Research Tools 3: Questionnaire

Data collection or research tools are any tools used to measure a variable, or to collect the information needed to answer a research question. Three different data collection techniques are observation, questionnaire and interview.

Research Tools

Data collection or research tools are any tool used to measure a variable, or to collect the information needed to answer a research question. Careful selection of data collection tools can help the researcher achieve goals and save time.

Any research is only as good as the data that drives it, so choosing the right technique of data collection can make all the difference. In this article, and the next two articles to be published in the coming days, we will look at three different data collection techniques – observation, questionnaire and interview, and evaluate their suitability under different circumstances.

In the previous two articles, you read about the observation and interview methods and their advantages and disadvantages in the field of research. Now, in this article we are going to discuss the characteristics of the third research tool and data collection method, called questionnaire. Stay tuned with us for more information.

A well-designed questionnaire is essential to a successful survey and is one which help directly achieve the research objectives, provides complete and accurate information; is easy for both interviewers and respondents to complete, is so designed as to make sound analysis and interpretation possible and is brief.

The questionnaire is the main instrument for collecting data in survey research. No survey can achieve success without a well-designed questionnaire.

Questionnaire

A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. Questionnaire is a kind of inquiry form which has many uses, including in market research, political polling, customer service feedback, evaluations, opinion polls, and social science research, most notably to discover what the respondents are thinking.  To write and prepare a good questionnaire to become among valuable quantitative research tools, you can read the following steps:

Steps of Formulating a Questionnaire

A questionnaire is a technique for collecting data in which a respondent provides answers to a series of questions. To develop a questionnaire you need to take a step-by-step approach, you can come up with an effective means to collect data that will answer your unique research question:

Setting the Purpose

In the first phase, you identify the goal of your questionnaire, and ask questions about the kind of information it can provides, research’s main objective, and determine if it is the best way to collect information.

Preparation

Here you will choose your question type or types. The questions included in your questionnaire are according to the information you wish to gather.

• Question Types

1. Dichotomous question: the quickest and simplest questions to analyze, but not a highly sensitive measure. It is also called “yes/no” or “agree/disagree” question.
2. Open-ended questions: respondents can answer the questions in their own words. Analysis of data through these types of questions is challenging.
3. Multiple choice questions: These questions allow for easy analysis of results, but may not give the respondent the answer they want.
4. Rank-order (or ordinal) scale questions: these questions ask the respondent to rank items or choose items in a particular order from a set.
5. Rating scale questions: these questions allow the respondent to assess a particular issue based on a given dimension.

• Question Development: the questions should be clear, concise, and direct to ensure that you get the best possible answers from your respondents.
• Length: Keep your questionnaire as short as possible.
• Demography: Identify your target demographic.
• Privacy: Ensure you can protect privacy.

Construction of the first draft

• Introduce yourself and clarify if you are working alone or as a part of a team. Include name of the name of academic institution or company for whom you are collecting data.
• Explain the goal of the questionnaire to persuade people to answer your questionnaire.
• Tell the respondents what will happen with the data you collect.
• To get you more complete questionnaires, in the end, you should provide the respondents with estimated time to answer the questions.
• Describe any incentives, including rewards, that may be given to the respondents at the end of the questionnaire. Incentives can be monetary, desired prizes, gift certificates, candy, etc.
• Your questionnaire must have a professional look to persuade people to have confidence in you as a data collector.

Distribution

• Revision: after receiving suggestions, some questions are eliminated, some changed and some new questions are added.

• Pre-test or pilot study: ask some people you know to take your questionnaire and be prepared to revise it if necessary. These respondents will not be included in any results stemming from this questionnaire.
• Distribution Method: you can use an online site, such as SurveyMonkey.com, or consider using the mail, face-to-face interviews, and using the telephone to disseminate your questionnaire.
• Include a deadline: ask your respondents to have the questionnaire completed and returned to you by a certain date

Disadvantages

O’Leary (2014) offers some concerns in using questionnaires as a research tool:

• Is time-consuming,
• Is expensive,
• Sampling is difficult,
• Difficult to get right
• Often do not go as planned

Advantages

O’Leary (2014) suggests some obvious strengths for this research method, as administering a questionnaire allows the researcher to generate data specific to their own research and offers insights that might otherwise be unavailable.

In listing the additional benefits of questionnaires, O’Leary (2014) suggests that they can:

•      Reach a large number of respondents
•      Represent an even larger population
•      Allow for comparisons
•      Generate standardized, quantifiable, empirical data
•      Generate qualitative data through the use of open-ended questions
•      Be confidential and even anonymous