Writing a Questionnaire Flashcards
What is the difference between a survey and a questionnaire?
Survey: the measure of opinions or experiences of a group of people through the asking of questions
Questionnaire: a set of printed or written questions with a choice of answers with a choice of answers, devised for the purposes of a survey or statistical study
Is a questionnaire a tool used for a survey?
Yes, forms the list of questions
- Includes several sections
- May use standardised scales
- Possible mix of open and closed ended questions
- Self-completed or administered by an interviewer
What does a survey consist of?
All aspects of the research process, including research design, survey construction, sampling method, data collection and response analysis.
Compare the different types of questionnaires
What are the advantages and disadvantages of self-administered questionnaires?
Advantages
- Relatively cheaper
- No interview bias
- May permit a larger sample
- Easier for geographically distant sample
Disadvantages
- Low response rate (40% common)
- NO chance of clarification or correction
- Higher rate of missing data
- Need very clear instructions
- Literacy and issue –> approx 20% of functionally illiterate
What are the advantages and disadvantages of interview-administered questionnaires?
Advantages
- Higher response rate
- Chance for clarification or correction
- Less missing data
- Design and layout somewhat less critical
- Contextual understanding and greater flexibility
Disadvantages
- More expensive
- Potential for interviewer bias
- Impractical if requiring frequent data collection or surveying a wide geographic area
How to maximise response rate?
Minimise effort for participants
- Well designed questionnaire
- A logical flow of questions
>Least sensitive to most difficult/sensitive
>General to particular
- As short as possible
- Clear, simple, easy to read, well presented
- Optimise convenience
- Create interest
Follow up/reminder plan
Timing
What are some conditions that a questionnaire design has to fulfill?
- Number every question and page
- Consistent font
- No vertical text
- Enough spacers for answers
- Units clearly stared
- Align text, boxes, spaces
- Include all options
- Check all categories, ranges
- Contact/return details
What are some advantages and disadvantages of open-ended questions?
- Respondents less directed in their response
- Potential for greater depth and quality of information
- More difficult to analyse
What are some advantages and disadvantages of close-ended questions? What are the types of questions?
- Quick and easy to answer and analyse
- Minimise intra-interview bias
- Maximise inter-interview consistency
- Can’t include all possible responses
- Response options have to be largely known
Types
- Yes-no
- Rating/Likert scales
- Rank order (options ranked 1st to nth)
- Forced choice
What is a likert scale (close-ended)
What is a visual analogue scale (VAS)?
continuous data –> measure from endpoint to quantify the response
What are some tips to writing closed questions?
OPTIONS must be
- mutually exclusive (cannot both occur at the same time)
- collectively exhaustive
> ensure response options free from bias
> use clear and simple language –> ensure questions are not ambiguous
> avoid words like ‘often’, ‘regularly’, ‘usually’ –> stipulate time frames (eg “in the past week”) –> specify the level of accuracy/units you want
> avoid labeling people e.g. diabetic patient
> avoid leading questions
> avoid double negatives
> don’t overestimate memory (renders data useless)
What is wrong with the following question? Provide a proper version.
‘have you seen a naturopath recently?’
ambiguous (what does recently mean) and complex wording (do people know what a naturopath is)
- Have you seen a naturopath (or a ‘natural medicines specialist’) in the past 6 months
What is wrong with the following question?
see attached image
don’t use an abbreviation, ambiguous (not mutually exclusive e.g. if the answer is 3, do they select the 2nd or 3rd box)
