A survey that would help the LOOZIT!

by | Apr 16, 2025 | Analysis

 

The Human Resources Director of the LOOZIT! Fitness Center had been observing that her center staff did not appear as upbeat and friendly to clients as they had previously. She was concerned that this would ultimately result in a decline in visits and memberships, so she decided to try to turn the situation around. She suspected that her staff members were under stress, and that this was the reason for the change in their attitude and demeanor. She decided to survey the staff to determine whether they felt their stress levels had increased and what it was about the work environment that might be causing or contributing to the problem.

Create a survey that would help the LOOZIT! Director gain the information needed to begin to solve her problem.

Referring back one last time to the Loozit! scenario, determine how to establish the reliability of your three methods of data collection: the questionnaire, interview protocol, and observational system you designed. For each one, indicate how you would test to see if it was reliable (what procedures you would undertake). Conclude with a brief discussion of how testing for reliability differs depending on the type of data you are collecting (quantitative or qualitative) and whether observers play a significant role in generating that data.

 

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

LOOZIT! Fitness Center Staff Stress Survey

Purpose: This survey aims to understand your current stress levels and identify aspects of the work environment at LOOZIT! Fitness Center that may be contributing to any increased stress you might be experiencing. Your honest and confidential feedback is crucial in helping us create a more supportive and positive work environment for everyone.

Instructions: Please answer the following questions thoughtfully and honestly. Your responses will be kept confidential and used solely for the purpose of improving our workplace. For questions using a scale, please circle the number that best reflects your experience.

Section 1: Your Role and Experience

  1. What is your current role at LOOZIT! Fitness Center? (Please select one)

    • Front Desk/Receptionist
    • Fitness Instructor (Please specify specialty: __________)
    • Personal Trainer
    • Sales/Membership Consultant
    • Other (Please specify: __________)

LOOZIT! Fitness Center Staff Stress Survey

Purpose: This survey aims to understand your current stress levels and identify aspects of the work environment at LOOZIT! Fitness Center that may be contributing to any increased stress you might be experiencing. Your honest and confidential feedback is crucial in helping us create a more supportive and positive work environment for everyone.

Instructions: Please answer the following questions thoughtfully and honestly. Your responses will be kept confidential and used solely for the purpose of improving our workplace. For questions using a scale, please circle the number that best reflects your experience.

Section 1: Your Role and Experience

  1. What is your current role at LOOZIT! Fitness Center? (Please select one)

    • Front Desk/Receptionist
    • Fitness Instructor (Please specify specialty: __________)
    • Personal Trainer
    • Sales/Membership Consultant
    • Other (Please specify: __________)

  1. How long have you been working at LOOZIT! Fitness Center?

    • Less than 6 months
    • 6 months – 1 year
    • 1-3 years
    • More than 3 years

  2. On average, how many hours per week do you typically work?

    • Less than 20 hours
    • 20-30 hours
    • 31-40 hours
    • More than 40 hours

Section 2: Your Stress Levels

  1. Overall, how would you rate your current level of stress related to your work at LOOZIT! Fitness Center? (1 = Not at all stressed, 5 = Extremely stressed) 1 2 3 4 5

  2. Compared to the past few months, would you say your work-related stress has:

    • Significantly decreased
    • Slightly decreased
    • Stayed about the same
    • Slightly increased
    • Significantly increased

Section 3: Potential Sources of Stress

Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements regarding different aspects of your work environment. (1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree)

Workload & Time Pressure:

  1. I often feel like I have too much work to do in the time allotted. 1 2 3 4 5

  2. I frequently have to rush to complete tasks. 1 2 3 4 5

  3. My workload is evenly distributed throughout the week. 1 2 3 4 5

Client Interactions:

  1. Dealing with demanding or difficult clients is a frequent source of stress for me. 1 2 3 4 5

  2. I feel adequately supported in handling challenging client interactions. 1 2 3 4 5

  3. I have enough time to provide friendly and helpful service to clients. 1 2 3 4 5

Management & Supervision:

  1. I feel that my supervisor provides me with clear expectations. 1 2 3 4 5

  2. I receive adequate feedback on my performance. 1 2 3 4 5

  3. I feel supported by management when I have concerns. 1 2 3 4 5

  4. There are clear opportunities for professional development and growth at LOOZIT!. 1 2 3 4 5

Team & Coworker Relationships:

  1. There is a strong sense of teamwork and collaboration among staff. 1 2 3 4 5

  2. I feel supported by my colleagues. 1 2 3 4 5

  3. Conflicts among staff are handled effectively. 1 2 3 4 5

Physical Work Environment:

  1. The physical environment of the fitness center is comfortable and conducive to work. 1 2 3 4 5

  2. I have the necessary equipment and resources to perform my job effectively. 1 2 3 4 5

  3. I have adequate break times during my shifts. 1 2 3 4 5

Compensation & Benefits:

  1. I feel that my compensation is fair for the work I do. 1 2 3 4 5

  2. The benefits offered by LOOZIT! meet my needs. 1 2 3 4 5

Open-Ended Questions:

  1. What one thing about your work environment at LOOZIT! Fitness Center contributes the most to your stress?

  2. What specific changes, if any, do you think would help to reduce your stress levels and improve the overall work environment?

