A questionnaire is a list of questions used to collect information from respondents about attitudes, opinions, and experiences. Questionnaires can be structured or unstructured, with open-ended or closed-ended questions. Properly constructing the questionnaire, pretesting it, and using clear, unbiased questioning is important for obtaining statistically useful data. Some disadvantages include potential for dishonest answers or different interpretations of questions.

1. SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

2. Definition of Questionnaire
• 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.

3. Concepts of Questionnaire
• Questionnaires are popular research methods because they offer a
fast, efficient and inexpensive means of gathering large amounts
of information from sizeable sample volumes. These tools are
particularly effective for measuring subject behavior, preferences,
intentions, attitudes and opinions.

4. Types of Questionnaire
• Questionnaire are of different types as per Paul: 1)Structured
Questionnaire. 2)Unstructured Questionnaire. 3)Open ended
Questionnaire. 4)Close ended Questionnaire.

5. Constructing the questionnaire
• Questionnaire construction refers to the design of a questionnaire
to gather statistically useful information about a given topic.
When properly constructed and responsibly administered,
questionnaires can provide valuable data about any given subject.

6. Questionnaire choices of words
• The choice of words and phrases in a question is critical in
expressing the meaning and intent of the question to the
respondent and ensuring that all respondents interpret the
question the same way. Even small wording differences can
substantially affect the answers people provide.

7. Suggestions on Questionnaire Wordings
• The general principle of question wording is that every respondent
should understand the question and be able to answer it with
reliability – that is, if she were asked the same question again, she
would give the same answer. So question wordings are evaluated
in terms of whether they can provide reliable information. A
number of common problems have been identified, as well as
solutions for dealing with them.

8. Organizing the Questionnaire
• Provide Clear Instructions and Guidelines -to be successful in this
role, being able to clearly articulate your instructions so students
can understand and follow them is obviously important. Providing
clear instructions not only allows students to meet your
expectations, it prevents many behavioural issues.
• Balance your Answer Choices – a balanced scale refers to an
ordinal question asked to the respondents of a piece of research.
It is mainly used in quantitative market research questionnaires
and surveys. A balanced scale question is one which asks
individuals to answer a question based on a given scale.

9. • Have an Engaging Introduction – your introduction should begin
with an engaging statement devised to provoke your readers’
interest. In the next few sentences, introduce them to your topic
by stating general facts or ideas about the subject. As you move
deeper into your introduction, you gradually narrow the focus,
moving closer to your thesis.
• Make use of Neutral Questions – a neutral category provides an
easy out for respondents who are less inclined to express their
opinion, but potentially means a substantial proportion who favor
or oppose a topic aren’t counted.

10. Pretesting the Questionnaire
• Pretesting (or pilot testing) is the stage in the development of a
questionnaire that determines the potential effectiveness of the
questionnaire. The pretest is conducted prior to the final
distribution of the questionnaire to the target population.

11. Precoding the Questionnaire
• The pre-coding method means a format to ask questions based on
predetermined categories in the questionnaire form. It is also
called a closed-ended question method.

12. Advantages of Questionnaire
• A questionnaire is a very convenient way of collecting information
from a large number of people within a period of time. Hence, the
design of the questionnaire is of utmost importance to ensure
accurate data is collected so that the results are interpretable and
generalisable.

13. Disadvantages of Questionnaire
• Dishonest answers- While there are many positives to questionnaires,
dishonesty can be an issue. Respondents may not be 100% truthful with
their answers.
• Differences in understanding and interpretation- The trouble with not
presenting questions to users face-to-face is that each may have
different interpretations of your questions. Without someone to explain
the questionnaire fully and ensure each individual has the same
understanding, results can be subjective. Respondents may have trouble
grasping the meaning of some questions that may seem clear to the
creator. This miscommunication can lead to skewed results. The best
way to combat this situation is to create simple questions that are easy
to answer.

14. Problems with Responses to a Questionnaire
• A problem with questionnaires is that respondents may lie due to
social desirability. Most people want to present a positive image of
themselves and so may lie or bend the truth to look good.

15. Guidelines in asking Questions
• A guiding – or essential – question will direct your research and
should clearly communicate the focus of your research. Guiding
questions explain what you are hoping to find out. Guiding
questions should be open.

16. Self- Administered Questionnaire
• A self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) refers to a questionnaire
that has been designed specifically to be completed by a
respondent without intervention of the researchers (e.g. an
interviewer) collecting the data.

17. Research Questionnaire Format