SURVEY RESEARCH

INTRODUCTION
The broader category of non experimental design is the survey research survey research is that branch of research that examines the characteristics, behavior, attitude and intention if a group of people by asking individuals belonging to that group to answer a series of questions.

THE PURPOSE OF SURVEY RESEARCH ARE y y y y

Description Exploration Explanation Description: Surveys are frequently conducted for the purposes of making discoveries of the distribution of certain trains or attributes. For example, servey of hill tribes on occurrence of goiter. Exploration : survey can provide search devices i.e., researcher can explore new situations. Explanation : Survey explains phenomena. For this purpose two of more variables are exmined to find relationship between phenomena.

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SURVEY RESEARCH
Survey research us the process of gathering current data from subjects so that new information can be obtained. The best feature of the survey research is that it enables the investigators to collect current information about whatever it is that wish to study. Types of survey research are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Descriptive Survey Correlated survey Comparative survey Evaluative survey Developmental longitudinal and cross sectional survey Retrospective survey Case study survey

I.

Descriptive survey
In the survey approach one can describe in a systematic way the facts and characteristics of the population. Example: A public opinion survey to assess eligible couples, attitudes towards family planning practices.

II.

Correlated survey
A descriptive study when seek relationship between variables is called correlated survey. Here the researcher investigates the extent to which variation in one variables (e.g. educational level) corresponds with variations in another variable (e.g. perceived nutritional needs) based on correlation coefficients.

III.

Comparative survey
You wish to compare the perceived of rural and urban women in order to find similarities and differences. This type of survey is called comparative survey. Example: The researcher requires a list of need criteria against which the comparison would be made between the urban and rural women s perception of nutritional needs.

IV.

Evaluative survey
There is another types of survey approach appropriate for studying the effectiveness of a particular method, this is where the researcher attempts to assess whether or not the method used meets the criteria stated.

V.

Development study
It is a non- experimental research design that is concerned not only with the existing status and inter relationship of phenomena but also with charges that take place as a function of time. 1. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies: Cross sectional studies examine data at some point of time i.e the data is collected on only one occasion with the same subjects rather than on the same subjects at several points in time. 2. Retrospective and prospective studies: Retrospective study is a non experimental design that begins with the phenomenon of interest in the present and examine its relationship of another variable in the past.

VI.

Retrospective survey
Here the researches may also like to investigate possible cause and effect relationship by observing some existing consequence and looking through the data from the past for plausible causal factors.

VII.

Case study
In a case study the survey is based on one or more samples. Study on the respondent can be investigated in-depth which is not possible with large number if sample.

Advantages of Survey Research 1. Less costly. 2. A good source of generating Hypothesis . 3. Has higher degree of representativeness if proper sampling technique is followed. Disadvantages of Survey Research 1. No control over the extraneous variable. 2. Verbal behaviours are not reliable. 3. People often do not express their true reaction to the question or tell their actual practices. Characteristics of Survey Research y Survey data can be collected in number of ways. The most common method is questioning. The information is obtained directly from the respondents by face to face interview. Personal interviews are regarded as the most useful method of collecting survey data because of the depth and quality of information can obtained Survey data can also be collected from other techniques like observations and measurement.

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CONCLUSION Survey research is the branch of research that examines the characteristics behaviours, attitudes and intentions of a group of people by asking individuals belonging to that group to answer a series of questions. Survey research in an extremely flexible research approach and therefore is quite diversified with respect to population s studies, scope, content and purpose. Survey can serve a descriptive, explanatory, predictive or exploratory functions. The great strength of survey research is its flexibility and capacity to meet a broad range of research needs. Surveys can be quite costly in terms of time, energy and money but the amount of information they yield generally is quite large. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Denise F.Polit, Berandette Hungler, Nursing research principles and method , 6the editon, Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, 1995, J.B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia. 2. Laura A.Talbot RN,C. PHD, Principles and practice of nursing research , Nancy L.Coon, copyright by Mosby, Year Book,1995. 3. Dr. Aparna Bhadhuri, Nursing education and research , IGNOU study materials, Block IV, director of School of Health Sciences, printed at Unique Press, A 37, Sector IV, Noida.