A PRESENTATION ON QUESTIONNAIRE

Designing, Validating &

Pre-Testing A Questionnaire

A questionnaire is a set of questions for gathering

information from individuals. You can administer

questionnaires by mail, telephone, using face-to-face

interviews, as handouts, or electronically (i.e., by e- mail

or through Web-based questionnaires).

A questionnaire is a series of questions asked to

individuals to obtain statistically useful information

about a given topic. When properly constructed and

responsibly administered, questionnaires become a vital

instrument by which statements can be made about

specific groups or people or entire populations.

DEFINING A QUESTIONNAIRE

TYPES OF QUESTIONS

Open format

Ask for unprompted opinions (free to

answer)

Solicit objective data

Closed format

Multiple Choice Questions

Logical ‘yes’ or ‘no’ type

Structured

Unstructured

ADVANTAGE DISADVANTAGE

ADVANTAGE DISADVANTAGE

No place for expression

Hardly any thinking

Not much involvement

Easy to compute results

Quick and not boring

Easy to answer

Questionnaires are an inexpensive tool for data collection

Questionnaires are generally sent through mail or through investigators to respondents

But the responder remains incognito

And the method is very slow

Also non-response becomes a major problem as responders either do not return answered questionnaires or do not answer them at all!

Questionnaires can be paper-based, or electronic

STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRES (CLOSED ENDED

QUESTIONS) are based predominantly on closed questions

which produce data that can be analyzed quantitatively for

patterns and trends. The agenda is entirely predetermined by

the evaluator and provides little flexibility for respondents to

qualify their answers.

A closed question can be answered with either 'yes' or 'no'.

Yes/No Questions

Do you have a library membership card?

Yes ( )

No ( )

TYPES OF QUESTIONNAIRE AND QUESTIONS

What purpose do you visit the library? (Multiple choices)

( ) To read news papers

( ) To refer books

( ) To borrow and return books

( ) To brows Internet

Scaled questions - Responses are graded on a continuum (example: rate

the appearance of the product on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the

most preferred appearance).

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Non-structured questions, or open-ended questions, are

questions where there is no list of answer choices from

which to choose. Respondents are simply asked to write

their response to a question.

Here is an example:

An open question is likely to receive a long answer.

Example of a Non-structured Question

1. What are the facilities and services do you

expect from your library?

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

________

UNSTRUCTURED OPEN ENDED QUESTIONNAIRE

2.What are the benefits for automating a library

housekeeping functions?

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

It is best to use non-structured questions when you are

exploring new ideas and you don't really know what to

expect from the respondents.

take a mixed approach. In some situations, you may

have a partial list of answer choices, but you may still

have some doubt or uncertainty about other possible

responses. You can create a partially structured question

such as the following:

Example of a Partially Structured Question

What purpose do you use web based resources?

•For research work

•To write assignments

•To improve subject knowledge

•For the purpose of seminar presentation

Any other (Please specify): 1.________________

2. ________________

SEMI-STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRES (PARTIALLY

STRUCTURED QUESTION)

A question that is answered only if the respondent

gives a particular response to a previous question. This

avoids asking questions of people that do not apply to

them.

1. Do you have computer knowledge?

Yes ( )

No ( )

2. If ‘yes’ how long have you been using?

•From last 6 months ( )

•From last 1 year ( )

•From last 2 years ( )

•From last 3-4 years ( )

CONTINGENCY QUESTIONS

I • Define the objectives of the survey

II • Determine the sampling group

III• Write the questionnaire (language and item-

writing)

IV • Administer the questionnaire

V • Interpret the results

Ask only necessarybackground questions

Avoid sensitive and

embarrassing questions

Keep questions simple and

straightforward

Do not ask questions that turn off the

participants’ spirits

1. Question number

2. Order of Questions

3. Check the spellings of the question statements

4. Do not use offensive language

5. Avoid double-meaning Questions

6. If there are any difficult terms in the questionnaire than do explain

them

7. Avoid unnecessary questions

8. Know the academic and mental capacities of the target population

9. If there are certain personal or emotional questions ask them in the

middle or at the end

10.Don't ask for elaborate answers

11.Use polite language

12.Don't write questions that already contain the answer to the

question

13.Let the respondents know that their privacy will be ensured

CAUTIONS REGARDING QUESTIONS AND

QUESTIONNAIRE CONSTRUCTION

Good questionnaire design is a key to obtaining good

survey results. Questionnaires should be designed to

Appear as brief and small as possible. A questionnaire is

Relevant if no unnecessary for solving the business

problems is obtained . Accuracy means that the

information is valid and reliable . Question sequence is

very important to the success of the survey. The

opening

Questions should be designed to interests respondents

And keep them involved.

1 ) RESEARCH METHODS FOR BUSINESS – UMA SEKARAN

2) BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS – WILLIAM

G.ZIKMUND

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BABA SAHEB BHIMRAO AMBEDKAR CENTRAL UNIVERSITY LUCKNOW