Questionnaire & Form Design

Questionnaire & Form Design

Questionnaire Definition
A questionnaire is a formalized set of questions for obtaining information from respondents.

Questionnaire Objectives
It must translate the information needed into a set of specific questions that the respondents can and will answer. A questionnaire must uplift, motivate, and encourage the respondent to become involved in the interview, to cooperate, and to complete the interview. A questionnaire should minimize response error.

Identify the Form and Layout
Questionnaire Design Process Fig. 10.1 Specify the Information Needed Specify the Type of Interviewing Method Determine the Content of Individual Questions Design the Question to Overcome the Respondent’s Inability and Unwillingness to Answer Decide the Question Structure Determine the Question Wording Arrange the Questions in Proper Order Identify the Form and Layout Reproduce the Questionnaire Eliminate Bugs by Pre-testing

STEPS IN QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN
Determine what information is required – Translate research objectives into research question How variables are going to be measured Think through the techniques that will give meaning to the data What type of questionnaire to be used in the survey Personal interview with questionnaire Telephone interview Mail survey Observation method Evaluate the question content Does the respondent understand the question

Does the respondent have the information desired? Will respondent give information? Are several questions needed instead of one? Determine question/response format Do we need dichotomous questions? Should we use ordinal scaled questions? Should we use multiple choice questions? Decide on the wordings of the questions.

Avoid leading questions. Avoid unbalanced questions. Avoid double barreled questions. Avoid questions that involve estimation. Decide on question sequence and logical order – Leading questions Qualifying questions Warm-up questions Specific questions Demographic questions Determine the physical characteristics of the form Pretest, revise and final form

Individual Question Content Is the Question Necessary?
If there is no satisfactory use for the data resulting from a question, that question should be eliminated.

Choosing Question Structure Unstructured Questions
Unstructured questions are open-ended questions that respondents answer in their own words. Do you intend to buy a new car within the next six months? __________________________________

OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS How much orange juice does this bottle contain?
What is your reaction to this new custard powder? Why do you smoke wills cigarettes? How do you feel about cable TV? What is your age? For how many months or years have you been buying petrol at this station? How many members are there in this household?

OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS PROBING
Looking back over your experience in shopping there, what have you liked or disliked about Mehtas? Their sales prices are better than those in other stores. (Probe) any thing else? I have just bought there so long i know their merchandise quality. (Probe) Any thing else or why do you say that?

Respondent can answer in own words No pre set choices
Open ended questions Respondent can answer in own words No pre set choices Interviewer encourages elaboration Response recorded verbatim Used where range of answers is very wide or unknown Used to expand on or explain answers to previous questions

Use with care and only when necessary
Open ended cont’d Use with care and only when necessary Time consuming to code and data input Do not use too many Do not use at end if avoidable

Open ended - examples “”What did you enjoy most about your visit to the store today?” _______________________________ “Why do you say that?” _________________________________ ________________________________

Closed questions Where the respondent is forced to make a selection from predefined responses

Selecting question and response formats
Closed questions – most common forms are: Dichotomous Multiple choice Scale or rating Ranking Quantity

Simplest form of closed question
Dichotomous Simplest form of closed question Respondent limited to two fixed alternatives As such do not elicit much depth of information Used to confirm status or behaviour Often used in filtering and screening

Dichotomous cont’d Do you own a mobile Phone? Yes No Do you have children? Did you buy your TV on credit terms?

Respondents given a choice of potential responses to choose from
Multiple Choice Respondents given a choice of potential responses to choose from These can be Mutually exclusive Collectively exhaustive

Choosing Question Structure Multiple-Choice Questions
In multiple-choice questions, the researcher provides a choice of answers and respondents are asked to select one or more of the alternatives given. Do you intend to buy a new car within the next six months? ____ Definitely will not buy ____ Probably will not buy ____ Undecided ____ Probably will buy ____ Definitely will buy ____ Other (please specify)

Mutually exclusive No overlap Choose one option only Care in design to ensure no overlap occurs “”Within which age bracket do you fall”

Mutually Exclusive - example
“Within which age bracket do you fall” Incorrect 15-20 20-35 35-50 50+ Correct 21-35 36-50 51+

