Data_Handling_questionnaires

Data Handling:

Data Handling Questionnaires

Slide 2:

A common method of collecting data for a survey is to use a questionnaire. Questionnaires take many forms and are carried out using a variety of methods.

Methods of collecting data:

Methods of collecting data Methods of collecting data

The four main methods of collecting data are: :

The four main methods of collecting data are: face to face by phone by post via the internet

Types of question :

Types of question You might be expected to design a questionnaire as part of your exam . Questionnaires can include: yes/no answers tick boxes numbered responses word responses questions which require a sentence to be written

Questionnaire design :

Questionnaire design A questionnaire is a set of questions that are used to collect data for a survey.

Question 1:

Question 1 How much sleep did you get last night? □ Less than average □ About average □ More than average Is this a well designed question?

Reason why question is poor:

Reason why question is poor The question is not clear- different people are likely to have different ideas of what is meant by average ! Rewrite the question so that the following conditions are met: ask short questions which can be answered precisely; provide tick boxes

Improved question:

Improved question How much sleep did you get last night? □ Less than 8 hours □ About 8 hours □ More than 8 hours

Question 2:

Question 2 Do you agree that we need at least 8 hours of sleep each night ? Is this a well designed question?

Reason why question is poor:

Reason why question is poor This is a leading question – the question is leading people to answer yes.

Improved question:

Improved question Do you think that we need at least 8 hours sleep each night? □ Yes □ No □ Not sure

Question 3:

Question 3 What do you sleep on?

Reason why question is poor:

Reason why question is poor This question is ambiguous: it could have more than one meaning. The question is meant to be about sleeping position, but could be answered “a bed”!

Improved question:

Improved question What do you usually sleep on? □ Back □ Front □ Side

Questionnaires should::

Questionnaires should: 1. use simple language; 2. ask short questions which can be answered precisely; 3. provide tick boxes ; 4. avoid open-ended questions; 5. avoid leading questions.

Whichever style (or styles) of questions you use...:

Whichever style (or styles) of questions you use... it is important that they are: easy to understand, cover every possible answer, unbiased (they do not lead respondents to give a particular answer) unambiguous (they have a clear meaning).

Poor questionnaire questions:

Poor questionnaire questions You support Manchester United, don't you?

You support Man U, don't you? :

You support Man U, don't you? This is a biased question. The interviewee might feel pressurised into saying 'yes'. A better question would be: 'Which football team, if any, do you support?'

Poor questionnaire questions:

Poor questionnaire questions Do you think maths is: a very interesting subject quite an interesting subject?

Do you think maths is: :

Do you think maths is: a very interesting subject / quite an interesting subject? This is biased in favour of maths, and it does not cover every possible answer.

Poor questionnaire questions:

Poor questionnaire questions Are you a criminal?

Are you a criminal? :

Are you a criminal? It is unlikely that you will get a truthful answer to this, especially in a face-to-face interview!

Examination Style Question :

Examination Style Question a) Write down a reason why the following question would be unsuitable for use in a questionnaire: “What films do you watch?” b) Write an improved version of this question.

C grade question:

C grade question A driving test centre is designing a questionnaire. This question has been designed to find out how many hours of driving lessons have been taken by someone who is about to take a test. “How long have you spent on driving lessons?” Design a better question for the driving centre to use. You should include some response boxes.

There are two main points to remember about the questions in a questionnaire: :

There are two main points to remember about the questions in a questionnaire: 1. They must be specific and have specific answers. So, ‘ How do you feel about football? ’ would not be a good question, whereas, ‘ Do you like watching football (Yes/No)? ’ would be better. 2. They must be fair and not leading questions. For instance, ‘ Do you agree that the BBC has the best sports coverage? ’ is not a good question, whereas, ‘ Which channel has the best sports coverage? ’ (with a list of options) is a lot better.

Past exam question:

Past exam question As each customer left the shop the manager gave them a questionnaire containing the following question. How much money did you spend in the shop today? Response: □ Less than £10 □ Less than £20 □ Less than £30 □ £30 or more Write down one reason why the response section of this question is not suitable.

Slide 28:

Eg If you had spent £8.50 in the shop you could tick the less than £10, the less than £20 and the less than £30 boxes Now rewrite the question