Assumptions

As mentioned above, one of the assumptions of survey research is that the questionnaires are standardized, which relates to whether the participants will invoke the same meaning for all participants (Chelladurai, 2020). Therefore, in order for all of the participants to interpret the questions in the same way, topics need to be clear, with concise definitions of terms provided. Survey questions should be thoroughly examined to ensure maximal clarity. 

It is also important to provide a way for participants to ask questions and gain clarity so that everyone is on the same page. In group-administered questionnaires, this is easily attainable. However, with online and self-administered mail surveys, there should be some type of contact information that is monitored on a regular basis to provide assistance and clarification when needed. 

A common assumption that is not true, is that questionnaire studies are not suitable for qualitative research. 

According to Braun et al (2021), there continues to be the preconceived belief that “surveys are too rigid and inflexible a tool for qualitative research, because they lack opportunities for probing participants’ accounts or asking follow-up questions, and must therefore only generate thin and perfunctory data “ (p. 642). 

However this is not the case, and surveys, when designed correctly, can yield richness and depth that is more focused as opposed to traditional interview data (Braun et al., 2021).