Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Alhassan G. Abdul-Muhmin
Questionnaire Design
Reference: Zikmund, Chapter 15
Learning Objectives
At the end of the discussion you should be able to: Identify and explain the key factors that determine what to ask in the questionnaire Identify the different ways in which questions can be phrased and explain the characteristics of alternative question phrasings Summarize key guidelines in the art of asking questions Describe the issues to consider in determining question order Describe alternative ways to improve questionnaire layout Describe the importance and approaches to questionnaire pre-testing and revision
Question Phrasing
Need to decide how what is to be asked should be phrased Alternative question formats are shown below Each format has its advantages and disadvantages Open ended Question type Simple dichotomy Multiple choice
Closed ended
Determinant choice
Check-list
Causes:
The bandwagon effect e.g. Most Saudis have stopped eating junk food. Do you eat junk food? Partially mentioning some alternatives e.g. which fast food restaurant do you prefer, Al-Tazaj or others? Questions with the phrase: Dont you think that .. Phrasing question to reflect negative or positive aspect of issue use split ballot technique.
Loaded Question
A question that is designed to suggest a socially desirable answer. Usually it is emotionally charged.
Causes: Choice of words; e.g. using emotionally-charged words, such as in: In your opinion is it fair that the Security Dept should be harassing students with parking tickets? Framing question such that honest answer is painful or embarrassing use counter biasing statement.
Question Sequence
Two related issues: 1. Order of questions in questionnaire. 2. Order of answer alternatives for specific questions. Both can lead to order bias.
Order of Questions
Use simple, interesting opening questions e.g asking for respondents opinion on an issue. Ask general questions before specific questions funnel approach Use branching questions (filter & pivot) with care. Ask for classification information last. Place difficult or sensitive questions late in questionnaire. Finish asking questions on one topic before moving to another.
Questionnaire layout
Keep questionnaire short if possible, but not too short that you sacrifice needed information Do not over crowd questionnaire Provide decent margin space Use multiple- grid layout for questions with similar responses Use good quality print paper. Use booklet form if possible Carefully craft the questionnaire title: 1. Captures respondents interest. 2. Shows importance of the study. 3. Shows interesting nature of the study.
Questionnaire Pre-testing
Pretesting Process
Seeks to determine whether respondents have any difficulty understanding the questionnaire and whether there are any ambiguous or biased questions.
Preliminary Tabulation
A tabulation of the results of a pretest to help determine whether the questionnaire will meet the objectives of the research.
Questionnaire Translation
Back Translation
Taking a questionnaire that has previously been translated into another language and having a second, independent translator translate it back to the original language. A questionnaire developed in one country may be difficult to translate because equivalent language concepts do not exist or because of differences in idiom and vernacular.