Research Methods - Short Paper Option 3

Cooper: Research Methods

Short Paper Option 3: (Remember, you must do one of the three short paper assignments

during the semester.)

Due: Thursday, April 16

Approximate Length: 3 typed, doubled-spaced pages (and put the actual survey you used

For this paper, I want you to carefully edit the survey we prepared in class. Be sure to follow the guidelines (avoid ambiguity, make sure the answers are exhaustive and mutually exclusive, etc.) that we discussed in class (also see Chambliss and Schutt – pages 138 – 145). The final version should contain between 12 and 15 questions. Then put the survey on zoomerang (be sure to open up a free account). Then be sure to e-mail (or contact through facebook, myspace, etc.) enough Farmingdale students so that you can get at least 20 responses to your questionnaire. Be sure to remind people that it is a short survey when you ask them to fill it out.

The paper should follow the following guidelines:

1. Briefly explain what you are doing and what you hope to accomplish by distributing this survey. (Approximately 1/3 - ½ page)

2. Summarize your findings. Be as specific as possible! For instance, what kind of things did respondents want to see in the student center? How many hours, on average, do students spend on campus? How often do they eat lunch on campus? Would students be more likely to join clubs if the club rooms were in the new student center? (Approximately 1 – 2 pages)

3. Given your findings, what recommendations would you make to Dr. Keen and others involved in creating the student center? Again, be as specific as possible when you are arguing about what the student center should look like? (Approximately ½ - 1 page.)

4. Given the answers you got, what changes would you make to the survey to improve the information you collect from respondents? (Approximately 1/3 – ½ pages)