Posted: October 10th, 2024

Constructing an Online Survey: A Study Guide

Constructing an Online Survey: A Study Guide

Creating an effective online survey involves understanding both the theoretical and practical aspects of survey design. This paper explores the process of developing a survey, focusing on the research question: “How does social media usage impact college students’ mental health?” The aim is to construct a survey that gathers reliable data while avoiding common pitfalls in question design.

Literature Review
Recent studies have highlighted the complex relationship between social media use and mental health among college students. For instance, a study by Twenge et al. (2019) found a correlation between increased social media use and higher levels of anxiety and depression. Similarly, a meta-analysis by Huang (2020) suggested that excessive social media engagement might exacerbate feelings of loneliness. These findings underscore the importance of carefully crafted survey questions to explore this topic further.

Survey Design Principles
Understanding Common Problems
Beretta (2014) identifies ten common issues in survey design, such as ambiguous wording and leading questions. Avoiding these pitfalls is crucial for obtaining valid responses. Additionally, the Pew Research Center emphasizes the importance of clear, well-specified questions and warns against double-barreled and double-negative questions, which can confuse respondents.

Question Types and Order
Surveys should include a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions. Open-ended questions allow for detailed responses, while closed-ended questions provide structured data. According to Harvard University’s Program on Survey Research (2007), using ordinal scales and ensuring all response options are covered is essential. Demographic questions should be placed at the end to prevent biasing responses to earlier questions.

Survey Construction
Survey Items
The survey includes the following items:

Categorical Item: “What is your primary social media platform?” (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
Ordinal Item: “On a scale from 1 to 5, how often do you feel anxious after using social media?”
Open-Ended Item: “Describe how social media affects your daily mood.”
Demographic Item: “What is your age group?” (e.g., 18-24, 25-30)
Platform Selection
Google Forms was chosen for its user-friendly interface and accessibility. The survey, titled “Social Media and Mental Health,” can be accessed here.

Conclusion
Constructing a survey requires careful consideration of question design and order. By adhering to best practices, the survey aims to gather meaningful data on the impact of social media on mental health. This survey could be distributed to college students through university email lists to gather pilot data.

References
Beretta, L. (2014). Top Ten Common Problems in Designing Effective Survey Questions.
Huang, C. (2020). Social network site use and loneliness: A meta-analysis. Computers in Human Behavior, 102, 13-19.
Pew Research Center. (n.d.). Questionnaire Design.
Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Rogers, M. L., & Martin, G. N. (2019). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3-17.

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In this lab, you will be constructing an online survey.

To consider topics for your surveys:
First, read closely through the PSY 320: Online Survey Topics Download PSY 320: Online Survey Topics handout.
Choose one research question from one of the survey topics listed.
b. Find, read, and summarize previously published psychological science on the questions you selected.

First, for the research question you’ve selected, search an Article Database (PsyArticles, Google Scholar, EBSCO, etc) for relevant scientific articles
Remember you can also find related articles by examining the “Cited By” tool and by examining an article’s reference list.
Second, identify three scientific articles that are most relevant
c. To become more informed about writing survey items:

First, read Beretta’s (2014) article, “Top Ten Common Problems in Designing Effective Survey QuestionsLinks to an external site..” Make sure you understand all ten problems Beretta describes – and you know how to avoid all ten problems.
Second, read Pew Research Center’s (no date) article, “Questionnaire DesignLinks to an external site..” Make sure you understand
open- versus closed-ended questions (the latter are what Science Buddies refers to as ‘structured questions’);
the importance of asking questions that are clear and well-specified;
what double-barreled questions and double-negatives are (and how to avoid them);
what acquiescence bias and social desirability bias are (and how to avoid them);
factors to consider in ordering your questions; and
the importance of placing demographic items last.
Third, to appreciate the power of wording, look at Britain Elects’ (2017) pair of tweetsLinks to an external site..
Fifth, read Harvard University’s Program on Survey Research (2007) “Tip Sheet on Question WordingLinks to an external site..” Make sure you understand
how to avoid technical jargon, vague or imprecise terms;
how to avoid double-barreled questions (again!);
how to avoid leading, emotional, or evocative language; and
how to use ordinal scales, reference frames, and unique answer choices that cover all response options.
Sixth, read Peters’ (no date) article, “How to Design a SurveyLinks to an external site..” Make sure you understand the differences between
categorical (also known as nominal) and
ordinal survey items (and survey responses).
d. Now it’s time to apply everything you’ve learned about writing survey items and write the items for your survey.

For your survey, you must write no fewer than 5 and no more than 10 items.
For your survey, you must include at least one and no more than two open-ended items (which count toward your total 5 to 10 total items per survey).
For your survey, you must include
at least one categorical/nominal survey item and
at least one ordinal survey item.
For your survey, if you include demographic items, you must place them at the end (unless there’s a good reason to place them earlier), and your demographic items count toward your total 5 to 10 total items of your survey.
e. Explore and then select one of the following (free) online survey platforms:

SurveyMonkeyLinks to an external site.
QualtricsLinks to an external site.
Google FormsLinks to an external site.
LimeSurveyLinks to an external site. or
AlchemerLinks to an external site. (formerly named SurveyGizmo).
Using the online survey platform you’ve selected, create your survey. For the title of your survey, use your research topic (e.g., Multi-Tasking While Studying; Student Debt; Texting while Driving; Food Speed versus Food Quality).

Write up and submit a brief APA format report in which you do all of the following:
Provide a link to your survey (using the title of your survey for the words that are linked).
Write at least 200 words about what you learned about constructing your survey, including who you could submit this survey to in order to gather pilot data

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