Collectively exhaustive
All potential responses listed Respondent can choose as many as applicable Need to know most potential answers Use “other” category where necessary Good for factual information Also good for attitudinal data tested and refined in qualitative research

Collectively exhaustive - example
“”Which of the following stores do you visit in a typical month?” Vishal BigBazaar Pantaloon Reliance Other – write in___________

Scale or rating questions
Normally involves assigning numerical measures to subjective concepts such as attitudes, opinions and feelings Numerical values enable easy comparison between different groups of respondents in analysis Most commonly mentioned in text books are: Likert Semantic differential

DIFFERENT TYPES OF RATING SCALES
1. Please put a ✔ mark at an appropriate place on the line below to express your opinion about Bank A. Very Bad_________________________________Very Good 2. Please put a ✔ mark at the category which expresses your overall opinion about bank A. Very Bad Very Good 3. Please check one of the following category to express your overall opinion about Bank A. Very Bad Bad Neither bad nor good Good Very good [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

4. Indicate which of the following summarizes your overall opinion of Bank A? Terrible Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 5. How do you overall rate Bank A in comparison to other banks in your town? Much worse Worse About the same Better Much Better [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 6. Rank the following by placing a 1 beside the bank you think is best overall, a 2 beside the bank you think is second best, and so on: Bank A ________ Bank B ________ Bank C ________ Bank D ________ Bank E ________

7. In each of the following pairs, which bank in your opinion is overall better? (Please check one bank within each pair.) ___Bank A or ___ Bank B ___Bank A or ___ Bank C ___Bank A or ___ Bank D ___Bank A or ___ Bank E ___Bank B or ___ Bank C ___Bank B or ___ Bank D ___Bank B or ___ Bank E ___Bank C or ___ Bank D ___Bank C or ___ Bank E ___Bank D or ___ Bank E 8. Allocate a total of 100 points among the following Banks, depending on how favorable you feel toward each; the more highly you think of each Bank, the more points you should allocate to it. (Please check that the allocated points add to 100.) Bank A ________ points Bank B ________ points Bank C ________ points Bank D ________ points Bank E ________ points

Neither Agree nor Disagree
LIKERT SCALE ITEMS Strongly Disagree Dis- agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree 1. Counter clerks at the bank are friendly. 2. Lines at the counter move slowly 3. The bank keeps confidentiality of the transactions. 4. The bank offers a variety of products. 5. The bank’s operation hours are inconvenient. 6. The ATM facilities of the bank breakdown frequently.

SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL SCALE ITEMS
1. Counter clerks friendly        Unfriendly counter clerks 2. Slow moving lines at counter Fast moving lines at counter 3. Confidentiality of transactions Non-confidentiality of transactions 4. Wide product assortment Narrow product assortment 5. Inconvenient bank hours Convenient bank hours 6. Frequent breakdown of ATM facility Rare breakdown of ATM facility

It is a double-barreled question,
Individual Question Content Are Several Questions Needed Instead of One? Sometimes, several questions are needed to obtain the required information in an unambiguous manner. Consider the question, “Do you think Coca-Cola is a tasty and refreshing soft drink?” It is a double-barreled question, “Do you think Coca-Cola is a tasty soft drink?” and “Do you think Coca-Cola is a refreshing soft drink?”

Overcoming Inability To Answer Is the Respondent Informed?
In situations where not all respondents are likely to be informed about the topic of interest, filter questions that measure familiarity and past experience should be asked before questions about the topics themselves. A “don't know” option appears to reduce uninformed responses without reducing the response rate.

Overcoming Inability To Answer Can the Respondent Remember?
How many liters of soft drinks did you consume during the last four weeks? How often do you consume soft drinks in a typical week? 1. ___ Less than once a week 2. ___ 1 to 3 times per week 3. ___ 4 to 6 times per week 4. ___ 7 or more times per week

Overcoming Inability To Answer Can the Respondent Articulate?
Respondents may be unable to articulate certain types of responses, e.g., describe the atmosphere of a department store. Respondents should be given aids, such as pictures, maps, and descriptions to help them articulate their responses.

Overcoming Unwillingness To Answer Effort Required of the Respondents
Most respondents are unwilling to devote a lot of effort to provide information.

