PAPER-2, CONTEMPORARY INDIA AND EDUCATION , Tools of Examination , Questionnaire Method, Important Question for B.Ed. , CRSU, CDLU, MDU, Agra University, Education Colleges

1. GARIMA BHATI
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
INSTITUTE OF TEACHER’S EDUCATION
FARIDABAD, HARYANA
QUESTIONNAIRE
METHOD

2. INTRODUCATION
A questionnaire is a list of questions or items
used to gather data from respondents about their
attitudes, experiences, or opinions.
Questionnaires can be used to collect quantitative
and/or qualitative information. Questionnaires are
commonly used in market research as well as in
the social and health sciences. For example, a
company may ask for feedback about a recent
customer service experience, or psychology
researchers may investigate health risk
perceptions using questionnaires.

3. What is a Questionnaire?
A questionnaire is a research instrument that
consists of a set of questions or other types of
prompts that aims to collect information from a
respondent. A research questionnaire is typically
a mix of close-ended questions and open-ended
questions.

4. Characteristics of a Good
Questionnaire
 Uniformity: Questionnaires are very useful to
collect demographic information, personal
opinions, facts, or attitudes from respondents.
One of the most significant attributes of a
research form is uniform design and
standardization. Every respondent sees the same
questions. This helps in data collection
and statistical analysis of this data.

5. Characteristics of a Good
Questionnaire
 Exploratory: It should be exploratory to collect
qualitative data. There is no restriction on
questions that can be in your questionnaire. For
example, you use a data collection questionnaire
and send it to the female of the household to
understand her spending and saving habits
relative to the household income.

6. Characteristics of a Good
Questionnaire
 Question Sequence: It typically follows a
structured flow of questions to increase the
number of responses. This sequence of questions
is screening questions, warm-up questions,
transition questions, skip questions, challenging
questions, and classification questions.

7. Types of Questionnaires
 Structured Questionnaires: Structured
questionnaires collect quantitative data. The
questionnaire is planned and designed to gather
precise information. It also initiates a formal
inquiry, supplements data, checks previously
accumulated data, and helps validate any prior
hypothesis.

8. Types of Questionnaires
 Unstructured Questionnaires: Unstructured
questionnaires collect qualitative data. They use a
basic structure and some branching questions but
nothing that limits the responses of a respondent.
The questions are more open-ended to collect
specific data from participants.

9. Types of questions in a
questionnaire
 Open-Ended Questions: Open-ended
questions help collect qualitative data in a
questionnaire where the respondent can answer
in a free form with little to no restrictions.

10. Types of questions in a
questionnaire
 Close-ended Questions: The dichotomous
question is generally a “yes/no” close-ended
question. This question is usually used in case of
the need for necessary validation. It is the most
natural form of a questionnaire.

11. Types of questions in a
questionnaire
 Multiple-Choice Questions: Multiple-choice
questions are a close-ended question type in
which a respondent has to select one (single-
select multiple-choice question) or many (multi-
select multiple choice question) responses from a
given list of options.

12. Types of questions in a
questionnaire
 Scaling Questions: These questions are based
on the principles of the four measurement scales
– nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. A few of the
question types that utilize these scales’
fundamental properties are rank order
questions, Likert scale questions, semantic
differential scale questions, and Stapel scale
questions.

13. Types of questions in a
questionnaire
 Pictorial Questions: This question type is easy
to use and encourages respondents to answer. It
works similarly to a multiple-choice question.
Respondents are asked a question, and the
answer choices are images. This helps
respondents choose an answer quickly without
over-thinking their answers, giving you more
accurate data.

14. Steps Involved in Questionnaire
Design
Step 1: Define your goals and objectives
 The first step of designing a questionnaire is
determining your aims.
 What topics or experiences are you studying?
 What specifically do you want to find out?
 Is a self-report questionnaire an appropriate tool for
investigating this topic?
 Once you’ve specified your research aims, you
can operationalize your variables of interest into
questionnaire items. Operationalizing concepts
means turning them from abstract ideas into concrete
measurements.

15. Steps Involved in Questionnaire
Design
Step 2: Use questions that are suitable for your
sample
Create appropriate questions by taking the
perspective of your respondents. Consider their
language proficiency and available time and
energy when designing your questionnaire.

