collecting research data with questionnaires and interviews

Collecting Research Data with Questionnaires and Interviews

Longstreet, Walker, & Winters

Questionnaires and Interviews as Data Collection Methods

• Questionnaires are printed forms that ask the same questions of all individuals in the sample and for which respondents record their answers in verbal form.

• Interviews consist of oral questions asked by the interviewer and oral responses by the research participants.

Selecting a Method to Use

• Advantages of Questionnaires include:• The cost of sampling respondents is lower• Less time is involved in collecting data

• A major disadvantage of questionnaires is that there no ability to probe respondents regarding their responses.

Selecting a Method to Use

• Advantages of Interviews include:• Interviews are adaptable.• Interviewers can follow up with a respondents

answer to ask why they believe, feel, or responded accordingly.

• Disadvantage:• Time • Cost for training and observation equipment

Steps in Constructing Questionnaires and Interviews

Questionnaires1. Define the Research

Objectives2. Select the Sample3. Design the questionnaire4. Pilot Test the questionnaire5. Pre-contacting the Sample6. Write a Cover Letter7. Follow Up with Non-

respondents8. Analyzing the Questionnaire

data

Interviews1. Define the Purpose of the

Interview2. Select the Sample3. Designing the Interview

Format4. Developing Questions5. Selecting and Training6. Pilot-testing7. Conducting the Interview8. Analyzing Interview Data

Steps in Constructing and Administering a Research Questionnaire

Step 1: Define objectives.Consider the following questions:

• What is the time frame of your interests?• What is the geographical location of your interests?• Are you interested in a broad descriptive study or do

you want specify and compare different subgroups?• What aspect of the topic do you want to study?• How abstract is your interest?


Step 2: Selecting a SampleConsideration:

• Conduct background analysis on the desired group to ensure they have the desired knowledge of the situation being studied.


Step 3: Designing the Questionnaire Considerations:

• Anonymity of respondents- will respondents be anonymous? Advantage of this type of questionnaire is that you usually get more honest responses.

• Item Form- using language that is understood by your respondents. Some words have several meanings, be cautious.

• Also, consider whether you will have open or closed form responses.

• Use of Questionnaire in the Measurement of Attitudes- the most common approach to measurement of attitudes with questionnaires is to use a Likert scale.

• Web Questionnaires- often used to offset costs and can be interactive which respondents often respond well to.


Step 4: Pilot-Testing the QuestionnaireConsiderations:• Pilot- testing can allow the respondents to let you know what

they liked and did not like about the questionnaire.

• In addition, the pilot testing can let you measure the data collected to ensure the questions are measuring your proposed hypotheses.


Step 5: Pre-contacting the SampleConsiderations: • Always pre-contact the sample to introduce yourself,

the purpose of the study, and ask for participation and cooperation.

• Do not send the questionnaire with this letter or postcard.


Step 6: Writing a Cover LetterConsiderations:• The cover letter must emphasis the importance of the research.• If you can link the research with a professional organization

which the respondents can identify with is recommended.• The cover letter should explain the date the questionnaire is

due on or before.• The cover letter should insure confidentiality and discuss any

informed consent the study will maintain or disclose.• The cover letter should again thank the participant for their

time.


Step 7: Following Up with Non-respondentsConsiderations:• Contact those who did not respond• Use a follow-up letter with another questionnaire

• Different approach:• Personal letter, postcard, questionnaire--keep importance

of study & value of individual’s contribution• Ask yourself:

• How would the results differ if all respondents had returned the questionnaire?

• More than 20% missing?• Sample may not represent the population to which the

findings will be generalized


Step 8: Analyzing Questionnaire DataConsiderations:• Qualitative research- forced-choice answers can be coded &

entered into the Ecstatic analysis program for quantitative data.

• Comments & open-ended answers can be entered into a program to help code and sort respondents’ words to find patterns

• Quantitative data can be analyzed by using statistical methods.

