7.

Questionaire

What Is a Questionnaire?

A questionnaire is a research tool featuring a series of questions used to collect useful information from
respondents. These instruments include either written or oral questions and comprise an interview-style
format. Questionnaires may be qualitative or quantitative and can be conducted online, by phone, on
paper or face-to-face, and questions don’t necessarily have to be administered with a researcher
present.

Questionnaires feature either open or closed questions and sometimes employ a mixture of both. Open-
ended questions enable respondents to answer in their own words in as much or as little detail as they
desire. Closed questions provide respondents with a series of predetermined responses they can choose
from.

2. Disadvantage and advantages

Advantages of Questionnaires

Some of the many benefits of using questionnaires as a research tool include:

Practicality: Questionnaires enable researchers to strategically manage their target audience, questions
and format while gathering large data quantities on any subject.

Cost-efficiency:You don’t need to hire surveyors to deliver your survey questions — instead, you can
place them on your website or email them to respondents at little to no cost.

Speed: You can gather survey results quickly and effortlessly using mobile tools, obtaining responses and
insights in 24 hours or less.

Comparability: Researchers can use the same questionnaire yearly and compare and contrast research
results to gain valuable insights and minimize translation errors.

Scalability: Questionnaires are highly scalable, allowing researchers to distribute them to demographics
anywhere across the globe.

Standardization: You can standardize your questionnaire with as many questions as you want about any
topic.

Respondent comfort:When taking a questionnaire, respondents are completely anonymous and not
subject to stressful time constraints, helping them feel relaxed and encouraging them to provide truthful
responses.
Easy analysis: Questionnaires often have built-in tools that automate analyses, making it fast and easy to
interpret your results.

Disadvantages of Questionaires

Questionnaires also have their disadvantages, such as:

Answer dishonesty:Respondents may not always be completely truthful with their answers — some may
have hidden agendas, while others may answer how they think society would deem most acceptable.

Question skipping: Make sure to require answers for all your survey questions. Otherwise, you may run
the risk of respondents leaving questions unanswered.

Interpretation difficulties: If a question isn’t straightforward enough, respondents may struggle to

interpret it accurately. That’s why it’s important to state questions clearly and concisely, with
explanations when necessary.

Survey fatigue: Respondents may experience survey fatigue if they receive too many surveys or a
questionnaire is too long.

Analysis challenges: Though closed questions are easy to analyze, open questions require a human to
review and interpret them. Try limiting open-ended questions in your survey to gain more quantifiable
data you can evaluate and utilize more quickly.

Unconscientious responses: If respondents don’t read your questions thoroughly or completely, they
may offer inaccurate answers that can impact data validity. You can minimize this risk by making
questions as short and simple as possible.

3.guidelines

Questionnaire Design - Guidelines on how to design a good questionnaire

A good questionnaire should not be too lengthy. Simple English should be used and the question
shouldn’t be difficult to answer. A good questionnaire requires sensible language, editing, assessment,
and redrafting.

Questionnaire Design Process

State the information required- This will depend upon the nature of the problem, the purpose of the
study and hypothesis framed. The target audience must be concentrated on.

State the kind of interviewing technique- interviewing method can be telephone, mails, personal
interview or electronic interview. Telephonic interview can be computer assisted. Personal interview can
be conducted at respondent’s place or at mall or shopping place. Mail interview can take the form of
mail panel. Electronic interview takes place either through electronic mails or through the internet.

Decide the matter/content of individual questions- There are two deciding factors for this-

Is the question significant? - Observe contribution of each question. Does the question contribute for
the objective of the study?

Is there a need for several questions or a single question? - Several questions are asked in the following
cases:

When there is a need for cross-checking

When the answers are ambiguous

When people are hesitant to give correct information.

Overcome the respondents’ inability and unwillingness to answer- The respondents may be unable to
answer the questions because of following reasons-

The respondent may not be fully informed

The respondent may not remember

He may be unable to express or articulate

The respondent may be unwilling to answer due to-

There may be sensitive information which may cause embarrassment or harm the respondent’s image.

The respondent may not be familiar with the genuine purpose

The question may appear to be irrelevant to the respondent

The respondent will not be willing to reveal traits like aggressiveness (For instance - if he is asked “Do
you hit your wife, sister”, etc.)

To overcome the respondent’s unwillingness to answer:

Place the sensitive topics at the end of the questionnaire

Preface the question with a statement

Use the third person technique (For example - Mark needed a job badly and he used wrong means to
get it - Is it right?? Different people will have different opinions depending upon the situation)

Categorize the responses rather than asking a specific response figure (For example - Group for income
levels 0-25000, 25000-50000, 50000 and above)
Decide on the structure of the question- Questions can be of two types:

Structured questions- These specify the set of response alternatives and the response format. These can
be classified into multiple choice questions (having various response categories), dichotomous questions
(having only 2 response categories such as “Yes” or “No”) and scales (discussed already).

Unstructured questions- These are also known as open-ended question. No alternatives are suggested
and the respondents are free to answer these questions in any way they like.

