Questionnaire and schedules design

By
Dept. Of Agricultural Economics
CCS HAU
1
Questionnaire / Schedule Design
gentlemoro@gmail.com

QUESTIONNAIRE / SCHEDULE
DESIGN
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Questionnaire/Schedules design
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Questionnaire/Schedules
 A formalized set of questions for obtaining information from respondents.
 There is much similarities between questionnaire and schedules
 But from the technical point of view there is difference between the two. The
important points of difference are as follows:

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Difference between Questionnaire and Schedules
S.No Questionnaire Schedule
1.
Questionnaire is a non contact method for
information collection; generally sent through mail
to informants to be answered as specified in a
covering letter, but otherwise without further
assistance from the sender.
A schedule is a direct method for information
collection generally filled by the research worker
or enumerator, who can interpret the questions
when necessary.
2.
Data collection is cheap and economical as the
money is spent in preparation of questionnaire and in
mailing the same to respondents. This method is
comparatively cheaper and more time consuming.
Data collection is more expensive as money is
spent on enumerators and in imparting trainings to
them. Money is also spent in preparing schedules.
This method is expensive and less time
consuming.
3.
Non response is usually high as many people do not
respond and many return the questionnaire without
answering all questions. Bias due to non response
often remains indeterminate.
Non response is very low because this is filled by
enumerators who are able to get answers to all
questions. But even in this their remains the
danger of interviewer bias and cheating.

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Difference between Questionnaire and Schedules…
4. It is not clear that who replies. Identity of respondent is not known.
5.
The questionnaire method is likely to be very slow
since many respondents do not return the
questionnaire.
Information is collected well in time as they are
filled by enumerators.
6.
There is no person to person formal relationship.
Thus no personal contact is possible in case of
questionnaire as the questionnaires are sent to
respondents by post who also in turn returns the same
by post.
There is a person to person formal relationship.
Thus there is direct personal contact is established
7.
This method can be used only when respondents are
literate and cooperative.
This method can be implemented on both literate
as well as illiterate class of people.
8.
Wider and more representative distribution of sample
is possible.
There remains the difficulty in sending
enumerators over a relatively wider area.
9
The success of questionnaire methods lies more on
the quality of the questionnaire itself.
It depends upon the honesty and competence of
enumerators

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Difference between Questionnaire and Schedules…
10
Risk of collecting incomplete and wrong information
is relatively more under the questionnaire method,
when people are unable to understand questions
properly.
The information collected is generally complete
and accurate as enumerators can remove difficulties
if any faced by respondents in correctly
understanding the questions. As a result the
information collected through schedule is relatively
more accurate than that obtained through
questionnaires.
11.
The physical appearance of questionnaire must be
quite attractive.
This may not be the case as schedules are to be
filled in by enumerators and not by respondents.
12.
Observations are not possible when collecting data
through questionnaire.
Along with schedule observation method can also
be used.
13
The coverage area for collecting information is large. The coverage area for collecting information is
small.
14 Embarrassing questions cannot be used. Embarrassing questions can be used.
15
Any kind of doubt can be created and it is difficult to
resolve.
Any kind of doubt can be cleared on the spot.

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Objective of Questionnaire/Schedules
 Translate information needed into specific questions
 To uplift, motivate, and encourage the respondent to involve and complete
interview
 To minimize response error.

Questionnaire Design and Quality
 Questionnaire design is a systematic approach/process of including relevant
questions in a questionnaire in such a way that the best or accurate responses are
obtained from respondent with very little / no discomfort on the part of the
respondent as well as the enumerator.
 Questionnaire design is one of the most critical stages in the survey research
process.
 A questionnaire (survey) is only as good as the questions it asks—ask a bad
question, get bad results.
 Composing a good questionnaire appears easy, but it is usually the result of
long, painstaking work.
 The questions must meet the basic criteria of relevance and accuracy.

Some Basic Considerations in Questionnaire Design
 Decisions in Questionnaire design
 Wording of questions
 Opened-ended response question
 Fixed-alternative question (close ended question)
 Guidelines for construction of questions
 Sequence of questioning
 Layout of questions
 Pretesting & Revising

Decisions in Questionnaire Design
 What should be asked?
 How should questions be phrased?
 In what sequence should the questions be arranged?
 What questionnaire layout will best serve the research objectives?
 How should the questionnaire be pretested? Does the questionnaire need to
be revised?

