PILOT SURVEY

After researching various methods for completing my pilot survey, I opted for the web based 'Survey Monkey' - an online survey creator - as it seemed to be the popular choice amongst fellow bloggers.  I was so impressed with the ease in which I was able to design my survey and make it accessible to the public in such a short period of time.

The template guides the researcher through  the 'set-up' process and I found it really easy to use - even for a technophobe like me!

Survey Monkey is a free web service, if you choose to keep your questions to a maximum of 10. This limit was a bit restricting as it was difficult to select questions that extracted the information required in only 10 questions. However, I must admit, it made me really look at the relevance of each question I asked - so perhaps there is an argument to be had about quality over quantity.  There is scope for upgrade at a cost and this might be worth considering in the future if I feel 10 questions do not adequately support my inquiry.

I was able to advertise my survey on my SIG, blog, and my Facebook, thereby attracting a different audience and allowing for a wider range of views.

I enjoyed composing the questions for my inquiry.  I chose short, multiple choice questions  to gently ease the participant into the survey.  I then asked a question without a "yes" or "no" answer which instead required a comment. This gave the participant a chance to air their own views and I had some excellent answers and advice which will really help me with my future inquiry:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/analyze/?survey_id=39172853&OPT=NEW

I was pleased with the 14 responses I got, especially since I had advertised the survey as a survey for dance teachers, thereby, restricting participants.

Analysing the results of my survey,  I felt the questions I used were relevant to my inquiry and gave the respondent the freedom to express their own opinions.

Survey Monkey is an excellent inquiry tool.  It is anonymous, allowing people to just put down what they think without fear of being recognised or judged - it is their own opinions as they are not influenced by other participants as perhaps they might be in an interview situation.

The only negative I have found is that I am unable to expand and explore the comments made by participants. This is frustrating when you find a common thread in the answers that you would really like to take and explore further. In an interview I could take the question further, seek opinions, explore the subject and create a more specific discussion around the topic.

My survey has given me both quantitative and qualitative data that will be useful when I conduct my research study.

Most importantly, it has given me useful and valuable advice from other professionals regarding the use of teaching techniques and strategies in the classroom that I will take forward into my personal practice.

I will definitely use this tool in the future, but I do feel that it would work best alongside other research tools in order for me to get the most balanced and thorough research for my inquiry.

Betty xx