Module I1 Session 08

							                                                               Module I1 Session 8




Designing Surveys

Learning objectives

By the end of the session students will be able to

       1.    Explain what is a survey
       2.    Give examples of surveys that are conducted in their countries
       3.    List the key elements to be considered when designing a survey
       4.    Describe common steps in the process of carrying out a survey
       5.    List the key elements that help in deciding the size of the sample of a survey

Resources

They key reading for this session is Chapter 4.4 of the Green Book: Designing Surveys by
Erica Keogh. This can be found under Resources on the DVD.

Activities

Activity 1

Working in groups of 3 or 4, students need to read “Chapter 4.4: Designing Surveys” and
prepare a short presentation that updates the content of the chapter to have direct
relevance to their own country. The presentation is aimed to an audience of graduates of
social sciences with no experience in running surveys and who would not be motivated by
a purely technical presentation. Illustrate your presentation with examples of recent surveys
conducted by your National Statistics Office, or any other organisation that may carry
surveys in your country.

Ensure that you cover the following topics

   1. What is a survey?
   2. Examples of different types of surveys carried out in your country
   3. Key terminology in survey‟s work
   4. How to set up a survey?




SADC Course in Statistics                                       Module I1 Session 8 – Page 1
                                                                Module I1 Session 8




Activity 2

One group will be selected by the trainer to present the contents of the chapter to their
classmates. Allow some time for questions and answers. After the presentation, the trainer
should invite the other students to share with the class the examples that they have used to
illustrate their own presentation.

Activity 3

Working in the same groups that prepared the presentation and based on Figure 1. “Steps
in carrying out a survey” students should discuss what are the 3 most important tasks in
carrying out a survey and why. The groups should propose how they would ensure that
those important tasks are carried out properly if they were in charge of the survey.

The whole class should reassemble and each group should present their selected three most
important tasks, explain why, and propose how to ensure that it is carried out properly. As
the tasks are mentioned, the trainer should write the list on the board so that the full list of
„important‟ tasks contains the views of all the groups.

The answer: all are important, is not an acceptable answer to this activity. Students should
think carefully which survey tasks they would rank as having higher priority to achieve
good quality work.

Activity 4

Sometimes people argue that the size of a sample for a survey must be at least 5% of the
population (or some other percentage of the population). From your reading of the
materials for this session you should know that this assertion is WRONG. Write a
maximum of 350 words explaining the elements that determine the choice of the sample
size. This should be written of a non-technical audience, and should explain why the above
assertion is incorrect.




SADC Course in Statistics                                        Module I1 Session 8 – Page 2