166-433 Survey Research Methods

Availability

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Admission to fourth-year Political Science.

Contact

Subject Description

Hands-on experience in designing and pilot testing a survey. How to use surveys appropriately to answer research questions, questionnaire design, construction of valid indices, and use of pilot tests to improve design. Some attention to issues of sampling, techniques for reducing and correcting measurement error, and statistical methods of analysing survey data, including structural equation modelling with the LISREL software. On completion of the subject the student: will understand the strengths and weaknesses of public opinion surveys - their value for different research projects; have learned how to design a questionnaire; have learned about sampling theory - how to draw a sample; have an appreciation of the value and use of recent advances in field work to reduce measurement error in surveys; have learned statistical methods, including structural equations methods, for analysing survey data.

Assessment

Written work totalling 6000 words.