Choosing Question Wording Define the Issue
Define the issue in terms of who, what, when, where, why, and way (the six Ws). Who, what, when, and where are particularly important. Which brand of shampoo do you use? Which brand or brands of shampoo have you personally used at home during the last month? In case of more than one brand, please list all the brands that apply.

Choosing Question Wording
The W's Defining the Question Who The Respondent It is not clear whether this question relates to the individual respondent or the respondent's total household. What The Brand of Shampoo It is unclear how the respondent is to answer this question if more than one brand is used. When Unclear The time frame is not specified in this question. The respondent could interpret it as meaning the shampoo used this morning, this week, or over the past year. Where At home, at the gym, on the road?

Choosing Question Wording Use Ordinary Words
“Do you think the distribution of soft drinks is adequate?” “Do you think soft drinks are readily available when you want to buy them?”

Choosing Question Wording Use Unambiguous Words
In a typical month, how often do you shop in department stores? _____ Never _____ Occasionally _____ Sometimes _____ Often _____ Regularly In a typical month, how often do you shop in department stores? _____ Less than once _____ 1 or 2 times _____ 3 or 4 times _____ More than 4 times

Choosing Question Wording Avoid Leading or Biasing Questions
A leading question is one that clues the respondent to what the answer should be, as in the following: Do you think that patriotic Indians should buy imported electronics when that would put Indian labor out of work? _____ Yes _____ No _____ Don't know Do you think that Indians should buy imported electronics? _____ Yes _____ No _____ Don't know

Choosing Question Wording Avoid Implicit Alternatives
An alternative that is not explicitly expressed in the options is an implicit alternative. 1. Do you like to fly when traveling short distances? 2. Do you like to fly when traveling short distances, or would you rather drive?

Choosing Question Wording Avoid Implicit Assumptions
Questions should not be worded so that the answer is dependent upon implicit assumptions about what will happen as a consequence. Are you in favor of a balanced budget? Are you in favor of a balanced budget if it would result in an increase in the personal income tax?

Choosing Question Wording Avoid Generalizations and Estimates
“What is the annual per capita expenditure on groceries in your household?” “What is the monthly (or weekly) expenditure on groceries in your household?” and “How many members are there in your household?”

Choosing Question Wording Dual Statements: Positive and Negative
Questions that are in the form of statements should be worded both positively and negatively.

Overcoming Unwillingness To Answer
Please list all the departments from which you purchased merchandise on your most recent shopping trip to a department store. In the list that follows, please check all the departments from which you purchased merchandise on your most recent shopping trip to a department store. 1. Women's dresses ____ 2. Men's apparel ____ 3. Children's apparel ____ 4. Cosmetics ____ Jewelry ____ 17. Other (please specify) ____

QUESTIONS NEEDING IMPROVEMENT
 Would you buy a cheap brand of whisky and serve it from a bottle from an expensive brand to impress your guests? _______ Yes ________ No  Would people you associate with buy a cheap brand of whisky and serve it from a bottle from an expensive to impress their guests?  Do you like orange juice?

 Why did you fly to Delhi on Jet Airways? * How often you send your engineers for training programme? __________ * Do you perform regular backups of all systems? _________ Yes _________ No  Do you watch television programmes regularly?  What will be future demand for gold?

 In your opinion, how many students of your class would be successful managers? a) Ten percent b) Twenty percent c) Thirty percent d) ______ percent  Have you ever visited the art museum? * You prefer this brand because you think: a) It is reasonably priced b) It is tried and tested brands c) It has a better taste and flavour d) It is good value for money e) It is a well established brand.

 Approximately how many long distance telephone calls do you make per week? a) 1 to 2 calls b) 3 to 5 calls c) 5 to 7 calls d) more than 7 calls  What do you like about city bank’s automatic-teller machines? a) 24-hour service b) Privacy during transaction c) Convenient location d) No long lines e) Other (Please Specify)

* Which of the following are key drivers of productivity: - Investment in machinery and equipment _________ - Level of education and training of employees _________ - Government social security spending _________ * Does your organization have adequate safety measures? _________ Yes _________ No  Last time you bought toothpaste. did you go for Colgate or not?

