When selecting a survey instrument for dissertation
research, there are some important factors that should influence the
decision. First, and foremost, the
instrument should accurately measure the variable of interest. If the goal of research is to assess job
satisfaction of top executives at fortune 500 companies, you will need to
select an instrument that measures job satisfaction. In this instance, the Job Satisfaction Survey would be a good choice. The instrument is composed of 36 Likert scale
items. In the case of this particular
instrument, you can calculate a total score, or you calculate nine sub-scale
scores. If you want to know about
overall job satisfaction, the total score would be a sufficient measure.
It is important to select an instrument that has been found
to be reliable and valid. Reliability
refers to the extent that the instrument yields the same results over multiple
trials. Validity refers to the extent
that the instrument measures what it was designed to measure. There are several ways to assess the
reliability and validity of the instrument once data has been collected
however, these factors are important to know prior to data collection. To determine if the instrument has been
proven reliable and valid, it is important to research the instrument and find
out what previous studies ascertained. A
quick assessment of previous research that used the instrument should allow you
to do this.
When selecting a survey instrument, it is important to know
how total scores or averages are calculated and what higher or lower scores
indicate. Oftentimes, in survey
instruments, the tool can be comprised of negatively worded items as well as
positively worded items. When scoring
these instruments, it is important to know which items need to be reverse
scored prior to calculation. It is
important to understand how the instrument has been scored in previous studies
and to duplicate that scoring method for your study.
One other factor to consider when selecting an instrument is
the type of data you will be obtain. If
you are planning to use a simply descriptive study, the design of the response
options can vary from question to question.
If you plan to use inferential statistics, it is beneficial to be able
to create total scores. In order to
create total scores or average scores, you typically want all response options
that make up a particular scale or sub-scale to have the same range, perhaps 1 -
5 where 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree.
Remember, the two most important factors in selecting an
instrument are that the instrument measures your variable of interest and that
it is reliable and valid. That
information coupled with the other suggestions will assist you in the selection
of an excellent instrument.