Survey Research Design and Data Analysis

King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Science

Department of Statistics

COURSE NAME

^:

Survey Research Design and Data Analysis COURSE NUMBER: STAT 241

SEMESTER/YEAR : Spring 2014

DATE : 26 January, 2014

King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Science

Department of Statistics Instructor Information

Instructor: Abeer Balubaid Office: Building 7 room 105-3

Email: akbalubaid@gmail.com Phone: 695-2000-ext 63167

Office Hours: .S.T. 8-9,11-1 , M.W 8-9:30 or by appointment

Lab Instructor: Abeer Balubaid

Course Information

Course Name and Number: Stat 241 Section DAR Meeting Times: .S.T 9:30-11 , 2credits

Meeting Place: Building 7 Room 90-C Prerequisite: STAT 110, STAT 203, CS 202

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Course Description

Survey research design and data analysis is a new undergraduate course designed to prepare students to conduct, analyze and assess surveys. It will assist students who are considering, planning or currently working on research projects with a survey component. They will explore different means of data collection, questionnaire design, will learn how to put together a survey, conduct basic exploratory analysis of survey data, and report the findings. The goal is also to make students aware of the pitfalls that face survey researchers in addition to best practices in survey research. Main topics discussed in this course are:

Part I: Introduction to Scientific Research Part II: Survey Research Design

Part III: Ensuring Scientific Accuracy

Course Outcomes

The main outcomes of this course are to develop certain fundamental knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to design and analysis of survey research. After completion of this course the students should be able to:

Knowledge

1. Identify different stages in survey research and importance of each one.

2. Distinguish between different sampling techniques and their effects on study accuracy 3. Differentiate between survey data collection modes and advantages/disadvantages of

each one.

4. Identify major sources of survey error or pitfalls associated data collection and main approaches to addressing these problems.

Skills

5. Develop a plan to carry out a survey study and draft a basic chart for training, budgeting, and time plan for the study.

6. Design the survey instrument that satisfies study objectives and solicits informative and accurate data.

7. Evaluate a questionnaire and identify flaws in its design.

8. Prepare data for analysis including data coding.

9. Perform basic analysis on survey data using one statistical package.

10.Write a research report to disseminate findings of the research.

Attitude

11. Value the importance of a good design and good data for good decisions

12. Appreciate current best practices for the conduct of survey research and its ethics

Learning Resources

Textbook:

Designing and conducting survey research, A comprehensive guide. Louis M. Rea and Richard A. Parker. Jessey-Bass publisher. Latest Edition. ISBN 078797546x

Available to order from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com and at Alshegry bookstore.

Others:

رشنلل قورشلا راد .يوادلبلا ديمحلا دبع .د .يئاصحلإا ليلحتلاو يملعلا ثحبلا بيلاسأ

Survey Research Methods, by Floyed J. Fowler

How to Conduct Surveys: by A Step-by-Step Guide, Arlene Fink How to Conduct Your Own Survey, by Priscilla Salant and Don Dillman Improving Survey Questions: Design and Evaluation, by Floyd J. Fowler.

In addition to the textbook, handouts with complementary reading materials will be available.

For lab session you will be working with EXCEL to analyze survey data.

Course Schedule-

^Tentative

Reading Materials What’s Due Details

Topic Week

Registration 0.

Buy the book Stages in scientific research

Type of surveys Introduction to survey as

research methodology 1.

Chapter 1



Focus group



Project (survey) plan with time table and budget



Training of project team



Field work monitoring and supervision



Pilot implementation Planning a Survey

Research 2.

Chapter 2



Type of data



Levels of measurements



Type of attributes

o (Attitude, Knowledge, Skills ,behaviors, perceptions or beliefs, goals, demographics



Type of question forms

o (rank, matrix, side by side, date, open, select all that apply)



Types of responses - scales Designing an Effective

Questionnaire-1 (oct 2) 3.

Chapter 3



Question wording



Questionnaire construction and layout



Questionnaire pitfalls Designing an Effective

Questionnaire-2 4.

Chapter 8 Assignment I



Population- sampling frame- sampling units



Sampling techniques – multi level sampling



Sample size determination Selecting a

Representative Sample 5.

Chapter 4 & 5



Administration methods

o Self –administered vs. surveyors- administered



Data Collection Modes

o Mail-Telephone-Interview-Internet- email



Advantages and disadvantages Administering Surveys

6.

Assignment 2 Mail merge



Web surveys and paper surveys



Effects of Modes on sampling design and error rate

Survey Instruments 7.



Measurement error,



Non response error or biased samples



Data editing/recording error



How to increase response rate

MidTerm Exam Project I



Pre survey evaluation



Validity and reliability of survey instruments

Evaluating survey questions

9.



Questionnaire pre coding –post coding



Editing finished questionnaires (control check)

10.



Cleaning the data



Exploring the data



Imputing missing data



Weighting biased samples Analyzing Survey Data

11.

Project IIdue



Final report structure



Reporting survey results



Reporting error structure Writing the Research

Report 12.



