Asking the Right Question: Surveys in the Social Sciences
| Module title | Asking the Right Question: Surveys in the Social Sciences |
|---|---|
| Module code | SPA2005 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Hannah Bunting (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
Surveys are one of the most-used methods in the social sciences, with well-known surveys such as the UK Crime Survey, British Social Attitudes Survey and the British Election Study offering crucial insights into social behaviours. Moreover, the Market Research Society estimate the UK industry to be worth £7 billion and many companies use surveys to better understand their employees and customers. Therefore being able to demonstrate proficiency in survey methodology is a key academic and transferable employability skill. This module will equip you with the skills and knowledge to use existing surveys for your own research, and the theoretical and practical competencies to design your own surveys for a range of purposes.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aim of this module is to equip you with the skills to use, analyse and design surveys for social science research and beyond. It will provide a comprehensive understanding of the theory and practice of survey methodology. You will learn the types of research questions that can be answered using surveys, utilising secondary survey data, and harmonising survey sources. You will also gain skills in survey design, such as question wording and ordering, sampling and survey mode. Throughout, there will be practical applications of concepts such as measurement, statistical power and sources of bias. The module will also cover how to analyse and present the findings of a survey.
Part of the assessment will be designing a survey and providing a reflexive account of the research choices you made. By the end of the module you will be well equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary for a successful quantitative dissertation and any research question that can be answered with a survey; these are also skills that are highly marketable to employers across sectors such as government and policymaking, business and finance, and consultancy.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the theory and practice of survey methodology in the social sciences
- 2. Design a survey to address a research problem
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Critically reflect on the research process of survey methodologies within the wider context of social science research
- 4. Identify and construct reliable and valid measures of social science concepts
- 5. Explain how to use surveys to yield useful and practical insights
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Demonstrate written analytical skills by producing an essay and reflexive survey design to a deadline
- 7. Apply evaluative and critical thought processes to practical, goal-oriented tasks
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following themes:
- The history of surveys throughout the development of social science
- Using secondary survey data for new research questions
- Modes of surveying
- The principles of survey design
- Question wording and ordering
- Measuring concepts across cultures, languages, genders and other varied groups
- Sampling procedures across populations
- Analysing survey data
- Sources of bias
- Statistical power
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Teaching and Learning | 22 | Weekly two-hour lecture/seminar |
| Guided Independent Study | 44 | Assigned reading and seminar preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Research and reading for reflexive survey design |
| Guided Independent Study | 44 | Research and reading for essay |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey plan | 250 words (or 3 minute presentation) | 1-7 | Written and oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reflexive survey design | 60 | 1,500 words | 1-7 | Written |
| Essay | 40 | 2,000 words | 1-7 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflexive survey design | Reflexive survey design | 1-7 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Essay | Essay | 1-7 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to redo the assessment(s) as defined above. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Wolf et al. 2016. The SAGE Handbook of Survey Methodology. SAGE Publishing.
- Fowler. 2014. Survey Research Methods. SAGE Publishing.
- Llaudet and Imai. 2023. Data Analysis for Social Science: A friendly and practical introduction. Princeton University Press.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- ELE – Faculty to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 31/01/2023 |
| Last revision date | 14/03/2023 |