Conferences

Research problem and methodological context of the paper. There are criteria of traditional empirical social research methodological quality: objectivity, representativeness, reliability, validity, efficiency and utility. They are also valid for survey research. In this paper we supposing that existing criteria could be reasonably complemented by the following criteria: variety and substantiality of inquiring indicators.

Psycho-social reality is complicated, multidimensional, contextual, stochastic, and constructive. Consequently research, that is operating by the small number of variables, extracted from the complex reality could not provide about such a reality anything eloquent. As an exception could be considered experimental or confirmational studies, founded theoretically and acting in previously explored area.

Long questionnaire as a trait of quality eventually could become anti-quality. Long questionnaires are difficult in filling because of tiredness of respondents, de-motivation, formal filling, low questionnaires reciprocity rate and etc. Considerable part of discarded questionnaires is an important factor and should be taken into account. On a whole – as a result: unreliable and non valid research.

High number of primary items leads towards to long survey instrument. This paper presents methodological advices by filling extremely long questionnaires, based on experience of empirical studies. The most important of them are the following: research on quality of life and municipality provided services, work organizations personnel research and dissertational projects. Experience about construction of extremely long questionnaires is collected by working in very diverse populations (in common resident’s population and in such target populations as: school children, teachers, students, prisoners, and staff of very diverse work organizations).

There are a questionnaire construction, composition means and techniques, based on specially organized graphical design. By using extremely long questionnaires these methods and means help increase respondent’s motivation, attitudes and quality of the survey. The samples of conducted studies are conditionally high – from 500 till 2000 and more respondents (conventional definition: long questionnaire starts from 200 primary items). Despite application of extremely long questionnaires, very high rate questionnaire reciprocity 80-98% is achieved. Based on our experience we created a framework of graphical composition. This framework involves the main points of application of graphical design: questionnaires cover list shaping and motivating instruction, application of graphical symbols, metaphors and analogies, replicated anonymous survey of the same respondents, application of principle of matrixes for construction of questions and answers, elimination of excessive information and informational “noise“, the harmony of syntax and graphical means, creation of compositional rhythmic and use of relaxing pictures.