Descriptive Research Survey Research Methods Public opinion polls Census surveys Developmental Surveys

Public opinion polls Gallup polls –Political elections network news pre-election polls exit polls

U.S. Census survey Conducted every 10 years in the U.S. since Attempts to survey every US citizen, rather than using statistical sampling.

Developmental Surveys Cross-Sectional –compares two or more age groups or cohorts Longitudinal –Trend studies –Cohort studies –Panel studies –Follow-up studies

Cross-sectional surveys Advantages –quick and easy to do; –saves time and money –easy age group comparisons Disadvantages –masks individual differences on DVs; –age changes confounded with age differences.

Cross-Sectional Designs Date of study: 2001 COHORTAGE at time of study (young adult) (middle age) (older adult) (oldest adult)

Examples of Longitudinal Surveys TREND –National Assessment of Educational Progress COHORT –National Longitudinal Survey of High School Class of 1972 –High School and Beyond Survey (1980) PANEL –Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning (LSAL)

Examples of Longitudinal Surveys FOLLOW-UP –“Wisconsin Adult Reading Project” (1987) Participants from 1949 and 1954 were re-tested in 1987.

Longitudinal Design Date when study begins: 2001 Cohort: Born in 1981Researcher status: Survey in 2001 (age 20)Untenured Asst. Prof. Survey in 2021 (age 40)Full Professor Survey in 2041 (age 60)Retired/dead?

Basic procedures in survey research: Plan the study Design the survey instrument Obtain a sample Carry out the survey Analyze data and interpret results Report the survey results

Response rates for mailed surveys Initial mailing: 48% First follow-up: 68% Second follow-up: 80% Third (final) follow-up: 90% Costs increase with each mailing!

Survey research example Okagaki & Frensch (1998): Parenting and childrens’ school achievement: A multiethnic perspective.

Five aspects of parenting Parent expectations for child’s educational attainment Grade expectations Child-rearing beliefs Self-reported parenting behaviors Perceptions of parental efficacy

Research Questions Are there differences in school performance and parental beliefs across ethnic groups? Are there aspects of parenting that are related to school achievement within each ethnic group? Are the relations between parenting and child outcomes different across groups?

Method Surveyed 670 parents; 347 surveys returned (52% return rate) Focused only on sub-sample of 275 Asian- American, Latino, and white parents Survey questionnaire: –Educational attainment –Grade expectations –Child-rearing beliefs –Parental behaviors –Parental efficacy beliefs –Perceptions of child’s ability

Let’s discuss the results!

Some limitations No African-American parents in the study No observations of parents’ behaviors Study shows that parenting beliefs and behaviors are related to, but do not cause, educational achievement