Introduction

Characteristics
of surveys

Planning a
survey

Questionnaire construction

The Final
questionnaire

Qualitative
surveys

Internet-based
surveys

Response rate

Strengths and limitations of
the survey
method

Improving
survey results

Aids

Chapter 10. Conducting Surveys: Questionnaire Construction

Introduction

It is quite possible that your first research project will be a survey. If not, and you continue as a researcher, you will certainly use this method at a later time. Therefore, we discuss survey research in some detail.

Our discussion of survey techniques extends over two chapters. This chapter focuses on development of questionnaires, the instrument used in conducting a survey. Researchers who like to be precise about research terminology often refer to a questionnaire used for interviewing persons as an interview schedule and reserve the word questionnaire for an instrument that respondents complete on their own. We do not make this distinction: we call either a questionnaire.

The following chapter discusses the related process of using a questionnaire in conducting interviews. Together, the two chapters will prepare you to plan and conduct a survey.

Characteristics of surveys

Surveys share three general characteristics:

• Based on probability sampling;
• Use of a questionnaire to collect data; and
• Data are analyzed using statistical methods.

Probability sampling

Surveys can be conducted by asking all members of the entire target population to respond. This would result in a census and any calculations, such as percentages or means, would represent the parameters or values for variables for that population. Population surveys, however, are practical only when populations are quite small, about 1,000 or fewer members. For larger populations, sampling is the only practical way to collect data. Details of sampling methods are discussed in Chapter 8.

Use of a questionnaire

A questionnaire is a carefully prepared set of questions designed to produce the data needed to answer a research question. The term item is generally used in place of question because questionnaires frequently contain statements that respondents are asked to respond to in addition to questions

Statistical analysis

Questionnaires frequently contain many items. Samples include hundreds, even thousands of respondents, each of whom, if all goes well, answers every question. As a result, most surveys produce a large amount of data. The only practical way to analyze data from most surveys, therefore, is by means of statistical analysis. This may be done by hand, although today computer-based software packages speed up analysis and removes a large source of errors that can occur with hand analysis. Also, use of a statistical software permits more extensive and thorough analyses of data. Statistical analysis procedures are described in Part 4 of this book.