In order to create a useful quantitative question, the researcher has to know what the aim of the survey is, and what the question is expected to show or support. Therefore, a thesis creation first is really required. This is one reason that researchers often begin with qualitative research using open-ended questions and then follow up with closed-ended questions in order to quantify the results. (Wimmer and Dominick 2005A) Therefore, once a thesis question or statement has been created, the questions for the open-ended qualitative results should be designed to answer the thesis question or prove or disprove the thesis statement. The thesis statement is merely the thesis question stated so that all possibilities are covered by positive or negative responses. The question we seek to answer here has two parts:
So the first question might be the open-ended question for the qualitative research survey:
- How, why and to what extent should parents be involved in the life of a teenager?
This question is designed to be as objective as possible about an issue that almost everyone who is aware of current events and cultural problems would know should be pro-parental involvement. It even hints at one negative response that parents should not snoop or invade a teenager’s privacy with the mention of “to what extent?” In this way, a wider variety of responses can be expected.
From the previous question, several qualitative closed questions can be constructed using the responses. Some questions might try to quantify the level of involvement with questions concerning limits, privacy and rights of teens. The “Why?” portion of the question can be used to generate questions about the perceived benefits of parental involvement or the dangers of non-involvement. The how-to portion can be used to generate questions about what parents should actually do and how should they share the lives of their teens. The final questions might best be measured on a Lickert scale or some other easily quantified type for measurement, such as frequency or time questions, etc.
One question which will surely result is:
- On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the most, how much privacy should teens expect when it concerns their parents?
There are several other questions concerning privacy that should probably also be asked, as good survey questions are linked and each builds upon the last. This question quantifies the attitudes of the parents. How important is privacy to them? How important is it to them that their child has privacy? After all, sharing private knowledge is a very intimate involvement in another person’s life. On the part of the teens, this kind of involvement from parents is seldom welcomed and often needed.
Other questions would address the issue of the impact on the lives of the children involved. This should be done first in the open-ended portion and then quantified by the closed-ended questions. One really excellent way to address all of these is to present several scenarios involving parents and teens which are designed to explore this area. Parents could be asked to propose solutions and preventative measures. In this way, attitudes and methodology of parenting skills can be uncovered. The qualitative questions encourage the respondents to explore, while the quantitative questions will help to present possible solutions to problems. By using both in sequence, the researcher can present a unified background and explore the depth of the questions, then quantify the results of a second questioning in order to create measurable results. Without the broader open-ended questions, the surveys may not be relevant and the ideal way for asking the quantitative questions may be missed.
References
Wimmer, Roger D. and Dominick, Joseph R., 2005, Mass Media Research: An Introduction, Thomson Wadsworth, Chapter 2
Guide to Writing Survey Questions, 2005, Management Analysis & Development, Minnesota Department of Finance & Employee Relations, St Paul MN. Web.