INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW

1. DEFINITION

   • Complex process which involves presenting questions in a clear and unambiguous way so that the respondent may interpret them, articulate his or her response and transmit it effectively to the researcher.

2. USES

   • Questionnaires can be designed and used to collect vast quantities of data from a variety of respondents.
     • An effective questionnaire is one that enables the transmission of useful and accurate information or data from the respondent to the researcher.

3. TYPES

   • There are three broad types of questionnaire
     • The mail survey
     • The group-administered questionnaire
     • The household drop-off survey.
   • Types of questions
     • Questionnaires usually are comprised of a number of different approaches to asking questions; the essential ones being:
       • Closed questions
       • Multiple-choice or ranking questions
       • Open-ended questions

4. ISSUES

   • Maximising response rates
   • Ideal questionnaire length and time to complete
   • Piloting-using a suitable sample group
   • Stratified sampling
   • Web-based questionnaires

5. LIMITATIONS

   • Wrong wording of leading questions suggest that it would be wrong to answer in some particular way
   • Complicated questions seek to gather a great deal of information
   • Ambiguous or unclear questions, questionnaire are unlikely to be as familiar with your core research topic
   • Too many open-ended questions force those completing your questionnaire to put more effort into their answers,

6. ANALYSIS OF DATA

   • Most questionnaires require respondents to register replies to questions by ticking boxes, completing statements, or by providing written replies according to the question type.
     • Answers or responses are coded (i.e. reduced to a number) by the researcher. This allows the data from questionnaires to be gathered quickly and then presented in a form more useable for subsequent analysis.
     • It is far easier for a researcher to enter ‘1’ or ‘2’ When coding responses to questionnaires researchers often develop ‘coding frames’
     • Coding in this way makes data analysis much easier for the researcher. A great deal of questionnaire data can be quickly analysed and reported on by using this approach. The process becomes much quicker if computer software is used for entering questionnaire data into a pre-defined database.

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