Collecting primary data using questionnaires Lecture 12 Professional Development and Research Lecturer: R. Milyankova

Collecting primary data using questionnaires

Lecture 12Professional Development and Research

Lecturer: R. Milyankova

Collecting primary data using questionnaires

Objectives of this session: To understand the advantages and disadvantages of

questionnaires as a data collection method To be aware of range of self-administered and

interviewer-administered questionnaires To be aware of possible need to combine techniques

within a research project To be able to design, pilot and administer a

questionnaire to answer research questions and to meet objectives

To be able to apply the knowledge, skills and understanding gained to your own research project

Questionnaire – a definition

General definition:All techniques of data collection in which each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions in a predetermined order

(de Vaus, 2002)

It includes structured interviews and telephone questionnaires as well as questionnaires in which questions are answered without the interviewer to be presented

Response rate, validity and reliability can be maximized by:

Careful design of individual questions Clear layout of the questionnaire

form Clear explanation of the purpose of

the questionnaire Pilot testing Carefully planned and executed

administration

When to use questionnaires?

Not good for exploratory research that requires large number of open questions

Good for descriptive research – attitude and opinion questions or qs of organizational practices, describing the variability of different phenomena

Explanatory or analytical research – enables to examine relationship between variables in a particular cause-effect relationships

Types of questionnaires

Types of questionnaires

On-line Postal Delivery and collection

Self-administered

Telephone Structured Interview

Interviewer administered

Questionnaires

The choice of questionnaireInfluenced by factors related to the: characteristics of the respondents from whom you wish to

collect data importance of reaching a particular person as a respondent importance of answers not being contaminated or distorted size of sample you require for your analysis, taking into

account the response rate types of questions you need to ask to collect your data number of questions you need to ask Contamination of results – uninformed response (guess at

the answer) Longer questionnaires are better presented by structured

interviews

The choice of questionnaire depends on:

Time available to complete the data collection Financial implications of data collection and entry Availability of interviewers and field workers to

assist Ease of automating data entry

CAPI – computer aided personal interviewingCATI – computer aided telephone interviewing

What data need to be collected?

If explanatory research: Relationships between variables? Which variables are dependent? (Change in

response to changes in other variables) Which variables are independent? (cause

changes in independent variables) Which variables are extraneous? (may also

cause changes in dependent variables)

Types of variables

Attitude (opinion) how respondents feel about something

Belief what respondents think or believe is true or

false Behaviour

what respondents do Attribute

characteristics of respondents

Types of variable

Attitude How do you feel about the following statement?

‘Financial advisors should place their clients’ interest before their own’.

(please tick the appropriate box)strongly agreemildly agreeneither agree or disagreemildly disagreestrongly disagree

Types of variable

BeliefIn general, do financial advisors place their clients’

interests before their own?(please tick the appropriate box)

always yesusually yessometimes yesseldom yesnever yes

Types of variable

BehaviourHow often do you place your clients’ interests before

your own?(please tick the appropriate box)

80-100% of my time60-79% of my time40-59% of my time20-39% of my time0-19% of my time

Types of variable

AttributeHow old are you?(please tick the appropriate box)

less than 30 years30 to less than 40 years40 to less than 50 years50 to less than 60 years60 years or over

How to ensure that the data collected will enable the research questions to be answered?

Decide whether the main outcome of your research is descriptive or explanatory

Subdivide each research question or objective into more specific investigative questions about which you need to gather data

Repeat the second stage if you feel that the investigative questions are not sufficiently precise

Identify the variables about which you need to collect data to answer each investigative question

Establish how to measure the data for each variable

How to ensure that the data collected will enable the research questions to be answered?

Research question / objective:

Type of research:

Data requirements table:

Investigative questions

Do employees feel that they should be able to smoke in their office if they want to as a right

(opinion)

Variables required

Opinion of employees to smoke in their office as a right

Detail in which data measured

Should be allowed, should not be allowed, no strong feelings

Check included in questionnaire

Designing the questionnaire

The validity and reliability depend on:

the design of your questions the structure of your questionnaire the rigor of your pilot testing

Stages if a question is to be valid and reliable

Researcher is clear about the information required and designs

a question

Respondent decodes the question in the way the

researcher intended

Respondent answers the question

Researcher decodes the answer in the way the respondent

intended

Foddy (1994)

Designing individual questions

Adopt questions used in other questionnaires

Adapt questions used in other questionnaires

Develop your own questions 12

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5

12

34

5

3Scan a multitu

de of

information and decide what is

important.

