Bryman’s Social Research Methods 6e

Chapter 10: Self-completion questionnaires

What is a self-completion questionnaire?

• Involves respondents answering

questions by completing a
questionnaire themselves

• Sometimes called a self-

administered questionnaire

Section 10.2 Different forms of self-completion questionnaires

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How can self-completion questionnaires
be administered?

Postal Email Online

Section 10.2 Different forms of self-completion questionnaires

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Features of a structured interview
Self-completion questionnaires tend to:

• Have fewer open-ended questions

• Have easy to follow designs

• Be shorter

Section 10.3 Comparing self-completion

questionnaires with structured interviews

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 Self-completion questionnaires
vs structured interviews
Advantages
• Cheaper to administer
• Quicker to administer
• Absence of interviewer
effects
• No interviewer variability
• Convenience for
respondents
Section 10.3 Comparing self-completion
questionnaires with structured interviews

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 Self-completion questionnaires
vs structured interviews
Disadvantages
• Cannot prompt
• Cannot probe
• Questionnaire can be read as a whole
• Cannot collect additional data
• Difficult to ask lots of questions
• Not appropriate for some respondents
• Greater risk of missing data
• Lower response rates

Section 10.3 Comparing self-completion

questionnaires with structured interviews

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 Response rates
How to improve response rates in self-completion
questionnaires:

• Good covering letter

• Stamped, addressed envelope
• Follow up non-response
• Keep questionnaire short
• Give clear instructions and attractive layout
• Few open-ended questions
• Incentivize
Section 10.3 Comparing self-completion
questionnaires with structured interviews

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Designing self-completion questionnaires

Things to consider:

 Clear layout

 Clear instructions

 Keep questions and answers together

Section 10.4 Designing a self-completion questionnaire

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 Email and Online Surveys

Email surveys

• Respondents sent an email containing the

survey

Online surveys

• Respondents visit a URL to answer a survey

Section 10.5 Email and online surveys

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 Email Surveys

Embedded email surveys

• When the survey is in the body of the email

Attached email surveys

• When then survey is attached to the email

and the respondents must download,
complete and return the survey
Section 10.5 Email and online surveys

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 Advantages of online surveys
Advantages
• Customize their appearance

• Useful tools to enhance

functionality

• Can collect, code, and

analyse data

Section 10.5 Email and online surveys

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Mixed modes of administering surveys

• Using 2 or more modes of

administering a survey

• Can increase coverage and

response rate

Section 10.6 Mixed modes of administering surveys

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Email and online surveys vs postal surveys
Advantages
• Lower cost
• Faster responses
• Attractive formats
• Easy to download responses into a dataset
• Fewer unanswered questions
• Better response to open-ended questions
• Better data accuracy

Section 10.7 Choosing which mode to use to administer your survey

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Email and online surveys vs postal surveys

Disadvantages
• Lower response rate
• Restricted to online
population
• Confidentiality and
anonymity issues
• Multiple replies

Section 10.7 Choosing which mode to use to administer your survey

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 Diaries

• Participants observe and record their own behaviour

Advantages Disadvantages
More valid data Expensive
More reliable data Suffer attrition
Provides additional Problems with memory recall
information on the if not completed quickly
sequencing of behaviours

Section 10.8 Diaries as a form of self-completion questionnaire

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Preparing a diary as a mode of data collection
• Provide explicit instructions

• Be clear about time periods within which behaviour

should be recorded

• Provide examples

• Provide checklists

Section 10.8 Diaries as a form of self-completion questionnaire

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 Experience sampling

Experience and event sampling

• Captures participants’ feelings or

behaviours at the point when they are
prompted to complete the research
instrument

Section 10.9 Experience and event sampling

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