Help me with my Survey Design assignment!

[Knightfall]

Hi all,

I'm currently taking a Research night class and my latest assignment is a Survey Design. I have to come up with a survey of ten questions and write a report regarding the topic. I decided to use tabletop gaming as my subject, which has made the assignment a lot more fun.

Anyway, part of the assignment is that I need some people to critique my 10 questions. Basically, I need to find out if their good questions or bad questions. Are they understandable? Are they logical? That sort of thing.

So, I'd appreciate it if a cuople of people could chime in and let me know whether or not my questions are good or if they need work. Here are my ten questions...

Section One
1.Which of the following types of tabletop games do you enjoy playing?
□ Board games
□ Card games
□ Role-playing games
□ All of the above
□ None of the above

2.How many times a month do you play tabletop games?
□ Once per month
□ Twice per month
□ Three times per month
□ Four times per month
□ More than four times per month

3.Which of the following board games do you own, including variants (i.e. Electronic Battleship)? Check any that apply.
□ Battleship
□ Monopoly
□ Risk
□ Settlers of Catan
□ Trivial Pursuit

4.Which of the following card games do you own? Check any that apply.
□ Catan Card Game
□ Dungeoneer
□ Illuminati
□ Monopoly: The Card Game
□ Three-Dragon Ante

5.Which of the following tabletop role-playing games do you own? Check any that apply.
□ Dungeons & Dragons, 4th Edition
□ GURPS, 4th Edition
□ Hero System, 6th Edition
□ Mutants & Masterminds, 2nd Edition
□ World of Darkness

Section Two
6.What other types of tabletop games do you play, if any? (i.e. dice, miniature, paper and pencil, tile-based, etc.)

7.What other types of tabletop games do you own, if any?

8.List your favorite type of tabletop game and explain why?

9.List your least favorite type of tabletop game and explain why?

10.Have you ever bought a tabletop game for another person?

 

[Treebore]

Hi all,

I'm currently taking a Research night class and my latest assignment is a Survey Design. I have to come up with a survey of ten questions and write a report regarding the topic. I decided to use tabletop gaming as my subject, which has made the assignment a lot more fun.

Anyway, part of the assignment is that I need some people to critique my 10 questions. Basically, I need to find out if their good questions or bad questions. Are they understandable? Are they logical? That sort of thing.

So, I'd appreciate it if a cuople of people could chime in and let me know whether or not my questions are good or if they need work. Here are my ten questions...

Section One
1.Which of the following types of tabletop games do you enjoy playing?
□ Board games
□ Card games
□ Role-playing games
□ All of the above
□ None of the above

2.How many times a month do you play tabletop games?
□ Once per month
□ Twice per month
□ Three times per month
□ Four times per month
□ More than four times per month

3.Which of the following board games do you own, including variants (i.e. Electronic Battleship)? Check any that apply.
□ Battleship
□ Monopoly
□ Risk
□ Settlers of Catan
□ Trivial Pursuit

4.Which of the following card games do you own? Check any that apply.
□ Catan Card Game
□ Dungeoneer
□ Illuminati
□ Monopoly: The Card Game
□ Three-Dragon Ante

5.Which of the following tabletop role-playing games do you own? Check any that apply.
□ Dungeons & Dragons, 4th Edition
□ GURPS, 4th Edition
□ Hero System, 6th Edition
□ Mutants & Masterminds, 2nd Edition
□ World of Darkness

Section Two
6.What other types of tabletop games do you play, if any? (i.e. dice, miniature, paper and pencil, tile-based, etc.)

7.What other types of tabletop games do you own, if any?

8.List your favorite type of tabletop game and explain why?

9.List your least favorite type of tabletop game and explain why?

10.Have you ever bought a tabletop game for another person?

Most surveys are meant to convey info easily and quickly. So rather than ask short answer essay (Well, short if they don't own a TON of games) ask different multiple choice questions. Like how many of each do they own, including those previously marked, of each category?

10 you can keep, just give yes/no option like you did the first 5 questions rather than a write in answer.

 

[Treebore]

Plus, since they are computer scanned, I believe they prefer you to give a "none" option rather than have them leave a section blank. Plus it also helps ensure they read the question and the answers.

In fact, you may want to make the third option "None of these." rather than the very last option. This is because if they don't select an answer you can make a pretty good guess that they weren't really reading the stuff.

 

[Knightfall]

Most surveys are meant to convey info easily and quickly. So rather than ask short answer essay (Well, short if they don't own a TON of games) ask different multiple choice questions. Like how many of each do they own, including those previously marked, of each category?

10 you can keep, just give yes/no option like you did the first 5 questions rather than a write in answer.

I forgot to mention that for this assignment I have to have 5 close-ended questions and 5 open-ended questions. That's why the questions are they are.

Oops.

Anyway, thanks for your comments.

 

[Knightfall]

Plus, since they are computer scanned, I believe they prefer you to give a "none" option rather than have them leave a section blank. Plus it also helps ensure they read the question and the answers.

In fact, you may want to make the third option "None of these." rather than the very last option. This is because if they don't select an answer you can make a pretty good guess that they weren't really reading the stuff.

"None of these." I like that. It sounds more academic. So, should I make the last option "All of these"?

 

[Treebore]

"None of these." I like that. It sounds more academic. So, should I make the last option "All of these"?

I don't see why not. Depends on your over all purpose, but as unlikely as it is for people to own all of them, I probably wouldn't bother. Those few would just have to tough it out and mark all of them.

 

[Mister Doug]

My first question in giving feedback would always be "what is your research question?" The value of any data-gathering instrument is in its ability to gather data appropriate to the task while minimizing as much bias as possible.

Not meant to be un-helpful, but it's the knee-jerk response driven into me by my graduate professors.

 

[Knightfall]

My first question in giving feedback would always be "what is your research question?" The value of any data-gathering instrument is in its ability to gather data appropriate to the task while minimizing as much bias as possible.

Not meant to be un-helpful, but it's the knee-jerk response driven into me by my graduate professors.

My instructor would agree with you.

My research question revolves around the playing habits of tabletop gamers and the tabletop games they buy. I'm not sure I'm comfortable posting the "actual question" here. My instructor says it's important to not give away too much information to those involved in the pre-test of the questions. Then again, I might be reading too much into his in-class comments.

 

[Mister Doug]

My instructor would agree with you.

My research question revolves around the playing habits of tabletop gamers and the tabletop games they buy. I'm not sure I'm comfortable posting the "actual question" here. My instructor says it's important to not give away too much information to those involved in the pre-test of the questions. Then again, I might be reading too much into his in-class comments.

Being circumspect about sharing your research question with potential informants is a good idea, but the point is that your questions will automatically shape your data. So your questions should produce the data you need to answer your research questions (while reducing bias as much as possible.)

A good research instrument is only good if it produces what you need for this particular research. There is no such thing as a universally good tool. So, since you know your question, weigh each question in terms of "what does it tell me about my question(s)?" or "what does it do to reduce bias?" If the answer isn't clear, rework or ditch the question.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

General comments on your questions:

1) I would give examples for each type of table-top games. Also, I know you have your open-ended 6th question about this, but shouldn't there be a "other" answer?
2) I think you need a "less than once per month" answer, IMO.
3) You want to include "variants" in your answers, but, for example, how is "Monopoly: the card game" not a variant of Monopoly?
7) What other types of tabletop games do you own, if any? How can you ask what "other" types of game I own when you have never asked me what types of games I own?

You could also rearrange your questions slightly, for example:
1. Types of game played
1a. Which of the following types... (with a "other" answer)
1b. If you have answered other, what other types of table-top games do you play

Hope everything goes well!

AR