Short answers
Which of the following is NOT a typical use of surveys in applied linguistics?
a. Measuring attitudes to language varieties
b. Observing classroom interactions directly
c. Capturing teacher beliefs
d. Mapping language backgrounds
b. Observing classroom interactions directly
Surveys are tools for collecting self-reported data (e.g., attitudes, beliefs, backgrounds). They are not typically used for direct observation of what happens in classrooms.
Good or bad survey question?
“Don’t you agree that multilingualism is beneficial?”
Leading question → it pushes respondents toward agreement.
Negative wording (“Don’t you agree…”) can confuse.
What key term is being described?
The practice of combining surveys with other methods (e.g., interviews, corpus analysis) to enrich findings and cross-validate results.
Triangulation
What kind of survey examines change over time?
Longitudinal
Good or bad survey question?
I feel confident and excited about learning languages.
Problem:
Double-barreled → asks about two different feelings (confident + excited) in one item. Respondents may feel one but not the other.
Fill in the missing word:
The population is the full group the researcher is interested in; the _____ is the subset of participants chosen to represent that group.
What’s one advantage of stratified sampling compared to convenience sampling?
Stratified sampling gives a more representative sample of the population.
In stratified sampling, the population is divided into meaningful groups (e.g., age, gender, language level), and participants are chosen from each group. This ensures all important subgroups are included.
In contrast, convenience sampling just takes whoever is easiest to reach (e.g., the students in your class), which can lead to bias and less reliable results.
Good or bad survey question?
How often do you use English and German with your friends?
Ambiguous → two languages in one question (English and German). Respondents may use them differently.
Not clear if question asks about frequency together, separately, or relative use.
What key term is being described?
Ensuring participants understand the study’s purpose, their rights (including voluntary participation and withdrawal), and how their data will be protected.
Ethics and Informed Consent
What is the difference between a survey and a questionnaire?
A survey is the overall research method used to collect information from a sample of participants. It involves the whole process—designing the study, deciding who to include, how to distribute, and how to analyze the data.
A questionnaire, on the other hand, is the actual instrument (the list of questions) used in a survey to gather the data. So, the questionnaire is just one part of the survey.
Good or bad survey question?
“To what extent do you endorse the pedagogical utility of code-switching in CLIL contexts?”
Too academic; many students won’t understand.
What key word is being described?
Testing a survey on a small scale before full deployment to identify unclear wording, technical issues, or design flaws.
Piloting / Pretesting
Why is piloting essential in survey research?
Piloting = testing your questionnaire/survey with a small group before giving it to the full sample.
Check clarity of wording
Identify confusing or biased items
Test the flow and length
Evaluate response options
Spot technical or delivery issues
Good or bad question?
How often do you practice speaking English with friends? With teachers? With classmates? In tutorials? In lectures? In group projects? In pair work?
Too many repetitive items → respondent fatigue.
What is the missing word?
When participants provide information about their own attitudes or behaviours, this is called __________ data.