(Pfaffenberger and Paterson, 1987, pp. 14 15).
6. The findings of the survey must be reported. This report should include a description of the problem investigated, the sampling design, the testing method, and inferences derived from the results and conclusions of the survey (Pfaffenberger and Paterson, 1987, pp. 14 15).
Four guiding principles underlie effective surveys (Isaac and Michael, 1991, p. 128). These principles are as follows:
1. A survey must be systematic. The planning and execution of the survey must assure appropriate content coverage and sound, efficient data collection (Isaac and Michael, 1991, p. 128).
2. A survey must be representative. The sampling procedure must assure that the characteristics of the research sample closely approximates the characteristics of the population from which it was drawn (Isaac and Michael, 1991, p. 128).
3. A survey must be objective. The data sought through the conduct of the survey must be observable and they must be capable of explicit measurement (Isaac and Michael, 1991, p. 128). 4. A survey must be quantifiable. The data collected through the conduct of a survey must be amenable to expression in numerical terms (Isaac and Michael, 1991, p. 128).
Surveys are dependent on the direct communication with persons possessing the characteristics or factors to be measured (Isaac and Michael, 1991, p. 128). Surveys, thus, are reactive in nature. Because of these characteristics, surveys pose risks for the researcher because:
1. Surveys contact only those respondents who are both accessible and cooperative (Isaac and Michael, 1991, p. 128).
2. Because surveys cause respondents to feel special or unnatural, they may elicit artificial or slanted responses (Isaac and Michael, 1991, p. 128).
3. Surveys tend to engender a proneness to agree with positive statements or questions (Isaac and Michael, 1991, p. 128).
4. Surveys are vulnerable to the tendenc...