UNIT FOUR: QUESTIONNAIRE AND SAMPLING

UNIT STRUCTURE:
4.1 QUESTIONNAIRE CONCEPT

4.2 TYPES OF QUESTIONS

4.3 STEPS IN THE PREPARATION OF QUESTIONNAIRE

4.4 ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD QUESTIONNAIRE

4.5 SAMPLING

4.6 TYPES OF SAMPLING

4.7 ESSENTIALS OF SAMPLING

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. To understand the framing of questionnaire.

2. To familiarize with the concept and techniques of sampling.

4.1 QUESTIONNAIRE:
It is also known as a Survey instrument which is used to gather data from large number of
respondents. It is a reliable tool for gathering scattered data. It is an indirect and impersonal
method of data collection. It helps in relevant data collection and also helps in sensitive data
usage. Processing of collected data becomes systematic, prompt and up to the mark.

In general, questionnaires are delivered to the persons concerned either by post or mail,
requesting them to answer the questions and return it. Informants are expected to read and
understand the questions and reply in the space provided in the questionnaire itself. The
questionnaire is prepared in such a way that it translates the required information into a series of
questions, that informants can and will answer.

Thus one can say that questionnaire design is a multi-step process. It allows collection of
both objective and subjective data in a large sample of study. It can measure both qualitative and
quantitative data but it is more appropriate for quantitative data collection. It is a good tool for
protecting the privacy of the participants but the validity of the data depends on the honesty of
the respondents.
4.2 TYPES OF QUESTIONS:

1. Open ended questions: In this the respondent gets opportunity to freely express
themselves. This means they don’t have to answer with a simple yes or no tag but indeed
it’s a response in a statement form. Examples of Open ended questions: Share your
experience of working in the organization, Tell us about your investment planning, what
is your opinion about a particular travel destination etc. Open ended questions are
preferred as there is no limit to the answers; respondents can use their creativity while
answering, feedbacks are easily available through this.
2. Close ended questions: It includes a predefined list of answer options from which a
respondent needs to select one option. It includes multiple choice questions and
dichotomous type choices. Some Examples of Close ended questions are: Did you like
this colour, Are you satisfied with the product, Rate your Experience regarding the
product, Did you like the food, Do you like online Learning, Is this pandemic creating
financial troubles for you etc.

3. Structured and Unstructured questions: In structured questions there is a fix format

and set of questions to be answered by the respondent. There is no scope for flexibility in
it, as one has to answer the way it is asked by the researcher. Mostly big organizations go
with structured type of interviews only. Structured questionnaire gives to the point data, it
requires active participation, promotes transparency etc. Examples: Do you visit library
often, Do you like tea, Do you need a counselor etc.

In Unstructured one, there are no such specific rules or format for answering the questions,
flexibility and convenience is mostly preferred in this type. It is a casual way of getting answers
from the respondents. This is the easiest way of collecting data but difficult to process and lacks
transparency. Examples: What is your opinion about opening up a café, What’s your ideal job
profile, What qualities inspire you to be friendly with others etc.

4. Codified questions: In this, expected answers are given in the code numbers and are
easy for carrying out the processing and also very suitable and also very convenient for
the informant.
5. Pictorial questions: It makes use of pictures or images to create interest of the
respondents in order to answer all the questions. This type is mostly used where in
children are involved as respondents.

Many other types of questions are also their like Rating scale questions, Likert scale
questions, dropdown questions, demographic questions, file upload questions etc.
4.3 STEPS IN THE PREPARATION OF QUESTIONNAIRE:

1. Understanding of Research Problem

2. Knowing the target audience
3. Deciding the number and types of questions
4. Appropriate wording and sequence of questions
5. Physical look of the questionnaire
6. Approval of questionnaire
7. Pilot study
8. Final drafting of questionnaire

1. The researcher should have complete understanding of the research problem before
framing the questionnaire. Researcher should also have good knowledge about the topic
and the objectives then only relevant questions can be framed.
2. The researcher should be well versed with the target audience from whom the data has to
be collected in terms of their economic background, their culture, their mentality etc.
3. Decision regarding the number of questions which is to be included in the questionnaire
should be taken after due caution and also the types of questions to be included should be
studied in advance before finalizing them. Unnecessary questions ambiguous questions
may lead to poor response.
4. The language used in framing questionnaire should be simple and appropriate as per the
target audience mindset. No unnecessary jargons and technicalities should be used that
will confused the respondents. Along with it the sequence of the questions should also be
given due importance. The researcher should avoid personal and embarrassing questions.
5. Physical look indicates the size, quality, colour and layout of questionnaire.
6. Approval of questionnaire is must either by higher authorities or by respective research
expert.
7. Before coming out with the final draft of the questionnaire, it is essential to do its pilot
study in order to know its outcome and validity. Pre testing of questionnaire is must to
overcome the flaws of it so that in the end we can get appropriate results.
8. After successful completion of pre testing of questionnaire, the researcher can check the
questionnaire once again to determine its accuracy before going for final printing.
4.4 ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD QUESTIONNAIRE:

