Questionnaire

Primary data is the most difficult for the researcher to acquire. Developing primary research instruments is an art--uh...to say the least. Properly developing these instruments takes time, knowledge, education, and persistence. Data is only as good as the instrument used to obtain the information. It's always best to use nominal, Likert scale, or multiple choice responses. Open-ended questions are extremely hard to develop, consolidate, and usually don't provide precise information.

Interviewees and survey audiences always have limited time; therefore, when developing instruments ask precise questions that yield information relevant to the research. Make sure the questions developed cannot be answered with existing secondary data.

1. Create the primary research instrument for your proposal study (survey, questionnaire, or interview).

2. Develop only 6-12 questions. For surveys and questionnaires, provide forced answer choice responses.

3. Check questions to make sure no ambiguity is present; do not ask multiple questions within one question.

Assignment: Part 2

Part 2. Informed Consent Form

By law, all research that involves human subjects must include an informed consent signed by the researcher and the subject(s). This document acts as a legal contract between both parities. The form gives the researcher permission to use the subject's responses, behavior, or activities, and data derived thereof, within the specified research project. This form must also include the delineators involved within the study and the researcher's future plans for the data. It must state "if" anonymity is provided to the subject. When creating written content for an informed consent, the researcher must be careful not to reveal too much information about the study, or his or her anticipated results will sway. Skewed results of any kind, invalidates the research.

Sample Informed Consent Form

My name is (name of researcher), and I am a student at (state campus), I am inviting you to participate in an academic research study. Involvement in this study is voluntary, so you may choose to participate or not. A description of this study follows: (provide brief, concise study overview). I am interested in learning more about (research topic). My learning objectives are related to my formal educational pursuits. This information will be used in a business proposal for my upper- division writing class, "Expository Writing for Administration" during the (state academic term and year).

(Describe what the subject will be asked to do). (State how much time the subject's participation will take.) There are NO risks involved while participating in this study. (Any research that involves risk, of any kind, to the subject, CANNOT take place.)

If you no longer wish to continue, you have the right to withdraw from the study, without penalty, at any time. All information for this study will be kept (either confidential, in the case where subjects' identities need to be retained or can be associated with their  response, or anonymous and confidential, in the case where data collection does not allow responses to be connected with a particular subject).

I have been assured that the information I provide in this study will be destroyed after the researcher consolidates data. There will be no permanent record of my participation in this study.

I________________________________am a willing participant in this study. (Participant's name)

Signature of participant: __________________________________

Date: ____________________________

Print name of participant: _________________________________

Signature of researcher: __________________________________

Date: ____________________________

Print name of researcher: _________________________________