Questionnaires Learning objectives : To learn what a questionnaire is Explain how to design of questionnaires Identify some advantages and disadvantages of questionnaires

What is a questionnaire? A form or a way to – collect answers to questions – collect factual data – gathers information or measures it A series of written questions/items in a rational order

Example – What sort of leader are you? Как мы должны относиться к другим людям? a)Ко всем людям нужно относиться одинаково независимо от возраста, пола, цвета кожи b)Мы должны относится к людям уважительно до тех пор, пока они понимают правила, по которым мы живем. c)Мы должны относится к друзьям/соседям/землякам как к братьям – объединенным как одна нация.

Advantages of questionnaires Can reach a large number of people relatively easily and economically Provide quantifiable answers that can be counted Relatively easy to analyse figures For example in the quiz 5 people answer A, 2 people answered B and only 1 answered C

Questionnaire can reach people by Face to face questions Telephone questions By post /Internet

The Major Decisions in Questionnaire Design 1. What should be asked? 2. How should each question be phrased? 3. In what sequence should the questions be arranged? 4. What questionnaire layout will best serve the research objectives? 5. How should the questionnaire be pre-tested? Does the questionnaire need to be revised?

Questionnaires can be standardizednon-standardized

In standardized questionnaires questions and answers are defined and several variants are given. E.g: Is it necessary,in your opinion, to decrease the number of children programmes on TV? A) It should be increased b)it should be decreased c) existing programmes should be left d) no answer

In non-standardized questionnaires, you are asked to give your own opinion. E.g: Please, give your associations with the following words a)Laundry detergent b)Tide c)Washing process d)Ariel

Making a Questionnaire Prepare a draft Pretest Revise Shorten and revise again Make a short questionnaire to find which cellphone the most popular in your class

Cell phone questionnaire Which cell phone do you have? A – Samsung B – I Phone C – Nokia D – HTC Please tick one box

Quality aims in survey research Goal is to collect information that is: Valid: measures the quantity or idea that is supposed to be measured Reliable: measures the quantity or idea in a consistent or reproducible manner Unbiased: measures the quantity or concept in a way that does not systematically under- or overestimate the true value

General Principles Open-ended questions Generate answers that are more information-rich Generate answers that are more difficult to categorize and analyze Closed questions generate answers that are specific and easy to count Closed questions can lead to incorrect answers