Scenario 4a: Consultant Had Administered A Questionnaire
Scenario 4a Consultant Had Administered A Questionnaire To Some 285 E
Scenario 4: A consultant had administered a questionnaire to some 285 employees using a simple random sampling procedure. As she looked at the responses, she suspected that two questions might not have been clear to the respondents. She would like to know if her suspicion is well-founded. State the relevant population and the most appropriate sampling design. Be sure to discuss the reasons for your answers Reference: Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2013). Research methods for business: A skill building approach (6th ed.) (pages of chapter 13: Sampling). Chichester, United Kingdom: Wiley. ISBN: .
Paper For Above instruction
The scenario involves a researcher who has administered a questionnaire to a subset of a population—in this case, 285 employees—using simple random sampling. The researcher's concern revolves around the clarity of two specific questions in the questionnaire, prompting a need to verify whether respondents understood these questions as intended. To address this, it is essential first to define the relevant population and then identify the most suitable sampling design to investigate the suspicion effectively.
Relevant Population
The relevant population in this context encompasses all individuals for whom the questionnaire was intended and whose responses can provide insight into the clarity and comprehensibility of the questions. Since the instructor administered the questionnaire to employees, the relevant population is the entire group of employees within the organization or the specific demographic segment targeted for the survey. If the questionnaire was intended for all employees, then the population encompasses all employees in the relevant organizational context. Conversely, if it targeted a specific department or subset, then the population is restricted accordingly.
Most Appropriate Sampling Design
Given the researcher's goal—to determine whether specific questions were potentially unclear to respondents—the sampling design should facilitate a thorough investigation of respondents' perceptions and understanding. A logical choice would be to employ a stratified sampling approach or a focused re-survey of a subset of respondents, possibly those who exhibited inconsistent or ambiguous responses. However, considering the initial survey utilized simple random sampling, the researcher might opt for a stratified sample or a follow-up qualitative study involving cognitive interviews or debriefing with a subset of respondents.
Reasoning
Simple random sampling ensures each individual has an equal chance of selection, which enhances the representativeness concerning the entire population. To examine whether the specific questions were confusing, the researcher could analyze the original responses for indications of misunderstanding—such as inconsistent answers or nonresponses. Another approach might be to select a stratified subset based on demographics or response patterns for a follow-up qualitative assessment, which provides richer insight into respondents' comprehension.
Alternatively, a more targeted approach would be to perform cognitive interviews with a small, representative sample—possibly 10-15 respondents—to explore how they interpreted the questions. This method is particularly effective in assessing question clarity because it involves direct probing of respondents’ thought processes, aligning with best practices outlined by Sekaran and Bougie (2013).
Conclusion
The relevant population includes all employees targeted by the questionnaire, and the most appropriate sampling design to investigate the suspected ambiguity would be either a stratified follow-up survey or qualitative cognitive interviews with a representative subset. These methods provide deeper insights into respondents’ understanding, helping the researcher confirm whether the questions were indeed unclear and to improve future survey instruments.
References
- Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2013). Research methods for business: A skill building approach (6th ed.). Chichester, United Kingdom: Wiley.