Determine the question language/phrasing- If the questions are poorly worded, then either the
respondents will refuse to answer the question or they may give incorrect answers. Thus, the words of
the question should be carefully chosen. Ordinary and unambiguous words should be used. Avoid
implicit assumptions, generalizations and implicit alternatives. Avoid biased questions. Define the issue
in terms of who the questionnaire is being addressed to, what information is required, when is the
information required, why the question is being asked, etc.

Properly arrange the questions- To determine the order of the question, take decisions on aspects like
opening questions (simple, interesting questions should be used as opening questions to gain co-
operation and confidence of respondents), type of information (Basic information relates to the
research issue, classification information relates to social and demographic characteristics, and
identification information relates to personal information such as name, address, contact number of
respondents), difficult questions (complex, embarrassing, dull and sensitive questions could be difficult),
effect on subsequent questions, logical sequence, etc.

Recognize the form and layout of the questionnaire- This is very essential for self-administered
questionnaire. The questions should be numbered and pre-coded. The layout should be such that it
appears to be neat and orderly, and not clattered.

Reproduce the questionnaire- Paper quality should be good. Questionnaire should appear to be
professional. The required space for the answers to the question should be sufficient. The font type and
size should be appropriate. Vertical response questions should be used, for example:

Do you use brand X of shampoo ?

Yes

No

Pre-test the questionnaire- The questionnaire should be pre-tested on a small number of respondents to
identify the likely problems and to eliminate them. Each and every dimension of the questionnaire
should be pre-tested. The sample respondents should be similar to the target respondents of the survey.
Finalize the questionnaire- Check the final draft questionnaire. Ask yourself how much will the
information obtained from each question contribute to the study. Make sure that irrelevant questions
are not asked. Obtain feedback of the respondents on the questionnaire.

8. Interview

What is interview

An interview is a qualitative research method that relies on asking questions in order to collect data.
Interviews involve two or more people, one of whom is the interviewer asking the questions.

There are several types of interviews, often differentiated by their level of structure. Structured
interviews have predetermined questions asked in a predetermined order. Unstructured interviews are
more free-flowing, and semi-structured interviews fall in between.

Interviews are commonly used in market research, social science, and ethnographic research.

Functions of participants

-they serve as a respondents in taking/answering questions given by an interviewer.

Disadvamtage amd advantage

Advantages and disadvantages of interviews

Type of interview Advantages Disadvantages

Structured interview

Can be used for quantitative research

Data can be compared

High reliability and validity

Time-effective for the interviewer and the respondent

Researcher can’t ask additional questions for more clarification or nuance

Limited scope: you might miss out on interesting data

Due to the restricted answer options, people might have to choose the “best fit”

Semi-structured interview
Can be used in quantitative research

Relatively high validity

You can ask additional questions if needed

Lower validity than the structured interview

You need to have good conversational skills to get the most out of the interview

Preparation is time-consuming

Unstructured interview

You can ask additional questions if needed

Respondents might feel more at ease

You can collect rich, qualitative data

Can be used if little is known about the topic

Low reliability and validity

You need to have excellent conversational skills to keep the interview going

Easy to get sidetracked

Hard to compare data

Preparation is very time-consuming

Focus group

Efficient method, since you interview multiple people at once

Respondents are often more at ease

Relatively cost-efficient

Easier to discuss difficult topics

You can ask a limited number of questions due to time constraints

You need good conversational and leadership skills

There is a higher risk of social desirability bias

You can’t guarantee confidentiality, since there are multiple people present
4. Steps necessary n interview
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE RESEARCH INTERVIEWS
Make sure the research question is clear.
Develop a check list of the questions to be asked during the interview.
Express clearly the purpose of the interview.
Start with a neutral question to facilitate free flow of information.
Use open-ended questions so that the respondent can choose his answer.
Limit the content of each question with a single idea to avoid confusion.
Reduce questions that give responses of `yes' or `no', because they give limited information.
Do not influence the respondent by asking leading questions.
If you have not understood the response ask the respondent to repeat and clarify.
Do not assume answers.
Do not pass judgements.
Avoid irrelevant discussions.
When you change the tack, inform the respondent that you are doing so.
Keep the interview short.
At the end of the interview summarise the points reported and ask the respondent if the
summary is correct.
9. Observation
Observation
Observation, as the name implies, is a way of collecting data through observing. This data
collection method is classified as a participatory study, because the researcher has to
immerse herself in the setting where her respondents are, while taking notes and/or
recording. Observation data collection method may involve watching, listening, reading,
touching, and recording behavior and characteristics of phenomena.
Observation as a data collection method can be structured or unstructured. In structured or
systematic observation, data collection is conducted using specific variables and according
to a pre-defined schedule. Unstructured observation, on the other hand, is conducted in an
open and free manner in a sense that there would be no pre-determined variables or
objectives.
Why is observation important
Observations help guide our decisions, inform our practices, and help us to develop a plan of
action that best fits each child's individual needs.