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Chapter FourteenQuestionnaire Development
Winston Jackson and Norine Verberg
Methods Doing Social Research, 4e
2 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Questionnaire Design
Questionnaires have many applications and are widely used
The textbook covers: General Guidelines Types of Questions Illustrated Steps and Rules for Questionnaire Design Rules for Ordering, Formatting, & Presenting
3 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
General Guidelines
Consult the respondent able to express opinion freely, opinions valued
Keep it short only ask pertinent questions
Precise measurement collect data in its rawest form (income in
dollars, precise occupation, age to the year, not age category)
Highest level of measurement possible
4 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Types of Questions Illustrated
1. Pre-coded single-choice questions
2. Open-ended questions
3. Presence-absence questions
4. Rank-ordering questions
5. Likert-type questions
6. Index development
5 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Types: Pre-coded Single-choice
Pre-coded single-choice questions ask R to indicate which one category applies answers are pre-coded for easy data entry
If not all options can be listed, include a category entitled “Other” with a space to indicate what the “Other” category implies “please specify” ______________
Categories should be mutually-exclusive i.e., no categories overlap with one another
6 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Pre-coded Single-choice: Example
4. What year are you in? Freshman‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑1 Sophomore‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑------------------------------2 Junior‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑---------------------------------‑3 Senior‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑---------------------------------‑‑4
See Box 14.1 (p., 383) for more examples
7 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Types: Open-ended Questions
Open-ended questions do not have pre-set answers. Excellent way to explore new areas
Use open-ended questions when... too many response categories (year of birth) you don’t wish to impose categories on
respondent “really” consulting respondent qualitative--source of quotations determining appropriate categorization change-in-pace for respondent
8 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Open-ended: Example
21. What is (or was) your father’s occupation (e.g., supervisor, railway machine shop, supervises work of about 25 people)?
Job _____________________________________
Brief Job Description _______________________
________________________________________
23. What is the one thing you would like to see changed at the university? _________________________
_______________________________________
More examples in Box 14.3 on page 385
9 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Open-ended: Caution
Minimize the number of open-ended questions because: they are time-consuming to code may generate responses that are inconsistent more likely to be left blank
May increase response rate takes more time to complete the questionnaire use opinion-seeking questions sparingly
Place open-ended questions at 2/3 mark
10 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Types: Presence-absence Questions
Presence-absence questions ask R to check off which items in a list do or do not apply to them
Less commonly used than other types of questions
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Presence-absence: Example
23. Have you ever had contact with a physically handicapped person in any of these group? (Circle to indicate yes or no for each group)
Yes No Community ----------- 1 0 Family ----------------- 1 0 Relatives -------------- 1 0 Elementary school -- 1 0 High school ----------- 1 0 University class ------ 1 0 As a co-worker ------- 1 0
12 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Types: Rank-ordering questions
Rank-order questions ask R to indicate an ordering of response items, usually from most preferred to least preferred
Must be done with great care Ask for only three most important items Must make instructions explicit
These types of questions should be avoided or minimized because they take time
13 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Rank-ordering questions: example
31. Rank-order the three most important characteristics you want in the job you make your life’s work. Place a 1 beside the most important one; a 2 beside the second most important one; and a 3 beside the next most important one.
high salary.………….____security.……………..____continued interest….____power……………….____prestige……………..____excitement………….____
14 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Types: Likert-type questions
Likert-type questions ask R to indicate how much they agree or disagree with a statement
Response options originally included: strongly disagree, disagree, are undecided or neutral, agree, strongly agree Today often used with numbered response
options (see example, next slide) Used in the development of indexes (see
Chapter 13)
15 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Likert-type Questions: Example
In the following, circle a number to indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each statement:
52. I believe capital punishment represents the most effective deterrent to murder.Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Strongly agree
53. I believe a murderer can be rehabilitated to become a resonsible, functioning member of society.Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Strongly agree
54. I believe a life sentence is a satisfactory penalty for murder.Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Strongly agree
16 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Tips for Likert Style Questions
1. Avoid the word “and” Makes the questions multidimensional
2. Always place “strongly agree” on right side, with 9 indicating strong agreement Response set, a situation in which the
respondent answers similarly to all answers, is best avoided by wording some statements positively, others negatively
3. Avoid negatives that can confuse R Use direct negative statements
17 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Tips: Likert-style Questions
4. Vary “strength of wording” to produce variation in response
1. The nursing care I received was good.
2. The nursing care I received was perfect in every instance
5. Before the first Likert-type item, provide a brief explanation of how respondents are to to indicate their answers
18 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Steps in Questionnaire Development
1. Make a list variables. Usually includes:1. Background variables2. Dependent variable(s)3. Independent variables4. Others: intervening, antecedent, spurious
2. Anticipate how data will be analyzed Procedures depend on level of measurement
3. Write proposed questions on index cards Facilitates editing and re-arranging order
4. Double check: do you have all variables?
19 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Steps (cont’d)
5. Review the conceptual definitions of variables Done in anticipation of step 6 - developing
the wording Example: how to measure socioeconomic
status? As reflecting various levels of respect and
prestige: use Pineo and Porter’s scale of occupational prestige to measure SES
As reflecting variation in access to scarce resources: use total income to measure SES
20 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Steps (cont’d)
6. Developing wordings After considering the conceptual def’n, also: Use simple words: grade 7 or 8 level Avoiding “and”: make sure only one question Vary wording to produce variation in replies Avoid complexity - make it simple Use existing wording if comparative study Take edge off sensitive questions Be precise, highly specific when choosing
wordings
21 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Steps (cont’d)
7. Pre-test questionnaire Start by filling out the survey yourself, then ask
individuals to do so Ask for feedback on the questionnaire Is it too long? Any problem with wording?
8. Pilot study Send questionnaire to a small sample of respondents Use data to determine which items will be used for
indexes, modify unclear questions, create pre-coded single choice questions based on responses to open-ended questions
22 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Ordering the Questions
Use a brief statement to introduce the survey to the respondent - re: legitimacy of study say who is conducting/sponsoring the study assure confidentiality and anonymity
Ease them into it place easy to answer/salient questions at the
beginning Place key and repeated questions at 1/3 point Group questions by type
e.g., put Likert-type questions together
23 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Formatting the Questions
Begin conditioning respondents e.g., have consistent formatting so R can get used to
how to answer (format types shown in next slide) Anticipate computer data entry
Pre-code questions before data collection Vary placement of response categories
Response options are appealing & easy to understand Clearly indicate branching (shown slide after next)
Clear respondent away from irrelevant questions Make it easy to fill out; Will increase response rate
24 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Four Format Styles Illustrated
FPO Box 14.9 Four Format Styles Illustrated, page 400
25 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Branching Question Illustrated
FPO Box 14.10 Branching Question Illustrated, page 400
26 © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Presentation of Questionnaire
Have a distinctive look e.g., coloured paper, graphics for questions is
appealing Can increase the appeal of doing the
questionnaire Don’t squeeze too much on to one page
Crowding questions on a page can make the questionnaire appear too long