Self Report Design

Likert Scales:A likert scale is a scale where the respondent indicates how much they agree or disagree with a statement.Rating Scales:Rating scales are scales that get respondents to identify a value that represents the strength of feeling about a particular topic (on a scale of 1 to 5)Fixed Choice Options:A fixed choice option includes a list of possible options that respondents can choose all that apply to them.

Designing Interviews:Most interviews have an interview schedule which is a list of questions that the interviewer intended to cover. This should be standardised for each participant to reduce the effect of interviewer bias. Usually the interviewer will take notes throughout or the interview will be recorded and analysed later.Interviews usually involve an interviewer and a single participant however sometimes group interviews may be appropriate especially in clinical settings. In one-to-one interviews, the interviewer should conduct it in a quiet room away from other people as this will increase the likelihood that the interviewee will open up. It is good practice to begin the interview with neutral questions to make the participant feel relaxed and comfortable. Interviwees should be reminded that their answers will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Writing good questions:It is important to make sure that questions are clear and can be easily understood. If respondents are confused by or misinterpret particular questions this will have a negative impact on the quality of information received. To write good questions avoid; Jargon - jargon refers to technical terms that are only familiar those in a specialised field or area. The use of jargon may mean that the interviewee does not understand the question Emotive langauge - sometimes the interviewers attitude towards a particular topic is clear from the way the question is phrased. This may make the interviewee answer in a certain way. Neutral words should be used Leading questions - leading questions guide the interviewee towards a particular answer making the information less valid Double negatives - double negatives can make questions difficult to decipher Double barrelled questions - a double barrelled question contains two questions in one, meaning that the respondent may agree with one half of the question but not the other