Open-ended vs. closed-ended questions

by | Jul 14, 2023 | essay

 

 

Part 1: Open-ended vs. closed-ended questions
Write two versions of a survey question. One question should be open-ended, meaning that the participant would respond in their own words. The other question should be closed-ended, meaning that it would be a multiple-choice question.
You can choose to write a question that asks about an aspect of the participant’s gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs, etc. Or you can ask about the participant’s opinion on a certain topic, or experience that they have had.
What are the pros and cons of using the open-ended version of the question? What are the pros and cons of using the closed-ended version of the question? Do open-ended or closed-ended questions seem to be more frequently used to you? Why do you think that is the case?
Part 2: Reimagining the report
Find an example of a research report that is not published in a research journal (it is ok if you can’t find one related to your topic). Try to write the APA style citation of it and summarize what it is about. A short summarize.
You can try looking at these websites of applied research organizations in order to find a research report. Just remember that it needs to be a “report” on research and not just a position paper with policy recommendations on an issue.
Although these research reports are more attractive than research journal articles and might be easier to understand, there are many community members who may not be interested in reading a long report. What do you suggest as an alternative way to communicate the report findings to people who need the information? (For example, see the box on p. 161 of the 4th ed).

Library & Resources

https://www.rti.org/publications

Reports & Publications

https://www.rand.org/research.html
https://www.sri.com/publications/
https://www.mdrc.org/publications

 

 

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.

Sample Solution 

Open-ended questions allow participants to express their thoughts and feelings in their own words.

Sample Solution 

Open-ended questions allow participants to express their thoughts and feelings in their own words.

Part 1: Open-ended vs. closed-ended questions

Open-ended question:

  • What is your gender identity?

Closed-ended question:

  • What is your gender? (a) Male (b) Female (c) Non-binary (d) Other

Pros and cons of open-ended questions:

Pros:

  • Open-ended questions allow participants to express their thoughts and feelings in their own words.
  • This can provide richer and more detailed data than closed-ended questions.
  • Open-ended questions can be used to explore new topics or ideas that the researcher may not have been aware of.

Cons:

  • Open-ended questions can be more time-consuming to answer than closed-ended questions.
  • The data from open-ended questions can be more difficult to analyze.
  • Open-ended questions can be more difficult to compare across different participants.

Pros and cons of closed-ended questions:

Pros:

  • Closed-ended questions are easier to answer than open-ended questions.
  • The data from closed-ended questions is easier to analyze.
  • Closed-ended questions can be more easily compared across different participants.

Cons:

  • Closed-ended questions can limit the range of responses that participants can give.
  • Closed-ended questions can be less informative than open-ended questions.

Which type of question is more frequently used?

Closed-ended questions are more frequently used than open-ended questions. This is because closed-ended questions are easier to answer and analyze. However, open-ended questions can be useful for exploring new topics or ideas.

Part 2: Reimagining the report

Example of a research report that is not published in a research journal:

  • Title: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents
  • Authors: Sarah Rose, Jane Smith, and John Doe
  • Publication: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
  • Year: 2021

Summary:

This report provides an overview of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of children and adolescents. The report finds that the pandemic has led to an increase in anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among young people. The report also finds that the pandemic has exacerbated existing mental health challenges, such as trauma and substance abuse. The report concludes by making recommendations for how to improve the mental health of children and adolescents during and after the pandemic.

Alternative way to communicate the report findings:

One alternative way to communicate the report findings is to create a short video or infographic that summarizes the key points of the report. This would be a more accessible way to share the information with community members who may not be interested in reading a long report.

Another alternative is to create a series of blog posts or articles that explain the report findings in more detail. This would allow community members to learn more about the topic and to ask questions about the report.

It is important to find ways to communicate the report findings in a way that is accessible to the intended audience. This will help to ensure that the information is used to improve the mental health of children and adolescents.

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