CENTRAL PHILIPPINE UNIVERSITY College of Law Jaro, lloilo City Juris Doctor Program Thesis Writing HANDOUTSWORKSHOP NO. 9 INSTRUMENT Steps in the Construction of an Interview Schedule or a Questionnaire 4 i ‘There are six steps in the preparation of an interview schedule or a questionnaire: 1) determining what information to collect, 2) organizing or grouping the information items under topic Of subject headings, 3) formulating the questions, 4) formatting the instrument, 5) modifying and pre-testing the instrument, and 6) improving and finalizing the instrument. STEP ONE: Determining What Information to Collect In designing a research instrument, the designer should know exactly what information or data need to be collected to attain the study objectives. Only relevant items or questions must be included in. the instrument. To ensure that all the needed data can be collected using the instrument and that no unnecessary question is asked, the designer just do the following before constructing the instrument: : 1. review the objectives of the study, 2. identify the specific variables the study intends to measure specify the measures or indicators to be used for each variable, and 4. identify the question items for each variable and indicator. One effective way of identifying all the information to collect is by creating a table of specifigations that shows the, study objectives, the specific variables in each objective, the operational definition or list of indicators of cach variable, and the specific data to be collected. i 4 The following table of specifications illustrates what specific” information will be collected in the study on: “Fathers’ Participation in the School Activities of their Elementary School Children: Its Influence on Academic Performance.” ’ It will be noted that the data required ate all based on the objectives of the study and the operational definition of the | study variables, FfTable of Specifications Objective Variables Indicator’s Operatiot definition 1. Todetermine.the | Extent of Whether fathers ate extent of fathers” participation in school activities of their children, fathers’ partici- pation in school activities of their children. involved or not in their children’s school activities; é ‘Type of acti 8 they’ are involved 4 Amount of “time ‘they: spend in their children’s, |: school activities if ‘children’s: a activities Specifié types of activities fathers were inyolved in! ‘No/ of houirs fathers -spend in each activity age, educational attainment and occupation status Attainment Occupation status education completed Major work-where fathers spend most of their time Secondary occtipation & other sources of income No, of fiours spent ia each work per week 5 2. To determine Age ‘Age as of last birthday Birthday: whether their Guin/ad/year © | extent of ‘Age in Years.” participation varies : Rae according to their | Educational Highest level. of School, last attended ‘Year last attended Highest level/degtee ‘completed ee Whether gaitifully working oF not,” Major occupation Secondary. source/s | ofincome | 3. To determine whether father’s extent of participation their children’s school work is related to their children’s school performance. Children’s school performance ‘Average of each) ee grades in all the academi subjects taken. ating ‘SY. “Average of, grate: PS jects taken ond | Grade} in each subject all subjects >STEP TWO: Grouping the Information Items (in outline form) Based on the table of specifications prepared, the topics and itechs should be grouped under subject or topic headings. In doing so, the following are suggested: 1. Group together related topics or items. 2. Arrange topics/items in a particular sequence, “such as chronological, logical, from easiest to most difficult to answer, or from general to specific. 3. Include items on respondent identification and general i biographical information, if not included as study variables. Ilustratio: { For the problem illustrated in Step One, the topies and items may be outlined as follows: A. Respondent’s Identification | 1. Name: 2. Address 3. Child’s Name: 4. Child’s Year Level: : B, Personal Characteristics 1, Age: Birthday in month/day/year 2, Educational attainment : School last attended; Year last attended; Highest level/degree completed 3. Occupation and Income a. Occupation: major and secondary b. Hours spent in major and secondary work per week ©. Income fig major and secondary occupation per month Participation in_School Activities T, Involvement Status G Types of activities involved in last SY i Frequency and amount of time involvement ance of Child lemic Perforn Subjects taken Grade in each subject Average grade Sih D.A 1STEP THREE: Formulating the Questions Based on the items and topics outlined in Step Two, decide on the kind of questions to be asked and how they will be worded. » I Questions may be closed-ended or open-ended. i *>Closed ended questions are provided fixed alternative respofises. To facilitate recording and data processing later, the alternative responses are usually pre-coded. Example: What is your civil status? 1 Single Married Widowed wn *>Open-ended questions are not provided fixed alternative responses. Respondents are expected to respond to the questions in their own words and their answers are recorded verbatim in the instrument by the data collector. Adequate space for the response is provided in the instrument Example In your perception, what factors can affect a person’s work performance? In formulating the questions, the following are suggested: 1. Use simple language that can be casily understood by the respondent. 2. If respondents cifnnot easily understand English, translate the questions in the dialect of the respondents. 