What is a survey?

It is the collection of information from a common group through interviews or the

application of questionnaires to a representative sample of that group. A survey is when
you ask people their opinion on a topic, and collect data.

• A detailed inspection or investigation.

• A general or comprehensive view.
• A gathering of a sample of data or opinions considered to be representative of
a whole.

The survey is a non-experimental, descriptive research method. Surveys can be useful

when a researcher wants to collect data on phenomena that cannot be directly
observed (such as opinions on library services). Surveys are used extensively in library
and information science to assess attitudes and characteristics of a wide range of
subjects, from the quality of user-system interfaces to library user reading habits. In a
survey, researchers sample a population. Basha and Harter (1980) state that
"a population is any set of persons or objects that possesses at least one common
characteristic." Examples of populations that might be studied are 1) all 1999 graduates
of GSLIS at the University of Texas, or 2) all the users of UT General Libraries. Since
populations can be quite large, researchers directly question only a sample (i.e. a small
proportion) of the population.

Types of Surveys

Data are usually collected through the use of questionnaires, although sometimes
researchers directly interview subjects. Surveys can use qualitative (e.g. ask open-
ended questions) or quantitative (e.g. use forced-choice questions) measures. There
are two basic types of surveys: cross-sectional surveys and longitudinal surveys. Much
of the following information was taken from an excellent book on the subject,
called Survey Research Methods, by Earl R. Babbie.

Cross-Sectional Surveys

Cross-sectional surveys are used to gather information on a population at a single point

in time. An example of a cross sectional survey would be a questionnaire that collects
data on how parents feel about Internet filtering, as of March of 1999. A different cross-
sectional survey questionnaire might try to determine the relationship between two
factors, like religiousness of parents and views on Internet filtering.

Longitudinal Surveys

Longitudinal surveys gather data over a period of time. The researcher may then
analyze changes in the population and attempt to describe and/or explain them. The
three main types of longitudinal surveys are trend studies, cohort studies, and panel
studies.

Trend Studies

Trend studies focus on a particular population, which is sampled and scrutinized

repeatedly. While samples are of the same population, they are typically not composed
of the same people. Trend studies, since they may be conducted over a long period of
time, do not have to be conducted by just one researcher or research project. A
researcher may combine data from several studies of the same population in order to
show a trend. An example of a trend study would be a yearly survey of librarians asking
about the percentage of reference questions answered using the Internet.

Cohort Studies

Cohort studies also focus on a particular population, sampled and studied more than
once. But cohort studies have a different focus. For example, a sample of 1999
graduates of GSLIS at the University of Texas could be questioned regarding their
attitudes toward paraprofessionals in libraries. Five years later, the researcher could
question another sample of 1999 graduates, and study any changes in attitude. A
cohort study would sample the same class, every time. If the researcher studied the
class of 2004 five years later, it would be a trend study, not a cohort study.

Panel Studies

Panel studies allow the researcher to find out why changes in the population are
occurring, since they use the same sample of people every time. That sample is called
a panel. A researcher could, for example, select a sample of UT graduate students, and
ask them questions on their library usage. Every year thereafter, the researcher would
contact the same people, and ask them similar questions, and ask them the reasons for
any changes in their habits. Panel studies, while they can yield extremely specific and
useful explanations, can be difficult to conduct. They tend to be expensive, they take a
lot of time, and they suffer from high attrition rates. Attrition is what occurs when people
drop out of the study.
Steps in making a survey

• Establish the goals of the project - What you want to learn

• Determine your sample - Whom you will interview
• Choose interviewing methodology - How you will interview
• Create your questionnaire - What you will ask
• Pre-test the questionnaire, if practical - Test the questions
• Conduct interviews and enter data - Ask the questions
• Analyze the data - Produce the reports

This is a test survey for example purposes. This survey illustrates

some of the 25 different question types you may use in your surveys.
We offer select one of many, check all that apply, open answer, and
even more advances question types such as rating scales, constant
sums, and demographics.

Please answer the following questions about cheese

1) When was the last date that you ate cheese?

2) Do you like cheese?

• Yes

• No

3) Cheedar is the best cheese?

• Strongly Disagree

• Disagree

• Undecided
 • Agree

• Strongly Agree

4) Select your favorite cheese

• Cheedar

• Mozzarella

• Swiss

• Colby

• Gouda

• Parmesan

• Feta

• Other:

5) Select all the cheese that you like with macaroni and cheese

• Cheedar

• Mozzarella

• Swiss

• Colby

• Gouda

• Parmesan

• Feta

6) If I had to choose one cheese for each season of the year it would be...
Summer

Fall

Winter

Spring

7) Tell us what you know about the cheese making process.

