Points to remember
The following are the major points introduced in this chapter. Ensure that you are very confident with their meaning, content, context and significance.
1
Questionnaires are a form of survey: a written survey.
2
Questionnaires have many advantages over other methods of data collection.
3
Questionnaires have many limitations of which the researcher must be aware.
4
The main elements of a questionnaire are the cover letter, instructions and main
body.
5
The cover letter contains, among other things, information about the objectives
and significance of the study, about the research team and the sponsors, about
why the respondent should complete the questionnaire, about assurance of
anonymity and confidentiality, and about other parameters.
6
The main body of the questionnaire contains the questions to be answered.
7
The questionnaire format can be one of the following: funnel format, inverted
funnel format, diamond format, X-format, box format and mixed format.
8
The questionnaire usually contains primary, secondary and/or tertiary questions.
9
Padding questions are 'breathers' set before or after sensitive questions.
10
Probes are questions that are employed to encourage the respondent to complete,
expand or amplify information already given during the study.
11
Filter questions are general in nature and inquire about issues that will be
taken up by later questions.
12
Contingency questions ask for specific information on matters addressed by
filter questions.
13
Fixed-alternative questions are closed or pre-coded questions that offer a set
of possible answers for the respondent to choose from.
14
Open-ended questions offer no response options to choose from but space for the
respondent to write down the answer.
15
Open-ended and fixed-alternative questions have their advantages and
limitations.
16
Fixed-alternative questions contain accurate, exhaustive, uni-dimensional
response sets that contain mutually exclusive categories.
17
Particular attention must be given to the nature and structure of response sets.
18
Special consideration is to be given to the question content and especially to
composition, relevance, clarity and simplicity, level and type of language, and
to the attitude conveyed through the question.
19
Particular attention must be given to the questionnaire format.
20
Questions are the last step in a series of translations, leading from the
definition of the research topic to indicators and to question wording.
21
Pre-tests are small tests of single elements of the research instruments, used
to check their soundness and relevance.
22 A
pilot study is a small-scale replica of the main study including a fraction of
the sample.
23
Pre-tests mainly address research instruments; pilot studies mainly address
research process and outcomes.