Job Satisfaction Study - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Practice Test Plus 3 Academic Listening Test 4 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–40 Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
- Workers involved in the study were employed at a 31 .
- Despite some apparent differences between groups of workers, the survey results were statistically 32 .
- The speaker analysed the study’s 33 to identify any problems with it.
- The various sub-groups were 34 in size.
- Workers in the part-time group were mainly 35 .
- The 36 of workers who agreed to take part in the study was disappointing.
- Researchers were unable to 37 the circumstances in which workers filled out the questionnaire.
- In future, the overall size of the 38 should be increased.
- In future studies, workers should be prevented from having discussions with 39 .
- Workers should be reassured that their responses to questions are 40 .
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | call centre | For this purpose, employees at a call center had been asked to complete a questionnaire about their work | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the researchers chose to study people who worked at a call center by asking them to answer some questions. Answer Explanation: The answer is a place where people work by making or taking many phone calls for a business. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'call centre' because the student mentions this specific workplace when describing the people who participated in the research. He states that the individuals who completed the survey were employees at this location. |
| Q32 | inconclusive | But although these results seemed interesting and capable of being explained, perhaps the most important thing to mention here is that in statistical terms, they were inconclusive | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that even though the findings appeared to have some meaning, they were 'inconclusive' when looked at using math and statistics, meaning they didn't prove anything certainly. Answer Explanation: The answer 'inconclusive' means that the results of the study were not clear enough to provide a definite or certain answer. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'inconclusive' because the speaker mentions that while the differences found in the survey seemed interesting, they were not statistically strong or definite. The term 'inconclusive' is used to describe results that do not lead to a firm conclusion or prove a specific point. |
| Q33 | methodology / methods | So I then looked more carefully at the methodology employed by the researchers to see where there may have been problems | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the speaker checked the study's 'methodology' (the way it was done) to find the 'problems'. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the specific system or way that the study was planned and completed. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is correct because the speaker states he studied the 'methodology' to find out what went wrong. He checked the way researchers chose their groups and how they gave out the questions to find mistakes or 'problems.' |
| Q34 | unequal | Also, the numbers in the different subgroups were unequal | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states directly that the amount of people in each small group was not the same. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the groups of people in the study did not have the same number of members. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is correct because the speaker explains that when workers were divided into smaller groups, the sizes of those groups were different. For example, one group had many more people than another group. The speaker uses the word 'unequal' to describe this lack of balance in numbers. |
| Q35 | female / women | And amongst this part-time group, only 10 were male compared to 59 who were female | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that there were only 10 men in the part-time group, while there were 59 women. This confirms that the group was mainly female. Answer Explanation: The answer means that most of the people in the part-time work group were women. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "female" or "women" because the student explains that the number of people in the part-time group was not balanced between genders. He specifically mentions that there were only 10 men but 59 women in this group. Since 59 is much higher than 10, it means the group was mostly, or mainly, made up of women. Keywords like "compared to" help show this difference in numbers. |
| Q36 | response | Secondly, although quite a large number of people had been asked to take part in the survey, the response was disappointingly low | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that while many workers were invited to be in the study, the 'response' (how many people actually answered and did the survey) was smaller than expected, which was a problem. Answer Explanation: The answer 'response' refers to the count or number of people who actually replied to the invitation to participate in the study. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'response' because the speaker notes that although many people were invited to join the survey, the actual number of people who participated was very low. The word 'disappointing' in the sentence matches the speaker's use of 'disappointingly' to describe the 'response'. Keywords here are 'asked to take part' and 'low response'. |
| Q37 | control | Thirdly, as the questionnaires had been posted to the call center for distribution, the researchers had had very limited control over the conditions in which participants completed them | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that because the papers were sent to the office to be handed out, the scientists could not watch or guide the specific situations (conditions) where the workers finished the survey. Answer Explanation: The answer 'control' means to have power over something or to manage how a situation happens. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the speaker's discussion of the study's problems. He mentions that because the surveys were sent by mail (posted) rather than given in person, the researchers did not have enough power to manage or 'control' the environment where workers answered the questions. The word 'conditions' in the transcript is a synonym for 'circumstances' used in the question. |
