rapport. ● Students have limited time during the school day
● Establishing a rapport is important for as school is 7 hours and have classes. Teachers
interviewing some groups of pupils as it allows are reluctant to commit to a time consuming
pupils to trust the interviewer, answers are more method as they have lessons, parents may also
honest, results are high in validity. have work.
Researchers can ask follow up questions and explain the Low in reliability as each interview is different, hard to
meaning of questions. They can clarify the participant’s compare responses and come to a conclusion about
answers and check they have understood them. educational issues - hard to find generalisable results.
● Young pupils may not understand the questions. ● Pupils in anti-school subcultures may not want to
Interviewers can explain their question - answers be interviewed. Results are not generalisable or
high in validity as students can understand. representative as it leaves out a group of pupils.
Teachers and students may be suspicious of the
researcher, especially if the interviews take place in the
school. They may see the researcher as an authority
figure - change their answers to be socially desirable.
● Teachers show impression management as they
are ‘front stage’ as they are being interviewed.
Skill and the ability to interview children is needed.
● Interviewing children may be more difficult as
consent is needed from parents, children find it
harder to grasp difficult concepts the interviewer
may ask and may have a short attention span.
Bias can be an issue. If the researcher asks leading or
subjective questions, results are likely to be invalid.
● Young people are easily influenced. Pupils are
used to adults ‘knowing better’ so may defer to
them in interviews - social desirability bias.
Interviews can be done in a group setting. Interviews can be done in a group setting.
● Pupils may feel comfortable with their friends ● Pupils may be influenced by each other to give
while being interviewed by an authority figure the same answer, so results are less valid.
and may be more confident in answering
questions truthfully.
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