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34

5

12

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12

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1Manage tim

e effectively

2Manage resources effectively.

3Scan a multitu

de of

information and decide what

is important.

4Decide how to manage multip

le tasks.

5Organize the work when directions are not specific

.

1Manage tim

e effectively

Rating Sheet

Types Of Questions Open = open-ended Closed = forced-choice

List – list of items to be selected Category – only one response may be selected Ranking – to place information in order Scale or rating – rating device is used Quantity – response gives the amount Grid - responses to two or more questions can

be recorded using the sane matrix

Types Of Questions

A. Unstructured / Open

B. Structured / Closed

A. Unstructured / Open

B. Structured / Closed

Open Questions

Please list up to three things you like about your job:

1. …………………………………2. ………………………………… 3. …………………………………

Structured Questions

I. List questionsI. List questionsI. List questionsI. List questions

Please tick the box in the provided column for services you provided as a home care assistant for this client in the past month:

Service Provided

cleaning rooms shopping bed making laundry other (please describe) …………………...

XX

XX

XX


II. Category questionsII. Category questionsII. Category questionsII. Category questions

How often do you visit this shopping centre?

First visit 2 or more times a week

Once a week Less than once a week to fortnightly

Less than fortnightly Less oftento once a month

XX


Dichotomous scaleDichotomous scaleDichotomous scaleDichotomous scale

III. Ranking and scale questionsIII. Ranking and scale questionsIII. Ranking and scale questionsIII. Ranking and scale questions

____Yes____Yes

____No____No

MaleMale FemaleFemale


Ordinal scaleOrdinal scaleOrdinal scaleOrdinal scale

Rank the candidates in order of preference fromRank the candidates in order of preference frombest to worst...best to worst...

___ Bob Dole___ Bob Dole___ Bill Clinton___ Bill Clinton___ Newt Gingrich___ Newt Gingrich___ Al Gore___ Al Gore___ George Bush___ George Bush


Interval scaleInterval scaleInterval scaleInterval scale

Likert Response ScaleLikert Response Scale

11 22 33 44 55stronglystrongly disagreedisagree neutralneutral agreeagree stronglystronglydisagreedisagree agreeagree



Semantic DifferentialSemantic Differential

veryvery some-some- neitherneither some-some- veryverymuchmuch whatwhat whatwhat muchmuch

interestinginteresting boringboring

simplesimple complexcomplex

uncaringuncaring caringcaring

usefuluseful uselessuseless

etc.etc.



Guttman (Cumulative) ScaleGuttman (Cumulative) Scale

___Are you willing to permit immigrants to live in your country?___Are you willing to permit immigrants to live in your country?___Are you willing to permit immigrants to live in your community?___Are you willing to permit immigrants to live in your community?___Are you willing to permit immigrants to live in your neighborhood?___Are you willing to permit immigrants to live in your neighborhood?___Would you be willing to have an immigrant live next door to you?___Would you be willing to have an immigrant live next door to you?___Would you let your child marry an immigrant?___Would you let your child marry an immigrant?


IV. Quantity questionsIV. Quantity questionsIV. Quantity questionsIV. Quantity questions

What is your year of birth?What is your year of birth?

11 99

V. Grid questionsV. Grid questionsV. Grid questionsV. Grid questions

Filter or Contingency Questions

Have you ever smoked marijuana?Have you ever smoked marijuana?

yesyesnono

V. Grid questionsV. Grid questions


Have you ever smoked marijuana?Have you ever smoked marijuana?

yesyesnono

If If yesyes, about how many times have , about how many times have you smoked marijuana?you smoked marijuana?

OnceOnce2 to 5 times2 to 5 times6 to 10 times6 to 10 times11 to 20 times11 to 20 timesmore than 20 timesmore than 20 times


try to avoid having more than three levels (two jumps) for any question

if only two levels, use graphic to jump (e.g., arrow and box)

if possible, jump to a new page

Documents

Collecting primary data using questionnaires Lecture 12 Professional Development and Research Lecturer: R. Milyankova