3. Avoid double barreled questions (with double meaning) Example: Do you like coffee and tei? (Respondent, may like coffee, but not tea, or tea, but not coffee.) Better: Do you like coffee? What about tea?4. Avoid “leading” questions--those that give hint/s to ithe respondent as to what answer to give. A Example: Which section of a magazine do you read first? 1 Cover 4 News Items: 7 Features 2 Comics 5 Entertainment 8 Critiques 3 Editorial 6 News 9 Others (Note: Even if a respondent does not read magazines, he/she will be led to answer the question.) , Better: Do you read magazines? If yes, which part do you usually read first? 5. Provide enough space for recording of responses for open-eniled questions. STEP FOUR: Formatting the Instrument An interview schedule/questionnaire must be formatted in such a way that it is easy to read and answer. Decide on the physical format and submit the trial draft to experts or consultants for criticisms and suggestions. In formatting a questionnaire/interview schedule, the following are suggested Avoid crowding of questions and alternative responses. Write the questions using at least Font 12 character size. Arrange the questions as outlined, following hierarchy of items} Provide adequate space for answers. Align parallel responses or codes of a group of responses. *©Make sure that all the important information of the study is askedIlustration of Steps Three and Four Respondent's dent ification Pah | Address, 3 | Child’s name. Personal Character t a How old were you on your. last bi | B2 | When — were you. br DAY AND.YEAR) > >>> BRE | st bi i MG B3 | | [B4 t B.5S._| When was the last'year you! ‘weré In Schoo!’ 'B.6 | What is your main source of livelihood? B.7 | How much is you monthly: gross your major occupation? = | Do you have other sources off “Bo. | IF yes, What are .your other. Sc income? s "B.10. | How much do you ear monthly” from other sources of ineome? f BAIT. | How much, is your total ine sources? aeSTEP FIVE: Modifying and Pretesting the Instrument The instrument must be pre-tested on individuals with more‘or less similar characteristics as the study respondents. The number ‘of pretest respondents should be at least 5 percent of the size of the sample population. The results of the pretest must be considered in revising and modifying the instrument. In revising the instrument, the designer of the-instrument should watch out for items with: 2 ¥ incomplete answers ¥ inconsistent answers ¥ vague answers ¥ no answers STEP SIX: Improving and Finalizing the Instrument Based on the results of the pretest, the instrument must be modified and improved. In doing so, the following are suggested. 1. Determine the exact space, page by page, to be occupied pby identification data, question, replies, and interviewers instructions. vw Finalize the lay-out, considering the type and size of font, spaces for responses, and instructions. \sk consultants to comment on the content and format. Weigh thg recommendations and suggestions given and make the changes called for. 5 4. Prepare the final draft. Revise format, if necessary. Make sure there , is sufficient space for recording the responses. Insure that answers can be recorded properly in the right places.An Excerpt from a Self-Administered Questionnaire anstrumentati: Research Title: “Profile of Bank Executives in Region VI” A. Respondents’ Personal Characteristics (FOR QUESTIONS PROVIDED. WITH PRECODED* RESPONSES, | JUST ENCIRCLE THE NUMBER CORRESPONDING TO. ap ANSWER) : 1. Sex Male ae 3 Female 2._ How old were you on your last birthday? | 3. What is your civil status? 1 | Single 2 | Married 3 | Widowed pi 4 | Separated aa | how many children do you have? ie | what is the main occupation of 0 | None | your husband? 1 | Manager/Admin 2 | Professional 3. | Business i 4 | Office Employee ae 5:| Others 4 || 4. What is your highest educational attainment? 1 | Bachelor's degree 2 | Master’s Degree 3 | Doctorate’s Degree 5. How long have you worked in this bank? (NO. OF YEARS AND MONTHS) 6. How long have you been manager of this bank? (NO. OF YEARS AND MONTHS) 17. Beltre you became manager, what was your last | T ] Manager in another position? bank i % 2 | Division Chief Supervisor i 3 | Others i [of the ba | |'8. Has your being a woman affected your work _as manager of this bank? | [7On the average, how much do you approximately earn per monih as mandger (ate Ee a : No | (9 If yes, in what way? (GIVE AT LEAST TWO AWE Yes 10. If no, why?EVALUATION A. Key. Terms to Remember Questionnaire Content validity Interview Schedule Criterion-related Validity Focus Group Discussion (FGD) — Construct-related Validity Validity Probing Reliability Coding B. Questions for Discussion . What are the different kinds of instruments used in collecting data? Distinguish one from the other . 2. What are the steps involved in the preparation of a questionnaire and an interview schedule? w . What is meant by validity of an instrument, what about reliability? cS How can one ensure that instruments used are valid and reliable? wa . List some qualitative information that you want to collect to enrich your survey data. How do you plan to collect this? 6. What are the different ways of determining the reliability of an instrument? Describe how.WORKSHOP NO. 9 A. Instructions: Based on the objectives of your study, the variables you have identified and: their operational definition, do the following: 1. Prepare a table of specifications using the suggested format. 3. Prepare a topic outline for the research instrument (questionnaire or interview schedule) to be prepared 4, Formulate a questionnaire or interview schedule based on the table of specifications and outline. If possible, provide precoded responses to questions, if alternative responses are known 5. Pretest the questionnaire/interview schedule on at least three respondents and revise it based on the pretest results. 6. Print and submit the final questionnaire/interview schedule