Ethics in polls



Rights of respondents



Professional practices Survey Research Ethics

13.

Important Dates

 Thu – Sun Spring Break Mar 20- Mar 30

 Wednesday April 2^nd Midterm Exam

 Monday April 14^th Project I Presentations start

 Monday May 5^th Project II due

 To be arranged later Final exam

Course Requirements and Grading

Project I ………. 10%

Project II………...….10%

Assignments……… 5%

Lab Work………...25%

Midterm ………25% (in-class, closed book) Final Exam ……….25% (in –class, open-book)

IMPORTANT: Your final score consists of the sum of individual scores you get on different course requirements. Your final grade will be determined based on your rank among classmates.

Computer Lab:

You will have one lab each week starting second week. Lab is a very important part of this course. It complements the material you take in class, and integrates the skills within the knowledge gained. Labs aim to acquaint students with EXCEL and allow them to practice on how to perform basic analysis of survey data.

Assignments

:

There will be 3 assignments each is to be handed in during class on the day it is due. You are encouraged to form study groups and discuss homework problems with your classmates and share ideas but MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO AND SUBMIT YOUR OWN WORK!. You can submit your assignments in either Arabic or English by I expect you to express all terms in English. Some homework problems will be included in the exams.

Projects and presentation

Two projects weigh 25%. In the first project you are required either to read, summarize an articleprovided to you about survey research that extend material covered in class or run a small survey and summarize results. You will present your findings to you classmates.

Presentation will be scheduled outside class times.

In Project II you are asked to design your own survey carrying out the research steps

discussed in class. You will develop a questionnaire for your study and explain the study design including data collection method, and sampling design, submitted in both paper and web format.

Class Discussion

Course-related materials will be assigned to students for reading and will be the basis for class discussion. This is an ongoing assessment throughout the semester and helps to decide the course final grade.

Exams:

There will be one midterm exam and a final. The tests will consist primarily of design problems, short essay, and multiple-choice questions and discussion of individual projects. The final cumulative exam will include the past chapters as well as the discussed materials in class.

Make-up Policy

:

The dates for each exam are given in the course schedule. Make-up of missed exams will be allowed only if the instructor is notified of the absence prior to the completion of the

scheduled exam and/ or proper documentation is submitted. If necessary, a make-up exam will be given in the last week of the semester and may be comprehensive.

Attendance and Class Policy:

No grades are assigned for attendance. Yet if you miss more that 25% of the classes and labs, you could be denied from taking the final exam or get a DN grade. It is your

responsibility to make up for any missed materials or assignments. You may come late or leave early without disturbing your classmates. Roll will be taken at the beginning of each class.

It is very important that you attend classes and labs regularly. Most of the materials need to be presented in different ways in order to make sense and concepts are built on each other.

Therefore this class is not easy make up for the missed classes.

Please be considerate and put your mobile on silent during class. If you need to make or take a call, you can leave the room with minimum disruption.

You’re expected to follow the University dress code, and staying in class with your Abaya on is not part of it. Your appearance in class speaks for your personality.

My Philosophy of Teaching and Learning:

1. The instructor is not responsible for the student’s learning: the student is 2. The instructor is responsible for facilitating the student’s learning by providing

appropriate resources, managing the learning experience, providing the student with frequent feedback, and encouraging the student to reflect on and assess his or her own learning.

3. Learning proceeds most efficiently when the students know what they should know and how they are doing.

4. Learning is made easier if the information is repeated over time and when the student is prepared for class

5. Research consistently shows that students learn more, perform better on tests, and remember more information when they are active learners compared to passive learners.

Note takers remember more than non-note takers, individuals who make outlines

remember more than individuals who don’t make outlines, and people who test their recall by writing summaries remember more than people who don’t write summaries.

Student Responsibilities

 That there are many ways students can be active learners. Research indicates that the best methods for being an active learner are the following:

- Think about the material

- Evaluate whether or not the material makes sense

- Anticipate test or quiz questions which might be asked of the material - Quiz each other over the material

- Relate the information to your own experience - Write summaries of the material

- Make up your own examples of the material

 Take an active role in learning the material. You will understand and remember the material best when you practice solving problems, quiz yourself, and ask questions.

 You are expected to participate in class. This class is designed to facilitate interaction and discussion between class members, so your participation is encouraged. We will all benefit when people share their experiences, ideas, and insights with one another. The more you participate, the more you will internalize the material, and thus, the better you will score on the exams.

 Learning requires a sufficient investment of time and effort. For each credit hour, the student is expected to spend at least 3 working hours doing homework, reading, and studying for the course. So for this course I expect each student to spend at least six working hours weekly on this course preparing, studying, solving problems and doing lab assignments.

 You are expected to attend all classes. Attendance does not directly affect your grade, although on the basis of past experience, it is the truly exceptional student who can afford to miss more than two or three classes.

 The correct way to study the material is to read the material before coming to class, listen carefully in class, following along with the problems, take notes, ask questions, reread carefully the text at home, follow the examples, and finally, do the assigned homework.

Good Luck