Survey research is applied to collect data, the analysis of which will facilitate the understanding of a problem, an issue, or an activity. In order for survey research to accomplish these goals, the data collected through the administration of the survey instrument must be valid and reliable (Babbie, 2003). One factor that is of overriding importance in the development and in the administration of a survey instrument is the need to assure that the people to whom the survey instrument is administered are capable of providing the information that is required (Leibowitz, 2009).
When the issue is school safety, a number of factors must be considered in the development of an appropriate survey instrument. If, as example, the focus is on the identification of deficiencies in facility structure or the focus is on what steps are required to keep unauthorized persons from entering the school, the target audience of the survey will not be first grade students because they generally do not have the backgrounds to enable them to provide the required information. Conversely, if the focus of the survey is on student knowledge of the things that they must do in the event of a fire drill, then first graders could be an effective part of the target audience.
For the purpose of this exercise, an assumption is made that the focus within the context of school safety is on bullying. A further assumption is that the school setting is a public middle school. Lastly, the assumed target audience of interest for this survey is the student body of the middle school. Survey questions are provided below.
1. Do you ever see one student picking on another student by verbally harassing the student in front of others?
2. How often does this type of behavior occur (several times a day, every day, or every now and then)?
3. Have other students ever harassed you verbally in front of others?
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