| Q38 | sample / group | Firstly, a much larger sample should be targeted and care should be taken to ensure that equal numbers of both genders and both full and part-time workers are surveyed | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the speaker wants future studies to look for a "much larger sample," meaning they should include more people to make the study stronger. Answer Explanation: The answer means the total group of people chosen to take part in a research study. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the student's suggestions for future research. He notes that the original study had a sample size that was too small to be reliable. To fix this, he recommends that a "much larger sample" should be used next time so that the results are more accurate. |
| Q39 | their colleagues / other colleagues | Secondly, the researchers should ensure that they are present to administer the questionnaires to the workers themselves and should require the workers to complete the questionnaire under supervised conditions so that the possibility of influence from other colleagues is eliminated | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that researchers should watch the workers while they answer the questions to make sure that other people at work do not change or influence their answers. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the people who work at the same company as the study participants. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is derived from the speaker's recommendation to change how people finish the surveys. He mentions that during the previous study, workers might have been influenced by what their coworkers thought because they weren't supervised. To fix this in the future, he says workers should do the questionnaires under supervision so that they cannot be influenced by the people they work with, which means avoiding discussions with their colleagues. |
| Q40 | confidential | it's important that the researchers reassure them that their responses will remain confidential | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that because workers might be afraid to talk about their jobs while they are at work, the people doing the study must tell them specifically that their answers will stay secret. Answer Explanation: The answer 'confidential' means that the workers' answers are kept private and secret so that other people, like their bosses, cannot see them. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'confidential' because the speaker suggests ways to make workers feel more comfortable when sharing their opinions about their jobs. To make the study better, researchers must tell the workers that their answers will not be shared with anyone else. The speaker uses the word 'reassure' to explain that researchers need to give workers this promise of privacy. |
Transcript
Narrator: Test 4, section 4. You will hear a postgraduate psychology student talking to other students about a job satisfaction study he has investigated. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen and answer questions 31 to 40.
Student: Good morning, everyone. For my presentation today, I'm going to report on an assignment that I did recently. My brief was to analyze the methods used in a small study about job satisfaction and then to make recommendations for future studies of a similar kind.
The study that I looked at had investigated the relationship between differences in gender and differences in working hours and levels of job satisfaction amongst workers. For this purpose, employees at a call center had been asked to complete a questionnaire about their work. I'll summarize the findings of that study briefly now.
First of all, female full-time workers reported slightly higher levels of job satisfaction than male full-time workers. Secondly, female part-time workers reported slightly higher levels of satisfaction than female full-time ones did. On the other hand, male part-time workers experienced slightly less job satisfaction than male full-time workers.
But although these results seemed interesting and capable of being explained, perhaps the most important thing to mention here is that in statistical terms, they were inconclusive. Personally, I was surprised that the findings hadn't been more definite, because I would have expected to find that men and women, as well as full and part-time workers, would experience different levels of satisfaction.
So I then looked more carefully at the methodology employed by the researchers to see where there may have been problems. This is what I found. First of all, the size of the sample was probably too small. The overall total of workers who took part in the survey was 223, which sounds quite a lot, but they had to be divided up into subgroups. Also, the numbers in the different subgroups were unequal. For example, there were 154 workers in the full-time group but only 69 in the part-time group. And amongst this part-time group, only 10 were male compared to 59 who were female.
Secondly, although quite a large number of people had been asked to take part in the survey, the response was disappointingly low. A lot of them just ignored the invitation. And workers who did respond may have differed in important respects from those who didn't.
Thirdly, as the questionnaires had been posted to the call center for distribution, the researchers had had very limited control over the conditions in which participants completed them. For instance, their responses to questions may have been influenced by the views of their colleagues. All these problems may have biased the results.
In the last part of my assignment, I made recommendations for a similar study, attempting to remove the problems that I've just mentioned. Firstly, a much larger sample should be targeted and care should be taken to ensure that equal numbers of both genders and both full and part-time workers are surveyed.
Secondly, the researchers should ensure that they are present to administer the questionnaires to the workers themselves and should require the workers to complete the questionnaire under supervised conditions so that the possibility of influence from other colleagues is eliminated.
Finally, as workers may be unwilling to provide details of their job satisfaction when they are on work premises, it's important that the researchers reassure them that their responses will remain confidential and also that they have the right to withdraw from the study at any time if they want to. By taking measures like these, the reliability of the responses to the questionnaires is likely to be increased and any comparisons that are made are likely to be more valid.
So, that was a summary of my assignment. Does anyone have any questions?
Narrator: That is the end of section 4. You now have half a minute to check your answers. That is the end of the listening test. You now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the separate answer sheet.