Questionnaires/ Surveys

Question 1

Evaluation of questionnaires

Answer 1

+ collect same info from a large number of people with relative ease (eg post/ email)
+ standardised: same format for everyone, no interviewer bias- improves reliability
- social desirability bias: respondents select answers to portray themselves positively
- no one to clarify/ expand on particular questions

Question 2

What should questions do?

Answer 2

Ensure clarity: questions need to be operationalised to prevent ambiguity
Avoid bias and leading questions
Easy to analyse
Consider use of open/ closed questions

Question 3

Evaluation of open questions

Answer 3

+ detailed

• hard to compare
• subjective

Question 4

Evaluation of closed questions

Answer 4

+ easy to collect

- answer wanted may not be present

Question 5

Filler questions

Answer 5

Include questions irrelevant to study, reduce demand characteristics as the aim of the study is less clear
Sequence of questions: open with easy questions and later introduce more personal questions in order to relax respondent and elicit as much info as possible

Question 6

What is a pilot study?

Answer 6

Smaller version of the study- gain understanding of how it works

Question 7

What is a questionnaire?

Answer 7

Set of questions that aims to collect info about a particular topic