1. A good questionnaire should be simple, short and easy to understand.

2. It should be specific and relevant to the research topic.
3. Appropriate number of questions should be included with relevant types and sequence.
4. Questions should be from the viewpoint of the respondents then only they will be
interested to answer all the questions.
5. Personal, misleading, lengthy etc such questions to be strictly avoided.
6. Proper space for writing the answers should be given to the respondents.
7. Biasness to be totally avoided.
8. Questionnaire will be used for strictly research purpose should be initiated at the starting
of the questionnaire.
9. Pre testing of questionnaire should be done and also the researcher should take expert
opinion before finalizing the questionnaire.
10. Complex questions to be divided into simpler ones.
11. A good questionnaire should possess good physical qualities.
12. Answers to the questions mentioned in the questionnaire should be direct and
appropriate.
13. Double negatives in a question should be avoided.
14. Putting two questions in a single question should be avoided.
15. Each question should seek information for only a specific purpose.
16. It should be designed to collect information which can be used subsequently as data for
analysis.

4.5 SAMPLING:

It is a process where statistical analysis in which a predetermined number of

observations are taken from a larger population. A sample is a group of people, objects,
or items that are taken from a larger population for measurement. The sample should be
representative of the population in order to ensure that we can generalize the findings
from the research sample to the population as a whole.
For any research, it is essential to choose a sampling method accurately to meet
the goals of your study. The effectiveness of your sampling relies on various factors like
firstly one must jot down the research goals and then these goals must be a combination
of cost, precision, or accuracy. After this, the researcher should identify the effective
sampling techniques that might potentially achieve the research goals.
It is necessary to Test each of these methods and examine whether they help in
achieving your goal and then finally select the method that works best for the research.

For example, if a drug manufacturer would like to research the adverse side
effects of a drug on the country’s population, it is almost impossible to conduct a research
 study that involves everyone. In this case, the researcher decides a sample of people from
each demographic and then researches them, giving him/her indicative feedback on the
drug’s behavior.

TERMS USED IN SAMPLING:

1. Sample element: A single unit selected from population.

2. Population: The whole entity of population upon which the research work is generalized.
3. Target population: It is the group of people selected from whole population for
conducting the research work.
4. Sampling Frame: It is the entire population comprising of people, situations, incidents etc
from which the researcher chooses sample for research activity.
5. Sampling Design: It is the procedure used for selecting the samples from target
population.
6. Sampling Error: It occurs when the researchers doesn’t uses an optimum level of sample
that represents a sample for research activity.

4.6 TYPES OF SAMPLING:

1. Probability Sampling: In this type of sampling, all the members of a sample have an
equal opportunity of being selected. The sampling units are selected at random basis.
For example, if you have a population of 1000 people, every person would have odds of 1
in 1000 for getting selected. Thus it gives the best chance to create sample which is truly
representative of the population. This sample method reduces the chance of biasness,
very useful when the population is diverse and is helpful in creating accurate sample.
This method is also cost and time effective, simple and straightforward and doesn’t need
any technical knowledge either.
2. Non- Probability Sampling: In this type of sampling, all the items of a sample don’t get
an equal chance of getting selected. The selection of the sample is influenced by the
nature of the researcher. It is easier and cheaper to access but has a higher risk of
sampling biasness. This technique is mostly used in exploratory and qualitative research.
This technique of sampling is used when the researcher doesn’t have proper access to the
population. Major drawback of this technique is that one doesn’t know how well the data
is representing the population and plus there possibility of margin of error also.

Probability Sampling includes:

a. Simple Random Sampling: It is the most popular method and in this method each
individual has an equal chance of being selected. It is suitable for small sample when
used in research work.
Example- You want to select a simple random sample of 100 employees of
Company Z. You assign a number to every employee in the company database from 1 to
1000, and use a random number generator to select 100 numbers.
 b. Systematic sampling
Systematic sampling is similar to simple random sampling, but it is usually
slightly easier to conduct. Every member of the population is listed with a number, but
instead of randomly generating numbers, individuals are chosen at regular intervals.

Example: All employees of the company are listed in alphabetical order. From the first
10 numbers, you randomly select a starting point: number 6. From number 6 onwards, every 10th
person on the list is selected (6, 16, 26, 36, and so on), and you end up with a sample of 100
people.

c. Stratified Sampling: In this sampling method, the researcher divides the whole sample
into various subgroups based on their geographical location, income pattern, culture etc.
Based on the overall proportions of the population, one can calculate how many people
should be sampled from each subgroup. Then the researcher can use random
or systematic sampling to select a sample from each subgroup.