8) Please rate the following cheeses from 1 to 5, where 1 is best

1 (best) 2 3 4 5 (worst)

Cheddar

Mozzarella

Feta

Swiss

Colby

9) If you'd like us to contact you later, please leave your name, email, and phone:

Name:

Email:

Phone:
Notetaking is the practice of recording information captured from a transient
source, such as an oral discussion at a meeting, or a lecture. Notes of a meeting are
usually called minutes. The format of the initial record may often be informal and/or
unstructured. One common format for such notes is shorthand, which can allow large
amounts of information to be put on paper very quickly. Notes are frequently written
in notebooks, though all sorts of paper may sometimes be used: for instance, some
people like to use Post-It notes. Notetaking is an important skill for students, especially
at the college level. Many different formats are used to structure information and make it
easier to find and to understand, later. Computers, particularly tablet PCs and personal
digital assistants (PDAs) are beginning to see wide use as notetaking devices. In some
contexts, such as college lectures, the main purpose of taking notes may be to implant
the material in the mind; the written notes themselves being of secondary importance.

Charting

Charting involves creating a graph with symbols, or a table with rows and columns.
Graphs and flow-charts are useful for documenting a process or event. Tables are
useful for facts and values.

Outlining

While notes can be written freely, many people structure their writing in an outline. A
common system consists of headings that use Roman numerals, letters of the alphabet,
and Arabic numerals at different levels. A typical structure would be:

I. First main topic

A. Subtopic
1. Detail
2. Detail
B. Subtopic
II. Second main topic
A. Subtopic

However, this sort of structure has limitations in written form since it is difficult to go
back and insert more information. Adaptive systems are used for paper-and-pen
insertions, such as using the reverse side of the preceding page in a spiral notebook to
make insertions. Or one can simply leave large spaces in between items, to enable
more material to be inserted. The above method is effective for most people, but you
can be creative in making your own method. (See Category:Outliners for more about
application software that supports outlining.)
Mapping

Here, ideas are written in a tree structure, with lines connecting them together. Mind
maps are commonly drawn from a central point, purpose or goal in the center of the
page and then branching outward to identify all the ideas connected to that goal. Colors,
small graphics and symbols are often used to help to visualize the information more
easily. This notetaking method is most common among visual learners and is a core
practice of many accelerated learning techniques. It is also used for planning and
writing essays.

Sentence method

Every new thought is written as a new line. Speed is the most desirable attribute of this
method because not much thought about formatting is needed to form the layout and
create enough space for more notes. Also, you must number each new thought.

SQ3R

SQ3R is a method of taking notes from written material, though it might be better
classed as a method of reading and gaining understanding. Material is skimmed to
produce a list of headings, that are then converted into questions. These questions are
then considered whilst the text is read to provide motivation for what is being covered.
Notes are written under sections headed by the questions as each of the material's
sections is read. One then makes a summary from memory, and reviews the notes.

Guided Notes

Sometimes lecturers may provide handouts of guided notes, which provide a "map" of
the lecture content with key points or ideas missing. Students then fill in missing items
as the lecture progresses. Guided notes may assist students in following lectures and
identifying the most important ideas from a lecture. This format provides students with a
framework, yet requires active listening (as opposed to providing copies of powerpoint
slides in their entirety). Research has shown that guided notes improve students'
recording of critical points in lecture as well as their quiz scores on related content.

Electronic notetaking methods

The growing ubiquity of laptops in universities and colleges has led to a rise
in electronic notetaking. Many students write their notes in word processors. Online
word processor applications are receiving growing attention from students who can
forward notes using email, or otherwise make use of collaborative features in these
applications and can also download the texts as a file (txt, rtf...) in a local computer.
Online notetaking has created problems for teachers who must balance educational
freedom with copyright and intellectual property concerns regarding course content.

EXAMPLE:

The note-taking process involves four main steps as shown in the diagram below. You
can click on each one to see an example of each step.

The example is note-taking related to the following Essay Question:

Discuss the implications of the influence of micro-economic reform on the

development (or lack of) public policy to inform the development of an
information society in Australia.

First, read
the original
text until you Original Text
are sure of
its meaning

Secondly,the Student's This kind

student Interpretation of note-
should make of taking
meaning of the text occurs
the text when you
are trying
to
understand
a text
rather than
when you
are
preparing
notes for
an essay.
It may be
the case
that you
don't
physically
write these
types of
 detailed
notes
down, they
occur in
your head
as you are
making
meaning of
the text.

Third,
summarise Summary of
the main the main
point/ point
argument (with
that the text reference)
is making

Then you Paragraph

can integrate from
that student's
summary into essay that
a paragraph shows the
integration of
the idea/
point with
reference
 WRITTEN REPORT IN
ENGLISH 2

Chapter 3
Lesson 14:

Conducting A Survey and Incorporating Survey

Data Into Research

Submitted by:
Shane Bautista
ABMC
MWF 12-3pm