Introduction
Survey method is one of the most important data collection methods in the social science which uses a questionnaire as the main data gathering instruments.
The foundation of all questionnaires is the question.
Therefore, it is important to understand how to formulate the questions in order to get the precise answers from the respondents.
Questions have to be designed in a most effective way so that all respondents have the same understanding of the questions.
Especially they must be designed according to the educational level of the respondents.
Content of Questions
Questions solicit answers. Some questions asking factual answers and some are asking opinion, feeling and attitude.
Depending on the research objective, a questionnaire may consist of two general categories of questions:
1) factual questions; and
2) opinion, feeling and attitude question
It is advisable to mix different categories of questions to prevent monotony and to validate certain answers which can be answered in different forms.
Type of questions
Questions can be put forward in many different ways structurally. There are basically four different structures:
1) open-ended questions
- These type of questions are normally used to solicit feeling, opinion or attitude of the respondents.
- There are no specific answers to the questions and the questions are left open without writing any suggestions to be answered
2) closed-ended questions
these type of questions requires respondents to choose specific answerers suggested in the questions. The respondents may choose one or more than one answers given.
3) dichotomous questions
require respondents to answer either one of the answers.
For example, respondents are asked whether they like to watch TV or not, true or false, or yes or no.
4) contingency questions
contingency questions - questions prepared for a special subgroup of respondents because some questions are not relevant to all the respondents.
Therefore, special contingency questions have to be formulated
For example, the first question is “do you have a child/children?” if the response is “Yes,” he or she will be instructed to go to question no 5, instead answering the following question which is no, 2, 3 and 4. But those who answer, “No” have to answer the following questions.
Question Format
There are many different formats in designing closed-ended questions.
The most important thing to do:
to give clear instructions on how to answer the questions.
to give an example on how to answer certain questions.
Question formats are: rating, matrix questions, card sort, semantic differential and ranking.
Sequence of Questions
Different cultures may have sensitivity in answering certain questions in a questionnaire.
Therefore, the sequence of the questions must be politically correct.
Some sensitive and difficult questions have to be placed toward the end of the questionnaire