Example: The Company has 800 female employees and 200 male employees. You
want to ensure that the sample reflects the gender balance of the company, so you sort the
population into two strata based on gender. Then you use random sampling on each group,
selecting 80 women and 20 men, which give you a representative sample of 100 people.

d. Cluster Sampling: In this method, the individual units are not selected as sample but are
grouped together for sampling purpose. The total universe is divided into groups and then
individual groups are selected as sample. This method is good for dealing with large and
dispersed populations, but there is more risk of error in the sample, as there could be
substantial differences between clusters. It’s difficult to guarantee that the sampled
clusters are really representative of the whole population.

Example: The Company has offices in 10 cities across the country (all with roughly the
same number of employees in similar roles). You don’t have the capacity to travel to every office
to collect your data, so you use random sampling to select 3 offices – these are your clusters.

e. Multi- stage Sampling: In this method, sample is drawn from population using small-
small groups at each stage. That is it divides the large population into stages to make
sampling process more practical. It applies the combination of simple random sampling,
stratified sampling or cluster sampling. This method of sampling is flexible, cost effective
and easy to implement. There are no restrictions on dividing the groups or on using as
many stages as wanted. But this method is subjective in nature and is less accurate as
compared to simple random sampling. This method is mainly used while conducting
national surveys.
Non- Probability Sampling includes:

a. Convenience Sampling: Here, the samples are selected by the convenience of the
researcher. The researcher uses this technique when there is a time and cost limitation. It
is the easiest and inexpensive way to collect the data but one cannot predict that the data
so collected is the representative of the population.

Example: You are researching opinions about student support services in your college,
so after each of your classes, you ask your fellow students to complete a survey on the topic.
This is a convenient way to gather data, but as you only surveyed students taking the same
classes as you at the same level, the sample is not representative of all the students at your
college.

b. Judgement Sampling: It is also known as purposive or subjective sampling. In this the

samples are selected based on the judgement of the researcher. The researcher himself
comes to the conclusion regarding the mindset of the respondents based on his viewpoint
regarding them. But in this type of sampling, the credibility of the researcher is at stake as
even the slightest of mistake can lead to incorrect data. However, it is a easy and fast way
to source the sample so a researcher can redo the mistakes easily. It is mostly used in
qualitative research.

Example: You want to know more about the opinions and experiences of disabled students
at your institute, so you purposefully select a number of students with different support needs in
order to gather a varied range of data on their experiences with student services.

c. Quota Sampling: Also known as dimension sampling. It is the most economical

sampling method and easiest also. In this the sample are being selected based on certain
quotas allotted to them. Sample belonging to same set of qualities as needed in research
work are selected based on quotas allotted to them.

There are two types of quota sampling:

Proportional quota sampling gives proportional numbers that represent segments in the
wider population. For this, the population frame must be known.
Non-proportional quota sampling uses stratum to divide a population, though only the
minimum sample size per stratum is decided.

d. Snowball Sampling: It is also known as network or chain sampling. In this, the

researcher contacts one sample for research purpose and then the sample connect the
researcher with another one or more individual for completing the research activity. In
this way the research study is conducted by connecting group of individuals through
chain networking.
 Example: You are researching experiences of homelessness in your city. Since there is no
list of all homeless people in the city, probability sampling isn’t possible. You meet one person
who agrees to participate in the research, and that person puts you in contact with other homeless
people that person knows in the area.

4.7 ESSENTIALS OF GOOD SAMPLING:

1. The sample so selected must be representative of the whole population.

2. Sample size selected must be based on the research objectives.
3. There should be flexibility in changing the sample if need arises.
4. The researcher should properly select the methods of sampling while conducting the
research work.
5. The sample size must be adequate and the population must be homogeneous.
6. All the units selected in the sample must be independent of each other.
7. A proper sampling plan must be prepared which constitutes sampling unit, frame, data
collection method, sources of collecting data, time available, fund needed etc.
8. Selection of proper geographical area is also equally important for appropriate research
work.
9. The sample size so selected should be suitable as per the data needed in order to arrive at
specific conclusion.
10. Overall the sample size must be economical and cost effective and not pinching the
pocket of the researcher.
QUESTIONNAIRE:

1. What essentials are to be kept in mind while framing a questionnaire?

2. Why questionnaire designing is significant part of research work? Explain?
3. Mention and explain the types of questions which are part of questionnaire?
4. Draft the steps needed to make a good questionnaire?

SAMPLING:

1. What is a sample and how is sampling important in research activity?

2. Explain and elaborate the various techniques of sampling?
3. What criteria should be kept in mind while framing sampling for chosen
research work?