QUESTIONNAIRE

Report AssessmentAE Semester Two

PURPOSE

The report involves the analysis of prior research and the addition of new research

The questionnaire = the new research

You need this information to compare to the literature.

QUESTIONNAIRES

Are an inexpensive way to gather data Can allow statistical analysis of results Are flexible in what they can measure The accuracy of your findings will increase

with the sample size The sample will reflect the population from

which it is drawn Can be conducted in a number of different

ways e.g. mail, telephone, face to face

A MULTI- STAGE PROCESS

1. After developing your hypothesis2. Define the objectives (what do you want to

know?)

3. Determine the sample group (who to ask?)

4. Write the questionnaire5. Administer the questionnaire6. Interpret the results

TYPES OF INFORMATION GATHERED IN A QUESTIONNAIRE

KNOWLEDGE: WHAT PEOPLE KNOW What is the recommended interval between eye checks for

patients with uncomplicated diabetes?- 6 months- 1 year- 2 years

OPINIONS, ATTITUDES, BELIEFS AND VALUES: WHAT PEOPLE THINK

What do you think are the major issues affecting community health in Queensland at the moment?

_________________________

BEHAVIOUR: WHAT PEOPLE DOHave you initiated the development of a care plan for any of your patients?- Yes- No

ATTRIBUTES: WHAT PEOPLE AREWhen did you graduate from university? _________Do you need to ask about their:

Political affiliation Religion Educational level? Gender Age Salary Marital status Sexual orientation

TYPES OF QUESTIONS

OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS:No answer choices, respondents are able to answer in their own words

CLOSED-ENDED QUESTIONS:Answers structured so they only fit into previously established categories

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

OPEN

• useful for exploratory research to generate range, meanings, new ideas

• very flexible – can achieve depth, givesrespondents freedom

• useful to solicit suggestions and clarifyPositions

• useful when the expected number ofrespondents is low

• requires some skill in asking the questions and in interpreting the results

• answers often lack uniformity – requires some skills to categorise, count and compute

• more time consuming to fill in and timeconsuming to analyse, particularly with a large number of respondents

• illegible handwriting

CLOSED

• useful for statistical analysis – easy to count and compute

• easy to interpret, neat and quick

• reliability can be high

• useful if a large number of respondentsexpected

• may not have catered for all possible answers

• questions may not be relevant, or important

• requires pre-testing and prior open-ended research to ensure choices offered are the relevant ones

PARTIALLY CLOSED QUESTIONS:Can choose from fixed categories and add their own response if desired

ADVANTAGE: useful if options have been overlooked

DISADVANTAGE: “other” category often yields little response

QUESTION WORDING Questions need to be simple, clear and

precise Use standardised questions where possible Avoid asking the same question twice Use as little technical language as possible Avoid vague words e.g. about, few Avoid ambiguity Use short words rather than long,

complicated ones Be aware of the connotations of different

words e.g. ‘childish’ or ‘child-like’

ORDERING QUESTIONS

The questionnaire should have a logical flow:- general to specific- impersonal to personal- easy to difficult

Questions relating to a specific topic should be grouped together !

Place sensitive questions in the context of which they are being asked so they seem relevant

Grouping

It is important to group your questions so that the material can be easily analysed.

If all your questions are mixed up, they will be difficult to untangle into clear patterns when you do your interpretation.

QUESTIONNAIRE LAYOUT

Clear and simple Be sure to provide enough space for

open-ended questions Number all questions Do not clutter the questions together Questions and answers should not be

split across pages Always include a ‘Thank you’ at the

end

Extra points1. Make sure that you have your name(s) at the top of the page.2. Write your topic at the top of the page.3. Include the aim/objective at the beginning of the

questionnaire. For example; The aim of the following questionnaire is to find out………..

4. Make sure that your questions are easy to read precise, and correctly set out.

5. Due to time constraints it is probably best to include question types/formats that are easy to tabulate/read.

6. Try and include at least 1 open question (usually towards the end).

7. To begin with, ask questions relating to personal information (age, gender, education level)

8. Only ask questions that will help you to prove your hypothesis.

• Make sure all statements are relevant to the hypothesis.

• Mix positive and negative so what you are looking for is not too obvious and will influence people's responses.

• Don't put the hypothesis at the top for the same reason

• Make sure you have examples of all 4 types of information (including what people do)

• Give attribute choices at the start to save time and make groups for ease of statistical analysis. e.g. unemployed / student / blue collar / white collar

Look at the model

questionnaire in your workbook

Make sure you proof read your questionnaire before you approach people – a

native speaker of a target language should be able to give

you additional insights into potential interpretations.

After getting the resultsMake sure you split your statistics into:

• Overall

• Male/Female

• Age

• Occupation

• Religion

• Political affiliation

You will need these statistics to complete the next section (interpretation of results)

Try making a mini questionnaire and

questioning the other students

Now work on your own questionnaire, then have it approved by

Duncan before administering it.