Quantitative Studies -Questionnaire Surveys

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Quantitative Studies -Questionnaire Surveys
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Introduction

• The role of questionnaires.
• Questionnaire planning.
• Questionnaire wording.
• Measurement.

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The role of questionnaires

• To draw accurate information from respondents.
• To provide a standard format on which facts,
  comments and attitudes can be recorded.
• To provide a vehicle for analysis.

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The role of questionnaires

• Oppenhiem(1) wrote the world is full of well
  meaning people who believe that anyone who can
  write plain English and has a modicum of common
  sense can produce a good questionnaire
• He then spends 299 pages disproving this
  statement.

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The role of questionnaires

• Designing a good questionnaire takes a great deal
  of thought and care.

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What is a questionnaire

• A questionnaire is not a list of questions jotted
  down at random on a piece of paper.
• A questionnaire is an instrument of research and
  its function is measurement.
• What to measure?

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What to measure?

• The answers to this question come directly from
  your research outline
• Objectives
• Hypotheses.
• From these you should be able to list EVERY
  variable to be measured and how the measurements
  may be accomplished. Once these are known
  questionnaire planning can take place.

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Questionnaire planning

• In essence you need to address five issues.
• Method of data collection
• Approaching respondents
• Question sequencing (sections)
• Question ordering (for each variable)
• Question type.

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Postal Questionnaires Interviews

• Advantages
• Low cost.
• data collection
• data analysis.
• No interviewer bias.
• Ability to reach widely dispersed sample.

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Postal Questionnaires Interviews

• Disadvantages
• Low response rates
• bias/self-selecting.
• Requires literacy.
• Misunderstanding
• explanations.
• No control over respondent.
• Non-observational.

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Self/Group - administered questionnaires

• Advantages
• High response rate.
• Accurate sampling.
• Minimum interviewer bias whilst permitting
  interviewer assessments or providing necessary
  explanations.

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Self/Group - administered questionnaires

• Disadvantages
• Increased cost of data collection.
• More localised study.
• More opportunity for interviewer bias.

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Approaching respondents

• The aim of this section of the planning process
  is to maximise the response rate
• The following have been found to increase
  response rates
• Advance warning inviting participation
• Explanation (why the questions are being asked)

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Increasing response rates

• Sponsorship
• Professional layout
• Publicity (tie into a national campaign)
• Confidentiality
• Incentives - promise of feedback
• Reminders (polite)

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Increasing response rates

• Anonymity
• Appropriate length (not too long or too small)
• Relevance of the topic to respondent
• Return envelopes.

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Question sequencing

• Each variable being investigated within the
  questionnaire will be addressed by a series of
  questions.
• Sequencing is concerned with presenting the
  variables to the respondent in a logical,
  interesting and non-threatening manner, thus
  encouraging a response.

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Question ordering

• Question ordering is important when trying to
  focus responses from the broad to narrow
  (specific).
• Funneling techniques are often used to achieve
  this.
• Funnels are normally precede by filter
  questions which exclude some respondents.

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Question types

• Questions can be either open or closed.
• Open questions allow free expression.
• Closed questions limit responses
• lists
• categories
• rankings
• scales
• quantities
• grids.

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Open questions

• Advantages
• Spontaneity of answers
• Freedom of expression
• Can test hypotheses concerning awareness.

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Open questions

• Disadvantages
• Time consuming
• Difficult to analyse
• Require more effort from respondents.

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Closed questions

• Advantages
• Quick
• Easy to complete
• Easy to analyse
• Easy to make group comparisons
• Useful for testing specific hypotheses.

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Closed questions

• Disadvantages
• Loss of spontaneity
• Bias in answer categories
• Can be too crude
• May irritate respondents.

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Question wording

• Oppenhiem(1) lays down a series of rules for
  question wording.
• Length
• questions should not be to long.
• Avoid double-barreled questions
• Avoid popular sayings they tend to provoke
  emotion.

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Oppenhiem

• Include a Dont Know or Not Applicable
  category where appropriate.
• Use simple words, avoid acronyms, abbreviations
  jargon etc.
• Ask what you want to know.
• Avoid leading questions
• when did you last...
• assumes that they did!

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Forms of measurement

• There are a number of forms of measurement used
  in questionnaire surveys.

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Forms of measurement

• There are a number of forms of measurement used
  in questionnaire surveys.
• Nominal scales are used to catagorise responses
  into groups
• Do you use computers to help manage your
  maintenance work?
• Yes No

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Forms of measurement

• Ordinal scales are used to rank responses

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Forms of measurement

• Ordinal scales are used to rank responses
• How important is .......
• Essential
• Desirable
• Optional
• Irrelevant

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Forms of measurement

• Please indicate your level of agreement
  with......
• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Uncertain
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree

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Forms of measurement

• Interval scales are used when the distances
  between intervals are known (or assumed).
• Temperature measurement in either Centigrade or
  Fahrenheit is an example of an interval scale.
• One can talk of a 10oC rise in temperature but
  not that 10oC is 10 times hotter than 1oC.

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Forms of measurement

• Ratio scales are used when an absolute zero is
  known.
• What percentage of .......

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Forms of measurement

• The most important things to remember when
  selecting a scale of measurement are its
  appropriateness to the variable being tested and
  the range of statistical techniques which you
  wish to use in your analysis.

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Summary

• The role of questionnaires.
• Questionnaire planning.
• Questionnaire wording.
• Measurement.
• Next week.....
• Case Studies.