Monthly Archives: February 2010

Developing a questionnaire seems easy, right? Decide what you need to know, write a bunch of questions and get people to answer them. What you need to know, is that the responses people give are affected by the way you word each item or question. Many problems arise and much information is rendered useless because of inattention to the way items are worded during questionnaire design.

Item writing is affected by item wording (the term item is used because not all items on a questionnaire are questions). Questionnaire designers must consider the following: Does the item elicit information related … Continue Reading…

Survey means ‘to look at in a comprehensive way’. There are numerous ways to look at issues in the world of survey research, including in-person and telephone interviews, mailed and online questionnaires.

In-Person Interviews

Getting information in person may be the most personal approach and most effective way of gaining trust and cooperation from the respondent. It is easier to react to puzzled facial expressions, answer questions, probe for clarification or redirect responses. Face to face contact is particularly useful to detect respondent discomfort when discussing sensitive issues or attempts to respond in a socially desirable way.

The in-person … Continue Reading…