What Should Be Asked?
 Questionnaire Relevancy
 All information collected should address a research question in helping the decision maker
in solving the current business problem.
 Questionnaire Accuracy
 Increasing the reliability and validity of respondent information requires that:
 Questionnaires should use simple, understandable, unbiased, unambiguous, and
nonirritating words.
 Questionnaire design should facilitate recall and motivate respondents to cooperate.
 Proper question wording and sequencing to avoid confusion and biased answers.
Decisions in Questionnaire Design (Cont…)

Wording Questions
 Open-ended Response Questions
 Pose some problem and ask respondents to answer in their own words.
 Advantages:
 Are most beneficial in exploratory research, especially when the range
of responses is not known.
 May reveal unanticipated reactions toward the product.
 Are good first questions because they allow respondents to warm up to
the questioning process.
 Disadvantages:
 High cost of administering open-ended response questions.
 The possibility that interviewer bias will influence the answer.
 Bias introduced by articulate individuals’ longer answers.

Wording Questions (cont…)
 Fixed-alternative Questions
 Questions in which respondents are given specific, limited-
alternative responses and asked to choose the one closest to their
own viewpoint.
 Advantages:
 Require less interviewer skill
 Take less time to answer
 Are easier for the respondent to answer
 Provides comparability of answers
 Disadvantages:
 Lack of range in the response alternatives
 Tendency of respondents to choose convenient alternative

Types of Fixed-Alternative Questions
 Simple-dichotomy (dichotomous) Question
 Requires the respondent to choose one of two alternatives (e.g., yes or no).
 Determinant-choice Question
 Requires the respondent to choose one response from among multiple alternatives (e.g.,
A, B, or C).
 Frequency-determination Question
 Asks for an answer about general frequency of occurrence (e.g., often, occasionally, or
never).
 Checklist Question
 Allows the respondent to provide multiple answers to a single question by checking off
items.
Wording Questions (cont…)

Guidelines for Constructing Questions
 Avoid complexity: Simpler language is better.
 Avoid leading and loaded questions.
 Avoid ambiguity: Be as specific as possible.
 Avoid double-barreled items.
 Avoid making assumptions.
 Avoid burdensome questions that may tax the respondent’s memory.
 Make certain questions generate variance.

What is the best Question Sequence?
 Order bias
 Bias caused by the influence of earlier questions in a questionnaire or by an answer’s
position in a set of answers.
 Funnel technique
 Asking general questions before specific questions in order to obtain unbiased responses.
 Filter question
 A question that screens out respondents who are not qualified to answer a second question.
Pivot question
A filter question used to determine which version of a second question will be asked.

What is the best Layout?
 Traditional Questionnaires
 Multiple-grid question
 Several similar questions arranged in a grid format.
 The title of a questionnaire should be phrased carefully:
 To capture the respondent’s interest, underline the importance of the
research
 Emphasize the interesting nature of the study
 Appeal to the respondent’s ego
 Emphasize the confidential nature of the study
 To not bias the respondent in the same way that a leading question might

Pretesting and Revising Questionnaires
 Pretesting Process
 Seeks to determine whether respondents have any difficulty
understanding the questionnaire and whether there are any
ambiguous or biased questions.
 Preliminary Tabulation
 A tabulation of the results of a pretest to help determine
whether the questionnaire will meet the objectives of the
research.

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Specify the Information Needed
Design the Question to Overcome the Respondent’s Inability and Unwillingness to Answer
Determine the Content of Individual Questions
Decide the Question Structure
Determine the Question Wording
Arrange the Questions in Proper Order
Reproduce the Questionnaire
Specify the Type of Interviewing Method
Identify the Form and Layout
Eliminate Bugs by Pre-testing
Steps involve in Questionnaire/Schedules design

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 Specify Information needed
 It is the first step for questionnaire design as it helps in clearly understanding
needs
 Types of Interviewing method
 Mail Questionnaire
 Telephone Questionnaire
 Personal Questionnaire
 Electronic Questionnaire (very similar to mail questionnaire)
Steps involve in Questionnaire/Schedules design….

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 Individual Question Content
 Is the question necessary?
 Are several questions needed instead of one?
 Example.:-
“Do you think Coca-Cola is a tasty and refreshing soft drink??”
“Do you think Coca-Cola is a tasty soft drink?”
“Do you think Coca-Cola is a refreshing soft drink?”
Steps involve in Questionnaire/Schedules design…..

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 Overcoming inability to answer
 Is the Respondent informed?
 e.g.:- A husband may not be aware of monthly expenses for groceries and
department store if wife make purchase or vice versa
 Can the Respondent Remember?
 Can the Respondent articulate?
 e.g.:- If asked to describe the atmosphere of the department store.

