Week 6 - Assignment: Evaluate a Questionnaire

SAGE Research Methods Video

Ten Top Tips for Designing a Questionnaire

Pub. Date: 2016

Product: SAGE Research Methods Video

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781473997592

Methods: Questionnaire design, Survey research

Keywords: practices, strategies, and tools

Disciplines: Anthropology, Business and Management, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Communication

and Media Studies, Counseling and Psychotherapy, Economics, Education, Geography, Health, History,

Marketing, Nursing, Political Science and International Relations, Psychology, Social Policy and Public Policy,

Social Work, Sociology, Science, Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Medicine

Access Date: November 30, 2022

Publishing Company: SAGE Publications Ltd

City: London

Online ISBN: 9781473997592

© 2016 SAGE Publications Ltd All Rights Reserved.

[MUSIC PLAYING] [Ten Top Tips for Designing a Questionnaire] A questionnaire is a set of questions

used in survey research to collect information from people about their opinions, attitudes, beliefs,

and behavior. Questionnaires let you collect data

in a standardized way, which can be quantified and analyzed statistically. But how do you ensure

your survey is measuring what you want to measure? [Tip #1: Stay focused on the aims of your re-

search] When you're planning your survey, ask yourself, what are the aims of my research? List out

the things that you're trying to find out, and then break each topic down and think about how to con-

struct a survey question which will measure the underlying concept. [Tip #2: See what's already out

there]

Start by doing some research to see if similar questions have been asked in other established sur-

veys, like the General Social Survey. Using tried and tested questions can help ensure the reliability

and validity of your measures. Don't feel you need to reinvent the wheel, but do exercise caution.

The internet is full of poorly designed questionnaires, so make sure you're drawing from a reliable

source.

Tip #3: Think about your mode] More and more surveys are administered online. But it's also possible

to do surveys over the phone, face-to-face, or with old-fashioned pencil and paper. Your question-

naire should be tailored to the mode you choose. For online or mail surveys, remember to explain

the purpose of the survey to respondents in a covering mail or an introduction to the survey.

If you're using more than one interviewer to administer your survey face-to-face or by phone, think

carefully about how you'll train your interviewers to ensure consistency. [Tip #4: Keep it short] Re-

spondents are more likely to complete a questionnaire if you keep it short, especially if it's online. [Tip

#5: Think carefully about your questions] Design the survey questions with your specific audience in

mind, wording them carefully and clearly.

It is important that the respondent knows exactly what you are asking them and that questions are

not open to multiple interpretations. Don't ask leading questions, and avoid long and complex ques-

tions which could confuse respondents. [Tip #6: Question order matters] Make initial questions easy

for respondents to answer. If you're planning to ask personal or sensitive questions, think about ask-

ing these later.

And remember to use branching or skip logic to avoid asking people unnecessary questions. [Tip #7:

Make recall easy] If you're asking your respondents how often or how recently they have done some-

thing, be sure to be specific about the time frame. But think carefully about how able the respondent

will be to answer the question. Can you remember what you did a year ago? [Tip #8: Don't forget

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SAGE Research Methods Video

Page 2 of 3 Ten Top Tips for Designing a Questionnaire

demographic questions] For some research questions, it's

important to find out things about who your respondents are-- for example, where they live or how

old they are, as well as contact information, in some cases. Don't forget to ask these questions if you

hope to analyze your data in relation to demographics. [Tip #9: Think about analysis] Try and think of

the bigger picture and how you're going to analyze the data you collect. If you find you have lots of

open-ended questions

because you're finding it hard to think of the answers people might give, it's possible that a survey

is not the best method to use. You might need to conduct some qualitative research first in order

to develop a set of survey questions and answer options. [Tip #10: Test, test, test] After testing the

survey yourself, make sure you test it with your colleagues-- or even better, a small sample of the

respondents you hope to recruit.

This will help highlight any issues or confusing questions, which you can then revise before sending

it out more widely. [Good luck with your research!] [MUSIC PLAYING]

https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781473997592

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(c) SAGE Publications Ltd., 2017

SAGE Research Methods Video

Page 3 of 3 Ten Top Tips for Designing a Questionnaire