16. Steps Involved in Questionnaire
Design
 Step 3: Decide on your questionnaire length
and question order
Once you have your questions, make sure that
the length and order of your questions are
appropriate for your sample.
If respondents are not being incentivized or
compensated, keep your questionnaire short and
easy to answer. Otherwise, your sample may be
biased with only highly motivated respondents
completing the questionnaire.

17. Steps Involved in Questionnaire
Design
Step 4: Pretest your questionnaire
When you have a complete list of questions,
you’ll need to pretest it to make sure what you’re
asking is always clear and unambiguous.
Pretesting helps you catch any errors or points of
confusion before performing your study.

18. PRECAUTIONS
 Question wording
Question wording can influence your
respondents’ answers, especially if the language
is unclear, ambiguous, or biased. Good questions
need to be understood by all respondents in the
same way (reliable) and measure exactly what
you’re interested in (valid).

19. PRECAUTIONS
 Use clear language
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.

20. PRECAUTIONS
 Avoid leading questions
Leading questions guide respondents towards
answering in specific ways, even if that’s not how
they truly feel, by explicitly or implicitly providing
them with extra information.
It’s best to keep your questions short and
specific to your topic of interest.

21. PRECAUTIONS
 Keep your questions focused
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.

22. PRECAUTIONS
 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.

23. PRECAUTIONS
 Logical flow
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.

24. PRECAUTIONS
 Randomization
Randomization involves presenting individual
respondents with the same questionnaire but with
different question orders.

25. PRECAUTIONS
 It is essential to know your audience:
A researcher should know their target audience.
For example, if the target audience speaks mostly
Spanish, sending the questionnaire in any other
language would lower the response rate and
accuracy of data.

26. PRECAUTIONS
 Keep it simple:
The words or phrases you use while writing the
questionnaire must be easy to understand. If the
questions are unclear, the respondents may
simply choose any answer and skew the data you
collect.

27. PRECAUTIONS
 Ask only one question at a time:
At times, a researcher may be tempted to add
two similar questions. This might seem like an
excellent way to consolidate answers to related
issues, but it can confuse your respondents or
lead to inaccurate data. If any of your questions
contain the word “and,” take another look. This
question likely has two parts, which can affect the
quality of your data.

28. Advantages of questionnaires
 When it comes to the benefits of questionnaires
in research the positives are wide-ranging
particularly with questionnaires.

29. Advantages of questionnaires
1. Large-scale data collection
Questionnaires are a great way to collect
information from a lot of people at once. Large-
scale questionnaires offer several advantages in
data collection. Firstly, they allow researchers to
gather data from a large and diverse sample,
providing a broader representation of the target
population. This enhances the generalizability
and external validity of the findings.

30. Advantages of questionnaires
2. Standardized responses
Standardized responses in questionnaires refer
to predetermined options or scales provided to
respondents for their answers. These options are
carefully designed and presented in a consistent
format to ensure uniformity in data collection.
Standardized response formats can take various
forms, including multiple-choice questions, Likert
scales, rating scales, or semantic differential
scales.

31. Advantages of questionnaires
3. Anonymity and confidentiality
Anonymity and confidentiality are crucial aspects
of questionnaires that provide several benefits for
both respondents and researchers.
Firstly, anonymity ensures that respondents can
provide honest and unbiased answers without
fear of repercussions or judgment. When
respondents remain anonymous, they are more
likely to express their true opinions, feelings, and
experiences, even on sensitive or personal
topics.

32. Advantages of questionnaires
4. Cost-effective
Questionnaires are perfect for cost-effective data
collection due to their ability to reach a large
number of respondents at a relatively low cost.

33. Advantages of questionnaires
5. Data quantification
When we talk about data quantification in
questionnaires, we mean the process of
assigning numerical values to the responses
provided by participants. This helps researchers
analyze the data more effectively and derive
meaningful insights.

34. Advantages of questionnaires
6. Flexibility
Flexibility allows researchers to customize the
questionnaire design and content to gather
specific information, accommodate diverse
respondent needs, and ensure the relevance and
accuracy of data collected.

