Week-11
Questionnaire Design
Learning
Objectives
• Questionnaires and Questionnaire
Design
• Questionnaire Development Process
• Challenges to make Questionnaire
2
Revision of Last Lecture
• Ranking and Rating Scale
• Reliability and Validity
• Understand What is
Questionnaire?
Questionnaire Defined
A questionnaire is a set of questions designed to
generate the data necessary for accomplishing
the objectives of the research project.
Questionnaires
• Can be personally administered ie you
drop them off and return to collect them or
wait until they are completed.
• If posted need to
– a) make sure you know the target group and
have current addresses etc
– b) have some confidence they will return the
completed survey.
The Questionnaire’s “Position”
in the Research Process
Survey Respondent’s
Objectives Information
Questionnaire
Data
Analysis
Findings
Recommendations
Managerial
Action
Criteria for a Good Questionnaire
To design a good questionnaire, the following issues
should be considered:
Does it Provide the
Necessary Decision- Does it Consider the
Making Respondent?
Information?
Editing and Data Processing
Requirements
• Editing
– Refers to going through the questionnaire to
make certain the “skip patterns” are followed
and required questions are filled out.
– A skip pattern is the sequence in which
questions are asked.
• Open-Ended Questions
– An open-ended question is one that does not
contain prerecorded possible responses.
The Questionnaire Development
Process
Implementation
Determine Data
Collection Methods
Determine Question
Response Format
Prepare Final Copy
Determine Survey
Objectives and
Constraints Decide Question
Wording
Pretest and Revise
Obtain Approval
from all Relevant Describe
Evaluate the Questionnaire Flow
Parties
Questionnaire and and Layout
Layout
Step One: Determine Survey Objectives,
Resources, and Constraints
• Survey (information) objectives should be
spelled out as clearly and precisely as
possible.
• If this step is completed in a thorough
fashion, the rest of the process will follow
more smoothly and efficiently.
Step Two: Determine the Data Collection
Method
• We know that survey data can be
gathered, such as in-person, telephone,
mail, or self-administration.
• Each method will have an impact on
survey design.
Step Three: Determine the Question Response
Format
• Open-Ended Questions
– Open-ended questions are those in which the
respondent can reply in his or her own words.
Step Three: Determine the Question Response
Format
• Closed-Ended Questions
– A closed-ended question is one that requires
the respondent to make a selection from a list
of options.
– The primary advantage of closed-ended
questions is simply the avoidance of many of
the problems (such as subjectivity) of open-
ended questions.
Step Three: Determine the Question Response
Format
• Dichotomous Questions
– This simplest form of a closed-ended question
is the dichotomous choice.
• Example of a dichotomous question:
1. Would you rather live in a small town or a city?
A. Small Town 1
B. City 2
Step Three: Determine the Question Response
Format
• Multiple-Choice Questions
– Multiple-Choice Questions permit the
respondent to select from several alternatives.
• Example of a multiple-choice question:
1. Who do you think will win the World Series?
A. New York Yankees
B. St. Louis Cardinals
C. Los Angeles Dodgers
D. Atlanta Braves
Step Three: Determine the Question Response
Format
• Scaled-Response Questions
– Question format that permits the
measurement of the “intensity” of a
respondents’ answers.
Step Four: Decide the Question Wording
• Four Guidelines in Selecting Wording
– The wording must be clear.
– Select words so as to avoid biasing the
respondent.
– Consider the ability of the respondent to
answer the question.
– Consider the willingness of the respondent to
answer the question.
Step Five: Establish Questionnaire Flow and
Layout
• After the questions have been properly
formulated, the next step is to sequence
them and develop a layout for the
questionnaire.
• The general guidelines concerning
questionnaire flow are included in the next
slide.
How a Questionnaire Should be Organized?
After obtaining a
Use the screener
qualified respondent,
questions to Ask general
begin with a question
identify qualified questions first
that obtains a
respondents
respondent’s interest
Position sensitive,
Ask questions that
threatening, and
require “work” in Insert “prompters”
demographic
the middle of the at strategic points
questions as the
questionnaire
end
Next topic
• Questionnaire Development
Thank
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