15.10 Questionnaire

Question 1

1.Questionnaire Purpose?

Answer 1

-To get reliable and valid reports of respondents’ experiences
-Good survey questions provide reliable (consistent) and valid (accurate) measures
When 2 respondents are in the same situation they should answer the question the same way.
The answers to questions should correspond to what they are intended to measure.

Question 2

2. Before Writing Questions?

Answer 2

Decide the study’s purpose (aims, research questions, hypotheses)
Identify the variables to be measured
Develop a preliminary analysis plan

Question 3

3.Process of Questionnaire Design?

Answer 3

Decide what information (variables) is needed
Draft or obtain questions to elicit that information
Put questions in meaningful order
Add other elements of questionnaire
Pretest questionnaire
Repeat

Question 4

4. Don’t reinvent the wheel…use existing measures whenever possible?

Answer 4

Reliability and validity information may be available for existing measures
Allows comparison of results across studies
Allows estimation of trends
Adds to cumulative body of methodological experience with survey items

Question 5

5. Types of Questions-Open-ended-Advantages?

Answer 5

Responses are not provided to the respondent
Advantages:
-Respondent not influenced by specific alternatives suggested
-Respondent can reveal what is most salient
-Useful in exploratory work
-Can be used to build rapport in interview

Question 6

6. Open-ended Questions-

Disadvantages?

Answer 6

• Large amount of information revealed, may be vague or irrelevant
  
  • Respondents may vary in ability to articulate
  • Respondents may be reluctant to reveal detailed information or socially unacceptable opinions or behaviors
  • Difficulties in recording and in reducing and coding material

Question 7

7. Types of Questions-Close-ended-Advantages?

Answer 7

A list of acceptable responses is provided to the respondent
Advantages:
-Easier for respondent
-Communicates same frame of reference to respondents
-Standardization
-Less variability in interviewer performance
-Less time to administer and record response

Question 8

8. Close-ended Questions

Disadvantages?

Answer 8

• Lack of spontaneity permitted respondent
  
  • Respondent may be forced into an unnatural frame of reference
  • May suggest response categories respondent has not thought of
  • Respondent may not feel as involved or motivated by questionnaire
  • Need to know appropriate response categories in advance

Question 9

9. Response Formats?ex

Answer 9

Multiple categories that exhaust all meaningful answers and are mutually exclusive
ex: During a typical work week (40 hours), how many hours do you spend on substance use prevention coordination?less than 10 hours,..

Question 10

10. Response Formats

Likert response scales

Answer 10

( ) strongly agree
	( ) agree
	( ) neither agree nor disagree
	( ) disagree
	( ) strongly disagree

Question 11

11. Response Formats

Other rating scales

Answer 11

( ) excellent		
( ) good
( ) fair
( ) poor
Numerical rating scales: Complete			Confidence -> No Confidence at All: 1 -> 10

Question 12

12. Question Working – DO?

Answer 12

Make the wording clear and unambiguous in meaning
Use common vocabulary
Write questions like people talk not like people write
Only include one idea per question
Make the frame of reference explicit

Question 13

13.Question Wording – DON’T? ex

Answer 13

-Use double-barreled questions
Where do you go to get information about HIV risk and to exchange needles?
When I get ill, I know it is because I have not been eating right or getting proper exercise.
Can you tell me when you last visited the clinic?

Question 14

14. Question Wording – DON’T?

Answer 14

-Use leading questions
Do you agree that all children should be covered by health insurance?
With economic conditions the way they are these days, it really isn’t fair to have more than one or two children.
-Differences between leading and loaded questions?

Question 15

15. What is a leading question ?

Answer 15

-A leading question suggests a particular answer that the questioner desires – most often a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.
“You were in Los Angeles last week, weren’t you?” (Leading question)
“Were you in Los Angeles last week?” (Neutral question)

Question 16

16. What is a loaded question ?

Answer 16

A loaded question implies some fact that has not been previously established. In answering this kind of question (with its negative implication), the person who answer the question is put in a dilemma.
“Do you still beat your wife?” (Loaded question)
because it implies that you used to beat your wife.
“Do you beat your wife?” (Neutral question)

Question 17

17. Question Wording – DON’T

Answer 17

Use double negatives
Lack of immunization for smallpox is not a problem in the U.S.
Most sex workers have little chance of not getting a sexually transmitted disease.
Use discriminatory of culturally insensitive words
husband/wife vs. Partner

Question 18

18. Question Wording – DON’T

Answer 18

-Use incomplete wording (don’t use last, recently)
Age? What was your age on your last birthday?

Reason last saw doctor? What was the medical reason for which you most recently went to a doctor?

Question 19

19. Question Wording – DON’T

Answer 19

-Provide incomplete or overlapping response categories
Where have you received health care in the past 12 months? Local Clinics/Dr. Wu’s Family Clinic
-Use loaded questions or loaded words
Have you ever shop lifted anything?

Question 20

20. Unload a Loaded Question?

Answer 20

During the past few years, do you think the frequency of shop lifting has increased, stayed about the same, or decreased in this community?
1/INCREASED
2/STAYED ABOUT THE SAME
3/DECREASED

Question 21

22. 4 Practical Standards for Survey Questions?

Answer 21

Is this a question that can be asked exactly the way it is written?
Is this a question that will mean the same thing to everyone?
Is this a question that people can answer?
Is this a question that people will be willing to answer, given the data collection procedures?

Question 22

23. Reasons Why Respondents Report Events with Less than Perfect Accuracy?

Answer 22

They do not know the information
They cannot recall it, although they do know it
They do not understand the question
They do not want to report the answer in the interview context

Question 23

24. Techniques for Enhancing Recall?

Answer 23

Shorten the reference period
Use landmarks to aid dating
Provide a helpful context
Provide cues to stimulate recall
Ask about typical behavior

Question 24

25. Question Order?

Answer 24

Psychological not logical order
Chronological order where appropriate
Group questions by subject
General questions before specific
Beginning – inviting, interesting, non-threatening questions
Middle – most important, put difficult and sensitive toward ed
Closing – easy questions again, often routine, background

Question 25

26. Other Elements of Questionnaire than Questions and Responses?

Answer 25

Opening
Instructions for interviewer (skip patterns,  probes, optional wording)
Introductions to questions
Needed definitions and explanations
Transitions

Question 26

27.Coverage Error vs. Sampling Error?

Answer 26

Coverage error is a type of non-sampling error that occurs when there is not a one-to-one correspondence between the target population and the sampling frame

Question 27

28.Undercoverage/Overcoverage/Bias?

Answer 27

A researcher may wish to study the opinions of registered voters by calling residences listed in a telephone directory (sampling frame)
Undercoverage: if not all voters are listed in the phone directory
Overcoverage: if some voters have more than one listed phone number
Bias: if some phone numbers listed in the directory do not belong to registered voters