 How many cups of coffee you drank during the year 2005?  Do you feel firms today are concerned about their employees and customers? _________ Yes _________ No * Has the company adopted and documented quality standard in accordance with ISO 9000?  How important is price to you in buying a new car? ___ More important than any other factor ___ Extremely important ___ Important ___ Somewhat important ___ Unimportant

How important is price to you in buying a new car? ___ Very important ___ Relatively important ___ Neither important nor unimportant ___ Relatively unimportant ___ Very unimportant * How have been the financial results of the company in this financial year? _______ Bad _______ Average _______ Fair _______ Good _______ Very good

* Don’t you think off-shore drilling for oil is environmentally unsound? ______ Yes ______ No ______ Opinion Don’t you have a documented SQA (Software Quality Assurance) system? _________ Yes _________ No  Why do you use ABC detergent? Do you own or rent this house? Are you favorable, indifferent, or unfavorable toward a 10% increase in city taxes? ______ Favorable ______ Indifferent ______ Unfavorable

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF STRUCTURED QUESTIONS RELATIVE TO NONSTRUCTURED QUESTIONS
EVALUATION CRITERIA ADVANTAGES OF STRUCTURED QUESTIONS DISADVANTAGES OF STRUCTURED QUESTIONS VERSATILITY Can be used to study diverse populations; Literacy levels and communication skills of respondents not as for non-structured questions; More topics/ issues can be covered in interview/questionnaire of given length Not as good in providing new insights/ideas as non-structured questions; Can not obtain in-depth or detailed responses

EVALUATION CRITERIA ADVANTAGES OF STRUCTURED QUESTIONS DISADVANTAGES OF STRUCTURED QUESTIONS ACCURACY Less chance of interviewer and respondent errors in recording answers No guarantee that checked responses fully and/or truly reflect respondents’ intended answers RESPONDENT CONVENIENCE More convenient to respondents in terms of time needed to respond and ease of responding COST Cheaper since interviewer time and skill levels required to record and interpret data are usually lower than for non-structured questions

EVALUATION CRITERIA ADVANTAGES OF STRUCTURED QUESTIONS DISADVANTAGES OF STRUCTURED QUESTIONS TIME Less time to respond as well as to record responses; Collected data can be quickly transferred to computer memory for analysis; In some studies recording coded responses directly into computer terminals as interview is taking place may be possible May take more time to design, unless researcher has clear idea of what to ask and what specific responses to expect

Determining the Order of Questions
Opening Questions The opening questions should be interesting, simple, and non-threatening. Type of Information As a general guideline, basic information should be obtained first, followed by classification, and, finally, identification information. Difficult Questions Difficult questions or questions which are sensitive, embarrassing, complex, or dull, should be placed late in the sequence.

Effect on Subsequent Questions General questions should precede the specific questions (funnel approach). Q1: “What considerations are important to you in selecting a department store?” Q2: “In selecting a department store, how important is convenience of location?”

Logical Order The following guidelines should be followed for branching questions: The question being branched (the one to which the respondent is being directed) should be placed as close as possible to the question causing the branching. The branching questions should be ordered so that the respondents cannot anticipate what additional information will be required.

Overcoming Unwillingness To Answer
Context Respondents are unwilling to respond to questions which they consider to be inappropriate for the given context. The researcher should manipulate the context so that the request for information seems appropriate. Legitimate Purpose Explaining why the data are needed can make the request for the information seem legitimate and increase the respondents' willingness to answer. Sensitive Information Respondents are unwilling to disclose, at least accurately, sensitive information because this may cause embarrassment or threaten the respondent's prestige or self-image.

Place sensitive topics at the end of the questionnaire.
Overcoming Unwillingness To Answer Increasing the Willingness of Respondents Place sensitive topics at the end of the questionnaire. Preface the question with a statement that the behavior of interest is common. Ask the question using the third-person technique phrase the question as if it referred to other people. Hide the question in a group of other questions which respondents are willing to answer. The entire list of questions can then be asked quickly. Provide response categories rather than asking for specific figures. Use randomized techniques.

