absent in a situation wherein known outcomes were to be related to policy alternatives.
Of the 15 contemporary studies reviewed, seven relied exclusively on the use of primary data. Of these seven studies, six applied survey techniques in the collection of data (Whitehead and Langworthy, 1989, pp. 263 282; Harris, Clear, and Baird, 1989, pp. 233 246; Tootoonchi, 1993, pp. 34 40; Sluder and Shearer, 1992, pp. 29 35; Matsueda, Garner, Piliavin, and Polakowski, 1992, pp. 752 770; Bachman, Paternoster, and Ward, 1992, pp. 343 372). Additionally, one study that relied on a combination of primary and secondary data also applied survey techniques in the collection of primary data (Mackenzie, Shaw, and Souryal, 1992, pp. 437 454). One study relying exclusively on the use of primary data employed interview procedures in the data collection process (Lanza Kaduce and Richards, 1989, pp. 247 262).
The Survey Method. Objective and descriptive data from subjects are required in the conduct of many types of research studies. The use of surveys to collect such data is probably the most efficient of the various means available (Dyer, 1985, p. 24). The survey is also the most effective means of collecting objective data from subjects, because the responses can be without attribution (Dyer, 1985, p. 32).
A survey is "a process of collecting data from existing population units, with no particular control over factors that may affect the population characteristics of interest in the study" (Pfaffenberger and Paterson, 1991, p. 13). Six specific steps are involved in the planning of a survey (Pfaffenberger and Paterson, 1991, pp. 14 15). These steps are as follows: 1. A clear and detailed statement of the problem to be investigated must be developed. The problem statement should clearly indicate what is to be determined by the conduct of the survey (Pfaffenberger and Paterson, 1991, pp. 14 15).2. A decision must be made with respect to...