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 Overcome Unwillingness to Answer
 Effort required of the Respondents
 Context
 Legitimate Purpose
 Sensitive information should be avoided
 Increase the willingness of Respondents
 Choosing Question Structure
 Unstructured Question
 Structured Question

Choosing Question Wording
 define the issue
 use ordinary words
 use unambiguous words
 avoid leading questions
 avoid implicit alternatives
 avoid implicit assumptions
 avoid generalizations and estimates
 use positive and negative statements
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Define the issue
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The W’s Defining the Question
Who
The Respondent
It is not clear whether this question relates to the individual respondent or the
respondent's total household.
What
The Brand of Fertilizer
It is unclear how the respondent is to answer this question if more than one brand is
used.
When
Unclear
The time frame is not specified in this question. The respondent could interpret it
as meaning the fertilizer used this morning, this week, or over the past year.
Where At home, at the gym, on the road?
Choosing Question Wording…..

Define the issue
A question should clearly define the issue being addressed
 Which brand(s) of fertilizer do you use??
 Which brand(s )of fertilizer have you personally used at the farm during the
last month?
 In case of more than one brand, please list all the brands that apply?
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Choosing Question Wording….

Use ordinary Words
ordinary words should be used in questionnaire vocabulary level should
match the respondents vocabulary
 Do you think the distribution of soft drink is adequate??
 Do you think soft drinks are readily available when you want them to buy?
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Use Unambiguous Words
Words in questionnaire should have a single meaning known to respondents
 In a typical month how often do you shop in department store??
 Never….. Occasional ….. Sometimes….. Often….. Regularly…..
 In a typical month how often do you shop in department store?
 None….. 1 - 2 times…. 3 - 4 times…. More than 4 times…..
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Avoid leading questions
A leading question clues, the respondent to answer in a certain way
 Do you think patriotic Indians should buy imported automobiles when that
would put Indians labour out of work??
 Do you think Indians should buy imported automobile?
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Avoid implicit alternatives
 Alternative not explicitly expressed is an implicit alternative
 Do you like to fly when travelling short distances?
 Do you like to fly when travelling short distances or would you rather drive??
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Avoid implicit assumptions
Questions should not be worded so that the answer is dependent upon implicit
assumption
 Are you in favour of a balanced budget?
 Are you in favour of a balanced budget if it would result in an increase in the
personal income tax??
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Avoid Generalizations and Estimates
 Questions should be specific not general
 Respondent does not make generalization or compute science
 What is the annual per capita expenditure on groceries in your household??
 (i) What is the monthly expenditure on groceries in your household? and
 (ii) How many members are there in your household?
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Determining the order of questions
Opening question
 Can be crucial in gaining the confidence, should be interesting, simple, and non
threatening
Type of Information
 As a general guideline, basic information should be obtained first, followed by
classification, and, finally, identification information
Difficult Questions
 Difficult questions which are sensitive, embarrassing, complex, or dull, should
be placed late in the sequence
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Funnel Approach
Questions asked in sequence can influence the response to subsequent question
 Thus questions asked from general to specific
 What considerations are important to you in selecting a department store??
 In selecting a department store how important is convenience or location?
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Determining the order of questions (Cont…)

Form and Layout
 Format, spacing and positioning questions have significant effect on results
 Should be numbered serially
 Normally questions at the top receive more importance than the bottom
 Instructions in red make little difference; that they make the questionnaire
appear more complicated
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Reproduction of Questionnaire
 Paper quality can reflect on project
 Vertical response columns
 Tendency to crowd should be avoided
 Instructions to be placed close to the question
 Should be large and clear
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Pretesting
Testing of the questionnaire on a sample to identify and eliminate potential errors
Details
 General rule
 Respondents similar to the actual survey
 Variety of interviewers used
 All aspects of the questionnaire should be tested
 Protocol analysis (think aloud) & debriefing are two used procedures
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13-38
Components of Questionnaires

Overcoming Instrument Problems
Build rapport
Redesign question process
Explore alternatives
Use other methods
Pretest

REFERENCES
 COOPER, D.R. AND SCHINDLER, P.S. (2011) BUSINESS RESEARCH
METHODS, 11TH EDN, MCGRAW HILL
 ZIKMUND, W.G., BABIN, B.J., CARR, J.C. AND GRIFFIN, M. (2010)
BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS, 8TH EDN, SOUTH-WESTERN
 SAUNDERS, M., LEWIS, P. AND THORNHILL, A. (2012) RESEARCH
METHODS FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS, 6TH EDN, PRENTICE HALL.
 SAUNDERS, M. AND LEWIS, P. (2012) DOING RESEARCH IN
BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT, FT PRENTICE HALL.

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