Questionnaires

Questionnaires

1. Definition

   • is one that raises a series of questions to extract certain information from a group of people. The questionnaire allows to collect information and data for its tabulation, classification, description and analysis in a study or investigation.

2. Types

   • The mail survey
     • Is the most common questionnaire type. This instrument is addressed to respondents and delivered by mail, and can be an efficient way of collecting large amounts of data
   • The group-administered questionnaire
     • Is a useful instrument for collecting data from a sample of respondents who can naturally be brought together for the purpose
   • The household drop-off survey
     • Is a hybrid of the mail and the groupadministered survey. Using this approach, the researcher delivers the questionnaire by hand to a member of an identified household for collection at some later date
   • Of question
     • Closed questions
       • The most often-used form of closed question is the dichotomous question requiring a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. For example, ‘Do you wear glasses?’ is a dichotomous question: the respondent either does (responding ‘yes’) or doesn’t (responding ‘no’) wear glasses.
     • Multiple-choice or ranking questions
       • A typical multiple-choice question would be: Which of the following are important attributes of an employee? (Please tick all that apply)
     • Open-ended questions
       • The answers to open-ended questions are in no way predetermined – this can make analysis difficult. Each response must be recorded and analysed or coded to reveal the meaning of the response. A typical open-ended question would be: ‘Tell us about the area you live in?’

3. Issues

   • Maximising response rate
     • The use of a covering letter for your questionnaire
       • This should be short and should explain the research in a clear and understandable way
   • Ideal questionnaire length and time to complete
     • As a general rule of thumb, a questionnaire should take no more than about twenty minutes to complete. If a respondent is asked to give up more time than this, he or she may abandon part or all of the questionnaire
   • Piloting – using a suitable sample group
     • Frequently asked questions to detect an error in the questionnaire are:
       • Does it fall within the magical twenty minutes’ completion time? If not, are there questions you can omit? Are there any open-ended questions that can be converted to closed questions (thereby reducing the amount of time taken to complete them)?
   • Stratified sampling
     • Sometimes research work is focused upon specific sections of the student population – such as those from a given geographical region or area
   • Web-based questionnaires
     • Many questionnaires are now designed to be completed online, via the internet. They are inexpensive to produce and, if carefully developed and designed, can be automatically coded upon receipt by a specially designed analysis tool

4. Data analysis

   • Ticking boxes
   • Completing statements
   • Providing written replies according to the question type

5. Uses

   • It is used to collect information for various purposes. You can design, create, distribute, and complete questionnaires, and then analyze the results.

6. Limitations

   • Questionnaires can be difficult to design and analyse
   • Too many open-ended questions force those completing your questionnarie to put more effortinto their answers
   • The may need to be targated at specific, difficult to reach, groups
   • Should be used for focused and direct questions