Creating a survey instrument

Dr Nanees Ghareeb

Data Collection sources

1.Primary Data

2. Secondary Data

3. Use of lab /experimental equipment

4. Surveys: A- cross-sectional

B- longitudinal

Survey definition:

• Survey research is the collection

of data attained by asking individuals

questions either in person, on paper, by

phone or online. Conducting surveys is one

form of primary research, which is the

gathering data first-hand from its source. The

information collected may also be accessed

subsequently by other parties in secondary

research.

• Common types of surveys include interviews

and questionnaires, which are comprised of

multiple choice questionnaires, opinions and

polls. Questionnaires are distributed through

mail surveys, group administered

questionnaires or in-person drop-offs.

Questionnaire - Advantages

1.Broad coverage (local, national, international) 2. Frank and anonymous answers 3. Economical for large population 4. Less Time consuming 5. Quantitative data (easy to analyze) 6. Filling at a convenient time 7. Easy to respond (fixed responses) 8. Good for sensitive & ego-related Qs. 9. Original hard-to-obtain data

Questionnaire - Disadvantages

1. No clarification for ambiguous questions

2. Inadequate motivation to respond

3. Poorly worded or direct questions

4. Unattractive style and format

5. Low response rate

6. Inaccurate responses – no verification

7. Limited fixed responses (diff. interpretation)

8. Cannot uncover causes or relationships for attitudes, beliefs, actions

Questionnaire Types

• Mail

• Web-based

• Group

• E-mail

• Interview

Steps to help you Making your Questionnaire Survey

1. Define the problem/ survey topic

2. Use previous studies & expert advice

3. Define research questions/ objectives

4. Define study population and sample size

5. Develop a preliminary questionnaire

6. Pretest the questionnaire (similar subjects)

7. Cover letter (Introducing the study, deadline for return, guarantees for data anonymity /Informed consent)

8. Follow-up for non-respondents

Informed consent

Type of Questions 1. Factual: Age, gender, education, experience often used to investigate relationship 2. Informative: What respondents know about a given topic How do you come to know about the availability of e journals? 3. Attitudinal/Opinion: To obtain info about respondents’ beliefs, feelings, values Do you agree that current copyright law is fair? 4. Self-perception: Allows subjects to compare their ideas or actions with others How active are you in the community work? How would you describe your computing skills?

Structured Questions

(Provide a group of fixed responses

1.Dichotomous: yes/no, true/false, agree/disagree

2. Multiple Choice: What sources do you use for writing term reports? (check all that apply)

How many hours do you exercise per week (check only one response)

3. Contingency: Determine if the respondent is qualified to answer a subsequent question)

!"Do you use databases available through the library? (If no, please move to question 15) *

Likert-type Scale: 1. Each response is assigned a numeric ranking based on a continuum that contains predetermined units of measurement 2. Designed to show a differentiation among respondents opinions

Question Placement • Personal Data/demographics – age, gender,

qualification, experience

• Sequence - according to the research topic, logical flow

• Sensitive questions - should be asked only

• after trust is developed

• Difficult questions - more difficult questions should be asked at the end

Code book