Steps in Preparing & Conducting Research Interviews

3 Major Types of Research Interviews1. Key informant interview-Collecting data from individuals who

have special knowledge or perceptions2. Survey Interviews- supplementing data that have been

collected by other methods.A. Confirmation survey interview-structured; confirms

earlier findingsB. Participant construct interview- shows how informants

structure their physical & social worldC. Projective techniques- present ambiguous stimuli to

elicit subconscious perceptions3. Focus Group Interviews-interviewing a group of individuals


Step 1: Define the PurposeConsiderations:

• Level of structure• Types of questions• Interviewer qualifications


Step 2: Select the Sample

Quantitative • Probability Sampling• Simple Random• Systematic Random • Stratified Random• Cluster Sampling• Convenience Sampling

Qualitative• Purposeful Sampling• Typical Case Sampling• Maximum Variation• Stratified Purposeful• Homogeneous

Sampling


QuantitativeConsiderations:

• Unstructured Interview• Semi-structured

Interview• Structured interview

QualitativeConsiderations: • Informal conversational

interview• General interview guide

approach• Standardized open-ended

interview• Telephone Interviews• Computer-assisted

telephone interviews• Web Interviews

Step 3: Design an Interview Format


Step 4: Develop QuestionsConsiderations:• Unstructured interview in Quantitative & Informal

conversational interview in qualitative research involve on-the-spot formulation of questions.

• In unstructured interviews, the formulation of good questions depend on the interviewer’s ability.

• In structured interviews, guides are best.


Step 5: Selecting and Training InterviewersConsiderations:• You will need to decide

how many interviewers to employ and whether they must include special qualities.

• The most important selection criterion is the interviewer’s ability to relate to respondents positively.

• Distinctive respondents—researchers need to address and be sensitive to differences as it relates to gender, class, race, etc. of participants

• Respondents as interviewers—some researchers recommend selecting interviewers from the respondent target population


Step 6: Pilot-Testing the InterviewConsiderations:• The interview guide should be pilot-tested to ensure

that they will yield unbiased data. • The pilot test can be used to identify threatening

questions.• Interviewers should consider selecting a subgroup

from the pilot sample to check the wording of interview questions.

• Validity can be threatened when one question is interpreted differently by different respondents.


Accessing the setting

How they phrase their requests for participation and respond to potential interviewees’ questions

Understanding respondents’ language and culture

Interviewer must decide which aspects of the respondent’s behavior to focus on during the interview (nonverbal communication)

Deciding how to present oneself

Interviewer needs to decide what type of personal image to present to respondents

Step 7: Conducting the Interview


Locating an informant

Find an insider to translate the cultural mores and language of the group from whom the interviewees are selected

Gaining trust If sensitive topics are the focus of the research study, the interviewer will need to establish a deep level of trust in order to obtain the desired data

Establishing rapport

The interviewer needs to decide how much rapport to establish with each respondent. Stronger rapport is necessary if interviewer wishes the respondent to reveal deeply personal or sensitive information.

Step 7: Conducting the Interview


Step 8: Analyzing Interview Data

• The analysis of responses to open-form questions requires the development of a category system.

• George Kuh’s study involved a five-step procedure that used a semi-structured interview guide. Each mention of an outcome in an interview was coded as an instance of a particular category.

• In using the grounded theory approach, a researcher would use constant comparison to compare entries within and across categories. The researcher would be likely to generate constructs, themes, and patterns from the categorical data.

Collecting Research Data with Questionnaires and Interviews

Summary

• Questionnaires and interviews can be used to collect data about phenomena that is not directly observable (e.g. inner experiences, opinions, values, interests, etc.)

• They are more convenient to use than direct observation when used for collecting data on observable behavior.

• Both have advantages and disadvantages that the researcher must consider.

• Both require similar steps of design in terms of data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

• Planning is key for both in terms of training and equipment need to successfully conduct the study.

References

Gall, Meredith D., Gall, Joyce P., & Borg, Walter R. (2007). Educational research (8th Edition), A B Longman Publishing, ISBN: 0-321-08189-7

collecting research data with questionnaires and interviews

Documents

qualitative research

anonymity of respondents

type of questionnaire

questionnaire isdue

interview data data

sort respondents words

cost of sampling respondents

advantages of questionnaires