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Asking Questions
What Questions Will You Ask?
You want to find which albums the school should buy. Here are
some ways to find out which are popular:
Ask the pupils which albums they bought last month.
Disadvantage: Some pupils cannot afford to buy the albums
they like.
Advantage: Pupils usually buy the albums they like best.
Ask pupils which five albums thev like to borrow from a
library.
Ask a local shop which albums have been sold.
Ask pupils which albums thev like best.
Ask pupils which five albums they would buy if they had the money.
- Copy down each method. Write down any advantages
and disadvantages. The first one has been done for you.
There is another method. Make a list of the Top 30 albums and
ask pupils to choose their five favourites. You will do this
later.
*What Is the Top 30?
The top records are played each week on radio and television.
The BBC has to find out what the Top 30 singles are. Here are a
few methods they, could use. (The method should be quick,
accurate and not be easily 'fiddled')
Count how often records are requested on the radio.
Ask a panel of disc jockeys.
Ask a sample of record buyers.
Ask a sample of shops about their record sales.
Count how often records are played on the radio.
- Which method do think is best? Why?
- Write down why you think each of the other
methods is not so good.
*Which Shops?
Suppose you had to ask a sample of shops about their record
sales.
- How would You choose Your sample: from those in
the nearest large town? to represent all parts of the
country, fairly?
- Write down a reason for preferring larger shops
to very, small ones.
- How could you find out if one shop was fiddling
its results?
There are other Top 30s besides pop singles, e.g. classics,
albums, country-and-westem.
- Pick one of these and explain why it is not as
widely used.
Whom Should You Ask?
In a poll you must ask relevant people. You should not ask
people who are not concerned. In the enquiry on car reliability,
questioning only young children would make no sense.
- Copy down each poll below, and write down whom
you would ask. The first one has been done for you.
A poll on voting in an election
(Adults on the register of voters)
A poll on school dinners
A poll on facilities (e.g. shops, restaurants) at an airport
A poll on how parks in a town can be improved.
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