Questionnaire Design

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Questionnaire Design

• Krystsina Sharambei

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Theoretical Principles of Questionnaire Design

• Questionnaire -  is a research instrument
  consisting of a series of questions and other
  prompts for the purpose of gathering information
  from respondents.
• Questionnaire Design -  refers to the design
  (text, order, and conditions for skipping) of the
  questions used to obtain the data needed for the
  survey.

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Four Theoretical Components of a Questionnaire
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Words

• The most obvious component is words. The
  researcher must carefully consider which words to
  use in creating the questions and scales for
  collecting raw data from respondents

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Questions

• Two important issues relating to question
  phrasing that have a direct impact on survey
  designs are (1) the type of question format
  (unstructured or structured) and (2) the quality
  of the question (good or bad)

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Questions
Unstructured questions Open-ended questions formatted to allow respondents to reply in their own words Structured questions Closed-ended questions that require the respondent to choose from a predetermined set of responses or scale points
Bad questions Any questions that prevent or distort the fundamental communication between the researcher and the respondents Good questions The opposite to bad questions
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Questions
Incomprehensible to the respondent because the wording, the concept, or both can not be understood. An example would be What is your attitude about the linkage between the 2002 war on the terrorists of al-Quaida in Afghanistan and the Democrats decrying of sexual McCarthyism toward improving the environment in Arizona? Unanswerable either because the respondent does not have access to the information needed or because none of the answer choices apply to the respondent. An example would be What was your parents exact annual income two years ago?
Leading in that the respondent is forced or directed into a response that she or he would not ordinarily give if all the facts of the situation were provided. An example of this would be Do you believe that Democrats who loved William Jefferson Clinton agreed he did a good job as president of the United States? Double-barreled in that they ask the respondent to address more than one issue at a time. An example would be To what extent do you agree or disagree that Monica Lewinsky and Representative Henry Hyde, R-Ill., were responsible for the impeachment vote against President Clinton?
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Questionnaire Format

• The integrated layout of sets of questions or
  scale measurements into a systematic instrument.
  The questionnaires format should allow for clear
  communication.

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Hypothesis

• A formalized statement of a testable relationship
  between two or more constructs or variables.

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Description versus Prediction

• A descriptive design allows the researcher to
  collect raw data that can be turned into facts
  about a person or object.

• A predictive questionnaires force the researcher
  to collect a wider range of state-of-mind and
  state-of-intention data that can be used in
  predicting changes in attitudes and behaviors as
  well as in testing hypotheses.

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Accuracy versus Precision

• Accuracy refers to the degree to which the data
  provide the researcher with a description of the
  true state of affairs.

• In contrast, precision in questionnaire designs
  focuses on the reproducibility of the results
  over repeated usages.

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The flowerpot approach

• This scientific approach involves a series of
  activities that have a logical, hierarchical
  order. The flowerpot notion is symbolically
  derived from the natural shape associated with a
  clay pot used for planting and growing flowers.
  The shape is wide at the top and tapered (or
  narrower) at the bottomsymbolizing a natural
  flow of data from general to specific.

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The flowerpot approach

• According to the flowerpot concept, in a good
  questionnaire design, the data will flow from a
  general information level, down to a more
  specific information level, and end with
  identification data. A questionnaire should begin
  with an introductory section that gives the
  respondent a basic idea of the main topic of the
  research. This section should also include
  general instructions for filling out the survey.
  The introductions appearance will vary with the
  desired data collection method.

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The Role of a Cover Letter

• Cover letter A separate written communication to
  a prospective respondent designed to enhance that
  persons willingness to complete and return the
  survey in a timely manner.

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• The main role of the cover letter should be that
  of winning over the respondents cooperation and
  willingness to participate in the research
  project. In other words, the cover letter should
  help persuade a prospective respondent either to
  fill out the questionnaire and return it in a
  timely fashion or to participate in the current
  interview.

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Developing of cover letter

• Factor 1. Personalization
• The cover letter should be addressed to the
  particular person who was randomly selected as a
  prospective respondent.
• Factor 2. Identification of the Organization
  Doing the Study
• Clear identification of the name of the research
  firm conducting the survey or interview decide
  on disguised or undisguised approach of revealing
  the actual client (or sponsor) of the study

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Developing of cover letter

• Factor 3. Clear Statement of the Studys Purpose
  and Importance
• Describe the general topic of the research and
  emphasize its importance to the prospective
  purpose and importance respondent.
• Factor 4. Anonymity and Confidentiality
• Give assurances that the prospective respondents
  name will not be revealed. Explain how the
  respondent was chosen, and stress that his or her
  meaningful input is important to the studys
  success.

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Developing of cover letter

• Factor 5. Time Frame
• Communicate the overall time frame of the survey
  or interview. It should state the actual
  completion time requirements and any compensation
  that might be offered.
• Factor 6. Reinforcement of the Importance of the
  Respondents Participation
• Where appropriate, communicate the importance of
  prospective respondents participation.

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Developing of cover letter

• Factor 7. Acknowledgment of Reasons for Not
  Participating in the Study
• Point out lack of leisure time, surveys
  classified as junk mail, and forgetting about
  survey reasons for not participating, and defuse
  them.
• Factor 8. Time Requirements and Compensation
• Clearly communicate the approximate time required
  to complete the survey discuss incentive
  compensations program, if any.

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• Factor 9. Completion Date and Where and How to
  Return the Survey
• Communicate to the prospective respondent all
  instructions for returning the completed how to
  return the survey questionnaire.
• Factor 10. Advance thank-you statement for
  willingness to participate
• Thank the prospective respondent for his or her
  cooperation.

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Supplement Documents Associated with Survey
Instrument Designs

• Supervisor Instructions
• A form that serves as a blueprint for training
  people on how to execute the interviewing process
  in a standardized fashion it outlines the
  process by which to conduct a study that uses
  personal and telephone interviewers

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Supplement Documents Associated with Survey
Instrument Designs

• Interviewer Instructions
• The vehicle for training the interviewer on how
  to select prospective respondents, screen them
  for eligibility, and conduct the actual interview.

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Supplement Documents Associated with Survey
Instrument Designs

• Screening forms
• A set of preliminary questions that are used to
  determine the eligibility of a prospective
  respondent for inclusion in the survey.

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Supplement Documents Associated with Survey
Instrument Designs

• Quota Sheets
• A simple tracking form that enhances the
  interviewers ability to collect raw data from
  the right type of respondents the form helps
  ensure that representation standards are met.

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Supplement Documents Associated with Survey
Instrument Designs

• Rating Cards
• Cards used in personal interviews that represent
  a reproduction of the set of actual scale points
  and descriptions used to respond to a specific
  question/setup in the survey. These cards serve
  as a tool to help the interviewer and respondent
  speed up the data collection process.

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Supplement Documents Associated with Survey
Instrument Designs

• Call Record Sheets
• A recording document that gathers basic summary
  information about an interviewers performance
  efficiency (e.g., number of attempts, number of
  completed interviews, length of time of interview)

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• Thank you for your attention!!!