SURVEY DESIGN
The target population is defined as the population a researcher wants to draw conclusions about. In our study, the target population was full-time, enrolled undergraduate students currently enrolled in a Political Science course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the Spring 2014 semester. This population consisted of 1,679 possible respondents from which we drew our sample. This specific target population was chosen for two reasons. The first reason is that in a survey that is analyzing perceptions of political processes, political science students are the most likely to have a direct interest in the subject-matter as well as be the most knowledgeable on the topic. Secondly, this research is tackling a topic that political science students, as a whole, could find interesting. This interest in the research topic would have hopefully led to a higher response rate from students. This is a simple idea, science students are more likely to be interested in science-related research questions whereas political science students would be more likely to be interested in research questions related to political topics. As mentioned earlier, this topic exists at an interesting intersection of law, society, and politics.
After determining this target population, we were able to acquire an accurate sampling frame. A sample frame is defined as a source of material or device from which the sample is drawn. The sampling frame was the list of all currently enrolled undergraduate students enrolled in a Political Science course for the spring 2014 semester which we received from the Political Science Department. This list contained 1,679 names and email addresses of all the students currently enrolled in a Political science cou...
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...nce the required sample size of our survey, we primarily looked at a study conducted at the Michigan State University that compared response rates of different modes of survey (1). The Michigan State study was conducted on an undergraduate student population, and we paid particularly attention to the response rate associated with the survey that they distributed via email with no monetary rewards. This survey was closest to our own in terms of population and distribution method, and hence the response rate associated with it was of particular interest to us. The response rate was 20.7%. Thus, we determined we would need to send the survey to at the minimum 500 people if we hoped to receive the desired 100 responses. We decided to send the survey to an additional 250 people in order to assure that we did get 100 responses within the assignment’s time constrictions.
On the national civics assessment, “two-thirds of 12th graders scored below ‘proficient’…and only 9 percent could list two ways a democracy benefits from citizen participation” (O’Connor and Romer 4). The information provided clarifies just how little students know about democracy. Without education on the subject, they are unaware as to how their government contribution is beneficial and why it is needed in the first place. The students, because of their lack of understanding, therefore choose to not take part in their government and fail to carry out their duties as a citizen. The authors provide more research that shows “the better people understand our history and system of government, the more likely they are to vote and participate in the civic life” (O’Connor and Romer 8).
Two sampling methods include mail surveys and convenience sampling, a variation of a nonprobability sample. Mail surveys, inexpensive way to contact individuals over a large geographical area, provide anonymity to the respondent, and eliminate interview bias. Convenience sampling, a nonprobability sample, the only criteria is the convenience of the unit to the researcher, fast and uncomplicated, but the sampling error not determined.
California's Proposition 13 had a big impact on American government and public policy because it put to vote the reduction of property taxes. This Proposition had a great impact as it swept the county and made headlines in newspapers around the world. People used this initiative process to gain a greater control over their lives. The California taxpayers stood up and said no more to excessive taxes because they were tired of out of control property taxes and losing their homes because they could not pay property taxes while the government did nothing to help them. This in turn hurt the schools, cities, counties and special districts. From this proposition, we have a few others like proposition 218 and proposition 37.
Ginsberg, Benjamin, et al. We the People: An Introduction to American Politics. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013. Print."Voter Turnout." Nonprofit Vote. Nonprofit Vote, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
Danziger, James N. Understanding the Political World: A Comparative Introduction to Political Science. New Jersey: Pearson, 2013. Print.
In the example above, the survey needed not only to be expanded but diversified. By including the women and other workers, you make the statistics more accurate because it represents the TV watching habits of ALL the company’s employees. However, if the company is very large, it would be difficult to interview every single employee. The solution to this problem is called random representative sampling.
Ever since my seventh grade teacher taught me the rudiments of government, I have always loved politics. Every time an election is coming, I eagerly await new polling and predictions. Of course, no time is more exciting than when the actual results come in. In addition, reading political journalistic articles has added to my knowledge to this particular realm. My added knowledge has helped me immensely in many of my subjects in high school, including history, government, and economics. For example, many of my classmates struggled in our recent class about United States government. Because of my acumen about current political affair and the foundational basics of government, I was able to excel in that class while in turn helping many of my peers.
...ey used to conduct the study had questions were participants could have exaggerated their answers. This could have led to a common study limitation known as participation bias. Another limitation could have been due to the sample size for this study. This sample size did not compare to the sample size of previous research. For example, this sample size did not contain many participants who identified themselves as being a member of NCAA sports team.
The study followed more than 1500 children from the seventh all the way to the ninth grade across four waves of information.There main focal point of the experiment was African American women which came out to be more than 700 girls. More than forty percent of their parents were married and about forty-three percent of the families proclaimed an average of two children living in the household. Parents who had more than one kid completed the survey and were had to select the youngest child that participated in the study. They got kids from the most diverse districts across the Midwest during the years of 2010-2013.They were curious to see if schools with more Black people,more white people, or culturally diverse would have an impact on success opinions.They gave them information folders to their houses, and parents gave authorization by signing and returning the form before taking of the survey. Students were given gift card for completing the
... an Information Technology Specialist Consultant create an online survey to be sent out to our random sample of students. The university will then send out 1,750 surveys via email to the chosen students.
...sis, which could make all results invalid. With any research projects, limitations will be present. It is important to attempt to eliminate some of these causes in order to complete a thorough, accurate study. In future projects, this study could go about researching the issue in different ways. Perhaps using a larger sample size would be conducive for accurate results. A larger sample size helps reduce and even out any possible errors caused by those who do not answer truthfully. Also, keeping the surveys mainly anonymous would help to receive more truthful and accurate responses from participants. Participants may be fearful of judgments on open interviews or phone interviews, which could affect responses. In order to obtain as accurate results as possible, a future study would need to find ways to survey participants in a confidential way that feels comfortable.
Maree (2007; 172) explains that when gathering data, making use of samples is an easy and convenient way to get general findings about the population you are using for your study because in reality it is usually impossible to include the entire population in your study as the most two restrictions being time and c...
2. Determining the Sample Frame: A sample frame is a representation of the target population.
Before beginning my survey, I had some preconceived notions about the types of answers that I would obtain. I decided to survey ten college students. I included five male and five female subjects in my survey to be equitable as well as to determine preferences based upon gender in my results. I surveyed two of my male roommates and one female roommate. The remaining participants were random friends who visited our house. This was an easy and effective way to conduct my surveys. Having so many roommates means there are always a variety of people who come and go from our residence. Although this was a simple way to conduct my survey, I was not certain that it would be an accurate sampling. Even though there were a variety of individuals frequenting our house, they seemed to possess many similarities. My fears were unfounded because those surveyed preferred various programs, providing the basis for unbiased results...
Lack of response is the main disadvantage for mail surveys. The group survey is another low cost form, however the individual respondent is interviewed in a group. The disadvantage with group surveys are the logistics of marshaling the respondents to one location and the perception by respondents that grouping posses less anonymity. Electronic surveys are a relatively new addition in survey research and could very well become comparable to the telephone survey. Electronic surveys are advantageous for the low cost as well as ease in delivery. Because the delivery method is through internet, and the general population does not