Self-reporting questionnaires are widely spread in business research. Nevertheless, there is a number of inherent biases that are associated with them. While some might suggest that the only way to avoid them is to reject this method altogether, I believe that there are ways to address the potential limitation in a more productive way.
To begin with, if I were to use this methodology for my study, I would work out some clear criteria of evaluation that would apply to everyone (Eysenck, 2004). This way I will be able to boost the objectivity of the research. In addition to that, I will also make sure that the criteria for evaluation are clear and transparent so that the participants clearly understand what answer fits their point of view the best (Hall, 2008).
Another point that should be mentioned is that limitations of self-reported questionnaires can be avoided if the latter try to measure the phenomenon from different perspectives (Johnson & Christensen, 2017). So, if one point of view is biased, it is unlikely that the respondent will feature the same biases if the topic is approached or presented differently. The researcher will have to compare answers and determine which of them is more accurate (McLeod, 2011).
Finally, it is also essential to make sure that there are
no leading questions. This way the respondents will not feel that they are
expected to give a certain answer (Clegg, 2013). In addition to that, it may
also be useful to let the respondents skip questions if they feel that the
answers are not able to reflect their opinion fully. In other words, they
should not choose between options that reflect their view only partially.
Therefore, it is obvious that while self-reported questionnaires may have some
biases, it is possible to avoid them by introducing certain changes in the
methodology.
References
Clegg, J. W. (2013). Self-observation in the social sciences. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction .
Eysenck, M. W. (2004). Psychology: an international perspective. Hove: Psychology Press.
Hall, R. (2008). Applied social research planning, designing and conducting real-world research. South Yarra: Palgrave Macmillan.
Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. B. (2017). Educational research: quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
McLeod, J. (2011). Doing counselling research. London: Sage Publications.
The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from
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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016
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