However, in-house surveys also have a range of disadvantages which include being time consuming, more expensive and respondents may not wish to have the researcher in their houses or workplaces for various reasons. Mail Questionnaire. This sort of questionnaires involve the researcher to send the questionnaire list to respondents through post, often attaching pre-paid envelope.
Mail questionnaires have an advantage of providing more accurate answer, because respondents can answer the questionnaire in their spare time. The disadvantages associated with mail questionnaires include them being expensive, time consuming and sometimes they end up in the bin put by respondents. Open question questionnaires. Open questions differ from other types of questions used in questionnaires in a way that open questions may produce unexpected results, which can make the research more original and valuable.
However, it is difficult to analyze the results of the findings when the data is obtained through the questionnaire with open questions. Multiple choice question s. Respondents are offered a set of answers they have to choose from. The downsize of questionnaire with multiple choice questions is that, if there are too many answers to choose from, it makes the questionnaire, confusing and boring, and discourages the respondent to answer the questionnaire. Dichotomous Questions. This type of questions gives two options to respondents — yes or no, to choose from.
For example, information about sexual relationship, marital relationship, secret desires etc. Compared to other methods like schedule, interview or observation, questionnaire method is regarded as more useful and cheap, where the repetitive information has to be collected at regular interval. Questionnaire is comparatively an easier method to plan, construct and administer. It does not require much technical skill or knowledge. It puts less pressure on the respondents for immediate response. He can answer it at his own leisure, whereas interview or observation demands specific fixation of time and situation,.
As it is administered, in a written form, its standardized instructions for recording responses ensure some uniformity. Questionnaire does not permit much of variation. Questionnaire may be used as a preliminary tool for conducting a depth study later on by any other method. Questionnaire has some unique merits as regards validity of information. In methods like interview and observation, the reliability of responses depends on the way the investigator has recorded them.
Here they may present biased or prejudiced information of their own. But in questionnaire method, the responses given by the subjects are available in their own language and version. Therefore, it cannot be wrongly interpreted by the researcher. Questionnaire ensures anonymity to its respondents. The respondents have a greater confidence that they will not be identified by anybody for giving a particular view or opinion.
They feel more comfortable and free to express their view in this method. Questionnaire is no doubt the most flexible tool in collecting both quantitative and qualitative information.
One of the major limitations of the questionnaire is that it can be applicable only to those respondents who have a considerable amount of education. It can neither be used for illiterate nor for semi-literate persons.
These are the people who constitute a very important segment of the respondents to be covered in the collection of data, but they can be seldom caught. Thus questionnaires are hardly appropriate for a larger section of this type of population. As in case of questionnaire the researcher does not go to the field, he is not able to establish a proper personal relationship with the respondents. If the respondent fails to understand some of the technical terms or he has any doubt, there is nobody to clarify these technical terms or doubts.
Even though the researcher tries in the best possible manner to make the questionnaire a simple, precise and convenient one, the aim and objective of the questionnaire can be much better explained personally than through any other means. Without the proper personal contact it is very difficult to motivate the respondent to fill up the questionnaire. In case of mailed questionnaire method, the proportion of return is usually low.
The factors which are likely to affect the returns are: the layout of the questionnaire, its size, the organisation conducting the research work, the nature of appeal, the kind of respondents chosen for research, inducement for response etc.
The information collected through questionnaire cannot be said to be very much reliable or valid. If the subject misinterprets a question or gives an incomplete or indefinite response very little can be done to connect such response.
As against this, in an interview there is always the possibility of rephrasing questions for further clarification. The questions can be repeated with adequate elaboration if it is so required. But in questionnaire method there is no opportunity for repeating questions, explaining them or clarifying the doubts for a particular response.
The investigator here is not in a position to observe the gestures and expressions of the respondents. He cannot cross check the inconsistencies or misrepresentation of the replies. So in questionnaire method, reliability of responses is very low. Illegible handwriting of the respondent sometimes creates much difficulty for the researcher to understand the responses. Quantitative variables can be interval or ratio. Understanding the type of variable and level of measurement means you can perform appropriate statistical analyses for generalizable results.
This includes binary or dichotomous categories. There should be no overlap between response items. Are you satisfied with the current work-from-home policies? Yes No Ordinal variables include categories that can be ranked. Very dissatisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Somewhat satisfied Very satisfied When you have four or more Likert-type questions, you can treat the composite data as quantitative data on an interval scale.
Intelligence tests, psychological scales, and personality inventories use multiple Likert-type questions to collect interval data. With interval or ratio data, you can apply strong statistical hypothesis tests to address your research aims. Well-designed closed-ended questions are easy to understand and can be answered quickly. However, you might still miss important answers that are relevant to respondents. An incomplete set of response items may force some respondents to pick the closest alternative to their true answer.
These types of questions may also miss out on valuable detail. To solve these problems, you can make questions partially closed-ended, and include an open-ended option where respondents can fill in their own answer. Open-ended, or long-form, questions allow respondents to give answers in their own words. Because there are no restrictions on their choices, respondents can answer in ways that researchers may not have otherwise considered. They require more time and effort from respondents, which may deter them from completing the questionnaire.
For researchers, understanding and summarizing responses to these questions can take a lot of time and resources. You should design questions with your target audience in mind.
Consider their familiarity with your questionnaire topics and language and tailor your questions to them. For readability and clarity, avoid jargon or overly complex language. Respondents often answer in different ways depending on the question framing. Positive frames are interpreted as more neutral than negative frames and may encourage more socially desirable answers. Use a mix of both positive and negative frames to avoid bias, and ensure that your question wording is balanced wherever possible.
Unbalanced questions focus on only one side of an argument. Respondents may be less likely to oppose the question if it is framed in a particular direction. Ask about only one idea at a time and avoid double-barreled questions. Double-barreled questions ask about more than one item at a time, which can confuse respondents.
Strongly Agree Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly Disagree This question could be difficult to answer for respondents who feel strongly about the right to clean drinking water but not high-speed internet.
They might only answer about the topic they feel passionate about or provide a neutral answer instead — but neither of these options capture their true answers.
Do you agree or disagree that the government should be responsible for providing high-speed internet to everyone? Strongly Agree Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly Disagree Question order You can organize the questions logically, with a clear progression from simple to complex.
Alternatively, you can randomize the question order between respondents. Using a logical flow to your question order means starting with simple questions, such as behavioral or opinion questions, and ending with more complex, sensitive, or controversial questions. The question order that you use can significantly affect the responses by priming them in specific directions.
Question order effects, or context effects, occur when earlier questions influence the responses to later questions, reducing the validity of your questionnaire. While demographic questions are usually unaffected by order effects, questions about opinions and attitudes are more susceptible to them.
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