When High Schools Want to Ask Students About Sensitive Subjects

question 9

Multiple Choice

When high schools want to ask students about sensitive subjects like drug use or sexual health, they often use surveys rather than a more direct form of communication like interviews. Why?

• A) Surveys allow respondents to speak in their own words; they can reveal their own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
• B) Surveys allow researchers to ask much more complex questions than they could with any other methodology.
• C) Surveys allow students to answer the questions in private and assure the confidentiality of their responses.
• D) Surveys are more expensive and allow for larger staffs and budgets.
• E) Surveys produce far more honesty and are almost always more valid.

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Definitions:

Mean Score

The arithmetic average obtained by adding together all the scores and dividing by the number of scores.

Standard Deviation

A measure of the amount of variation or dispersion in a set of values.

IQ Tests

Standardized tests designed to measure human intelligence and cognitive abilities in comparison to an age-specific normative population.

Flynn Effect

The observed rise over time in standardized intelligence test scores, thought to reflect changes in environmental factors.