  3. Is there anything else you would like to share regarding your stress levels or the work environment at LOOZIT!?

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Your feedback is highly valued.

Establishing Reliability of Data Collection Methods

To establish the reliability of the three data collection methods (questionnaire, interview protocol, and observational system) designed for the LOOZIT! Fitness Center scenario, the following procedures would be undertaken:

1. Questionnaire:

To assess the reliability of the staff stress survey, I would employ the following methods:

  • Test-Retest Reliability: Administer the same questionnaire to the same group of staff members at two different points in time (e.g., two weeks apart). The time interval should be long enough to minimize recall bias but short enough that the staff’s actual stress levels and perceptions are unlikely to have changed significantly. Then, correlate the responses from the two administrations. A high positive correlation coefficient (typically above 0.70) would indicate good test-retest reliability, suggesting that the questionnaire yields consistent results over time.
  • Internal Consistency Reliability: Assess the extent to which the different items within the questionnaire that are intended to measure the same construct (e.g., workload stress, client interaction stress) are consistent with each other. This can be done using statistical measures such as Cronbach’s alpha. Cronbach’s alpha measures the average inter-item correlation within a scale. A high alpha coefficient (typically above 0.70) would indicate good internal consistency, suggesting that the items are measuring the same underlying construct reliably.
  • Split-Half Reliability: Divide the questionnaire items that measure a specific construct into two halves (e.g., odd-numbered items vs. even-numbered items). Calculate the correlation between the scores on the two halves. To estimate the reliability of the entire questionnaire, the Spearman-Brown prophecy formula is then applied. A high correlation, adjusted for the full length of the test, would suggest good reliability.

2. Interview Protocol:

To establish the reliability of the semi-structured interview protocol, focusing on the consistency of the information gathered, I would use the following methods:

  • Inter-Rater Reliability (for Interviewers): If multiple individuals were conducting the interviews (which might be the case for efficiency), I would assess the consistency between their interviewing techniques and the data they collect. This would involve:
    • Standardized Training: Ensuring all interviewers receive thorough and standardized training on the interview protocol, including question wording, probing techniques, and recording methods.
    • Pilot Testing and Calibration: Conducting pilot interviews together and discussing any discrepancies in their approaches or interpretations.
    • Co-Coding or Joint Analysis: If qualitative data is being coded, having multiple researchers independently code a subset of the interview transcripts and then calculating the level of agreement using measures like Cohen’s Kappa or percentage agreement. A high level of agreement would indicate good inter-rater reliability.
  • Test-Retest Reliability (for Participants): While more challenging with interviews, a subset of participants could be re-interviewed after a reasonable time period (similar to the questionnaire). The consistency of the themes and key information provided by the same individuals across the two interviews would be assessed. However, recall bias and potential changes in the participants’ experiences make this method less straightforward for qualitative data.
  • Transcript Reliability: Ensuring the accuracy of the interview transcripts is crucial. This involves using reliable transcription services or having multiple individuals review transcripts against the audio recordings to identify and correct any errors.

3. Observational System:

To establish the reliability of the observational system designed to assess staff demeanor and interactions with clients, I would focus on the consistency of observations made by different observers:

  • Inter-Observer Reliability: This is the most critical aspect for observational data. It involves having two or more trained observers independently observe the same staff interactions with clients using the defined observational system (e.g., a checklist of specific behaviors like smiling, making eye contact, using friendly greetings, responding to questions effectively).
    • Standardized Training: Providing comprehensive training to all observers on the specific behaviors to be observed, the operational definitions of these behaviors, and the recording procedures.
    • Pilot Testing and Calibration: Having observers practice using the system on the same interactions and then comparing their observations, discussing any discrepancies, and refining the operational definitions as needed to ensure clarity and shared understanding.
    • Calculating Agreement: During the actual data collection, periodically have observers simultaneously observe the same interactions and then calculate the level of agreement between their ratings or coding using measures like Cohen’s Kappa (for categorical data) or Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) (for continuous ratings). A high level of agreement indicates good inter-observer reliability.

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