35. Advantages of questionnaires
7. Quantitative and qualitative data collection
simultaneously
The main benefit of combining quantitative and
qualitative data collection in questionnaires is the
comprehensive and nuanced understanding it
provides. Both quantitative and qualitative data
offer unique insights that, when used together,
create a more holistic picture of the research
topic.

36. Advantages of questionnaires
8. Ease of analysis
Questionnaires provide structured and
standardized responses, making the analysis
process more streamlined and less time-
consuming.
One advantage of ease of analysis is the ability
to use statistical software and tools to process the
data quickly.

37. Advantages of questionnaires
9. Standardization across studies
Standardization allows for uniformity in
questionnaire design, response options, and
measurement scales, enhancing the reliability
and validity of research findings.
One advantage of standardization is the ability to
compare results across studies. When
questionnaires are standardized, researchers can
use similar or identical items to measure
constructs of interest. F

38. Advantages of questionnaires
10. Accessibility
Accessibility measures in questionnaires enable
individuals with different abilities, languages, or
technological access to participate, enhancing the
inclusiveness and validity of the research.

39. Advantages of questionnaires
11. Ease of replication
Ease of replication ensures that other
researchers can follow the same methodology
and replicate the study with minimal effort and
resources.

40. Advantages of questionnaires
12. Time efficiency
Time efficiency ensures that researchers can
gather a substantial amount of data within a
reasonable timeframe, allowing for timely analysis
and interpretation of the results.

41. Disadvantages of
questionnaires
To balance things out, we’ve gathered 12
disadvantages, so you can outweigh both the
pros and cons of a questionnaire to make an
informed decision

42. Disadvantages of
questionnaires
1. Limited depth of information
The main downside of limited depth of
information is the potential inability to capture
detailed and nuanced insights from participants.
Questionnaires typically rely on structured and
predefined response options, which can constrain
participants’ ability to provide in-depth responses.
This limitation restricts the level of detail that can
be obtained, potentially resulting in a loss of
important context and richness of information.

43. Disadvantages of
questionnaires
2. Response bias
Response bias refers to systematic errors in how
participants interpret and respond to
questionnaire items, leading to biased results.

44. Disadvantages of
questionnaires
3. Low response rates
The downside of low response rates is the
potential for non-response bias and the potential
impact on the representativeness and
generalizability of the collected data. Low
response rates occur when a significant
proportion of individuals invited to participate in a
questionnaire choose not to respond or do not
complete the survey. This can lead to biased
results and affect the overall quality of the study.

45. Disadvantages of
questionnaires
4. Misinterpretation of questions
The downside of misinterpretation of questions is
the potential for respondents to misunderstand or
misinterpret the intended meaning of the
questionnaire items, leading to inaccurate or
unreliable responses. Misinterpretation can occur
due to unclear wording, ambiguous phrasing, or
the use of technical jargon that is unfamiliar to
participants.

46. Disadvantages of
questionnaires
5. Inability to capture non-verbal cues
The downside of the inability to capture non-
verbal cues is the potential loss of valuable
information conveyed through non-verbal
communication. Non-verbal cues, such as facial
expressions, body language, and tone of voice,
play a significant role in communication, providing
additional context and insights that may be
missed in a questionnaire format. This limitation
can result in a lack of depth and richness in the
data collected.

47. Disadvantages of
questionnaires
6. Limited engagement
Limited engagement refers to respondents’ lack
of interest, attention, or active involvement during
the questionnaire completion process.

48. Disadvantages of
questionnaires
7. Lack of context
Without proper context, participants may make
assumptions, misinterpret the intent of the
questions, or provide incomplete or inaccurate
responses, leading to compromised data quality
and validity.

49. Disadvantages of
questionnaires
8. Difficulty in capturing complex or nuanced
information
Questionnaires typically rely on structured
questions with predefined response options,
which may not allow respondents to fully express
complex or nuanced thoughts, opinions, or
experiences.

50. Disadvantages of
questionnaires
9. Sampling limitations
Questionnaires often rely on a specific sample of
participants. If this sample is not truly
representative of the target population, the results
may not accurately reflect the larger group’s
characteristics or opinions.