Toolkt 3 Questionnaires

Question 1

Is your strategy….

Answer 1

Practical, achievable, measurable, have I got all the resources that I need

Question 2

When are structured questionnaires used?

Answer 2

Many research projects use them in quantitative settings

Question 3

When are semi structured and unstructured interviews used?

Answer 3

Often used in qualitative designs

Question 4

What are the aims of a good questionnaire?

Answer 4

Valid
Unbiased - accurate hitting the target, representative
Reliable- precise, not variable, and repeatability
Allows control for confounding / intervening variables

Question 5

What are the 5 different strategies for asking questionnaires?

Answer 5

Face to face interviews
Street surveys
Telephone surveys
Postal survey
Depth or semi- structured interview survey

Question 6

Face to face interview

Answer 6

Direct encounter
Interviewer asks questions from a schedule
Interviewer records responses
Takes place in respondents home or work place

Question 7

Street survey

Answer 7

Face to face
Brief encounter
Interviewer asks questions and records responses

Question 8

Telephone interview

Answer 8

Contacts respondents by phone
Questions from a pre determined schedule
Typically few questions and simple questions

Question 9

Postal survey

Answer 9

Does not involve interviewers
Respondents sent questionnaires by post
Covering letter explains completion and return details

Question 10

Benefits of postal survey

Answer 10

Enables large or specific gripping to be targeted from statistic base

2) represent the cheaper method of data gathering as only postage is used
3) respondents feel less pressurised and lessens occurrence of an artificial situation
4) Emilinates interviewer bias
4) removal of the immediacy of an interview enables supporting documentary evidence to be consulted

Question 11

Limitations of postal survey

Answer 11

Slow response times
Can be ambiguous
Poor response rates

Question 12

Email survey

Answer 12

Same as postal survey
Care required in selecting target group
Response rates can be poor
Suits multi national survey

Question 13

ChAracteristics of a good questionnaire

Answer 13

Must be understood by respondents
Provide clear instructions for use / response
Show consideration for the respondent
Provides the desired data that can be effectively and quickly analysed

Question 14

Closed questions

Answer 14

Limited to a simple unambiguous response eg age or a tick a box
Select only one or several
Provide a long list of answers and make sure categories are mutually exclusive

Question 15

Open questions

Answer 15

Much more freedom to express his or her thoughts
Not influenced by any pre conceived ideas
Much more difficult to code and analyse
If too many then will influence response rate
Better to keep to a minimum and place near the end of schedule

Question 16

Designing questionnaires dos and donuts

Answer 16

Explain purposes to all participants
Keep questions simple and to the point
Do not use jargon, slang or abbreviations
Avoid vague, descriptive words
Avoid negative questions
Only ask one question at a time
Relevant questions only
Avoid questions that require partisans to perform calculations
Avoid questions that are nothing more than a memory test
Keep to interview schedule
Make sure you include all you need

Question 17

What to do if you include sensitive questions?

Answer 17

Place towards the end of your survey
Provide tick box categories and bands
Ensure anonymity and confidentially by clearly stating verbally and in written form

Question 18

If you include questions beyond respondents capabilities what can this do?

Answer 18

Can threaten reliability and response rates

Avoid asking them to recall past details or specific factual details

Question 19

What are the steps to draft a questionnaire

Answer 19

Code responses for analysis
Check against intended research definition
Pilot and revise 
Final edit
Only get one chance so make it right

Question 20

How do you improve response rates?

Answer 20

Sponsorship- university and company
Format and appearance - layout, images, colour of paper ect
Pre notification - a war, survey
Postage- you pay for return
Advertising- local papers ect
Incentives - copy of results/ monetary

Question 21

What are the factors of a covering letter?

Answer 21

Should be designed to maximise the response rates
Should not be patronising
Include a brief explanation of the research without suggesting hypothesis
Emphasise the value of their input, apologise for burden on their time
Emphasise confidentiality / anonymity
Provide point of contact
When are where results are available
Make reference to relevant ethics committee if research is of a sensitive nature

Question 22

What do you do first?

Answer 22

Work out your strategy, how you intend to do it, is this the most effective means of obtaining data