Distance no longer a barrier : using the internet as a survey tool in educational research

The existence of the World Wide Web clearly provides new horizons for educational research. In particular, one aspect still in its infancy, is the use of the Web to access individuals as research subjects, which is emerging as a major, new research tool. This paper discusses the processes involved in developing online surveys and how these may be administered to participants in a research study however dispersed they may be, provided there is access to the Internet. Although there are distinct advantages in using the Internet as the interface between researcher and researched, there are difficulties too, and these are considered as a practical guide to undertaking data collection via the Web. [Author abstract]