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

Obtaining permission

Early in your project planning you will have to find out   if you will need permission from local authorities or leaders to conduct your survey. Permission or approval is frequently needed before a survey can be conducted in rural areas or in institutions such as schools, hospitals, offices, or factories. If you are know local leaders or other influential persons in the population you intend to survey, they may be able to assist you in obtaining any needed permission. Even in these favorable circumstances, however, you may need to show them how the survey will be of value to the population and could be of benefit to the leaders as well. You will want to prepare a short, clear statement that describes the purpose of the survey, its importance, your sponsorship (your university, for example), the size of the sample, and what will be required of the respondents. If you do not know persons who can speak on your behalf, try to find a leader or influential person to act as your sponsor. Your prepared statement should answer the questions you expect to be asked. When permission of local leaders or authorities is not granted, you will have to revise your plans.

Questionnaire construction

Constructing a questionnaire requires a large amount of time and careful attention to details. The quality of data obtained depends on how well the items comprising the questionnaire are developed. Poor questionnaire development will almost always produce poor data and useless conclusions.   Careful questionnaire development is essential for the collection of valid and reliable data, which are the only basis for sound conclusions.

Steps in questionnaire construction

Box 10.1 lists the typical steps involved in constructing a questionnaire. The preparatory steps are included to remind you that use of questionnaire depends on certain prior decisions. These include clearly stating the question you wish to answer, completing the necessary steps of conceptualization and operationalization, and other topics covered in previous chapters. The remainder of this chapter focuses on the steps listed in the lower part of Box 10.1, beginning with the development of a candidate set of items for measuring the variables you intend to investigate.