IA ideas library
Survey IA ideas: designing a questionnaire, sampling fairly and analysing honestly
A survey can be the most personal kind of IA, because you design the question and collect every answer yourself. It is also the easiest to get wrong. The mathematics starts before you collect anything: how you sample, how many people you need, how you word questions so the answers can be analysed, and which test you will use.
Plan for ethics from the start. Get consent, keep responses anonymous, avoid sensitive questions, and follow your school's rules for research with people. Ask your teacher before you send anything out.
Survey-based investigations ideas (8)
- Do we know how long we spend on our phones? Estimates versus screen-time dataAI SLAA SLAI HLAccessible
- Does the wording change the answer? A split-sample survey experimentAI SLAI HLAA SLSolid
- Getting honest answers: the randomised response techniqueAA HLAI HLAA SLAmbitious
- How big should a school poll be? Sampling from a known populationAI SLAI HLAA SLSolid
- Can you average a 1–5 rating? Analysing Likert-scale survey answersAI SLAI HLSolid
- Walk, cycle, bus or car? Travel to school and distanceAI SLAA SLAccessible
- Who answers online surveys? Measuring non-response biasAI SLAI HLSolid
- Counting a hidden population: capture–recapture at schoolAI SLAA SLAI HLAA HLSolid
Also relevant (1)
Frequently asked questions
How many responses do I need for a survey IA?
Enough for your test to work: for a chi-squared test, every expected frequency should be at least 5, which often means 80 to 150 responses for a small table. Plan the table first, then work out the sample size.
What are the ethical rules for a survey IA?
Informed consent, anonymity, the right to withdraw, no sensitive or personal questions, and your school's approval. Never collect names with answers, and never survey younger students without permission from your school.
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Related types of IA: Statistics & hypothesis testing
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