Observation number: _________
OBSERVATION FORM FOR RECORDING CHARACTERISTICS & BEHAVIOR OF CUSTOMERS STOPPING AT A SPECIAL DISPLAY Observation number: _________ As soon as you observe any adult customer (any customer who appears to be 18 years of age or more) stopping at the display, start your stopwatch, and record the following: 1. Sex of the customer: Male _____ Female _____ 2. Approximate age of the customer: 18–30 ____ 31–50 ____ Over 50 ____

3. Number of individuals accompanying the customer:
OBSERVATION FORM FOR RECORDING CHARACTERISTICS & BEHAVIOR OF CUSTOMERS STOPPING AT A SPECIAL DISPLAY 3. Number of individuals accompanying the customer: _____ (If none, go on to item 4.) a) How many of the accompanying individuals are adults? ___ b) How many are children? ____ 4. Does the customer touch or handle the product? Yes _____ No _____ 5. Do any of the accompanying adults touch or handle the product?

OBSERVATION FORM FOR RECORDING CHARACTERISTICS & BEHAVIOR OF CUSTOMERS STOPPING AT A SPECIAL DISPLAY
6. Do the customer or accompanying adults, if any, leave the display with one or more units of the displayed product? Yes _____ No _____ How many total units? _____ Stop your stopwatch when the customer and accompanying adults, if any, leave the display area. Record below the total time spent at the display: _____ Minutes _____Seconds Go to a new observation form and record information for the next adult who stops at the display.

Is marking up the questionnaire ready for analysis
Coding Is marking up the questionnaire ready for analysis Where possible should be done prior to data collection I.e. at design stage If lots of open ended questions difficult to do at design stage Can be done at analysis stage but more time consuming

Eg. Sex of respondent may be coded as 1 for female and 2 for male
Coding cont’d It is assigning a code, usually a number, to each possible response to each question Eg. Sex of respondent may be coded as 1 for female and 2 for male In Excel your rows are most likely to represent individual respondents with your columns representing questions

Some questions will take up more than one column i.e. scale questions
Coding Cont’d So if Q1 was gender - cell A1 represents the gender of respondent 1 – if the input is 1 they are female 2 they are male Some questions will take up more than one column i.e. scale questions Coding at design stage could look like this Are you? Female ______ (A1) Male _______(A2)

Interviewer instructions
Must be clear Mainly about routing and coding Often written in capitals to stand out from rest Do you ever eat Pizza? Yes _____ GO TO Q2 No _____ THANK AND CLOSE

Flow Chart for Questionnaire Design
Fig. 10.2 Introduction Ownership of Store, Bank, and Other Charge Cards Purchased Products in a Specific Department Store during the Last Two Months Yes No How was Payment made? Ever Purchased in a Department Store? Credit Cash Yes Other No Store Charge Card Bank Charge Card Other Charge Card Intentions to Use Store, Bank, and other Charge Cards

Form and Layout Divide a questionnaire into several parts.
The questions in each part should be numbered, particularly when branching questions are used. The questionnaires should preferably be pre-coded. The questionnaires themselves should be numbered serially.

A Confidential Survey of Our Subscribers
Example of a Precoded Questionnaire The American Lawyer A Confidential Survey of Our Subscribers (Please ignore the numbers alongside the answers. They are only to help us in data processing.) 1. Considering all the times you pick it up, about how much time, in total, do you spend reading or looking through a typical issue of THE AMERICAN LAWYER? Less than 30 minutes 30 to 59 minutes 1 hour to 1 hour 29 minutes 11/2 hours to 1 hour 59 minutes 2 hours to 2 hours 59 minutes 3 hours or more

Reproduction of the Questionnaire
The questionnaire should be reproduced on good-quality paper and have a professional appearance. Questionnaires should take the form of a booklet rather than a number of sheets of paper clipped or stapled together. Each question should be reproduced on a single page (or double-page spread). Vertical response columns should be used for individual questions. Grids are useful when there are a number of related questions which use the same set of response categories. The tendency to crowd questions together to make the questionnaire look shorter should be avoided. Directions or instructions for individual questions should be placed as close to the questions as possible.

Type of Paper: good quality, official letterhead
Covering Letter Type of Paper: good quality, official letterhead Maximum length : one side (font 12) Date: in full Recipient’s name: title, forename, surname, Recipient’s address: in full Salutation: recipients title & name

First set of message: what research is about
2nd set of messages: why recipient’s response is important, how long will it take to complete. 3rd set promise of confidentiality or anonymity 4th set how results will be used; reward or donation for participant

Final set whom to contact in case of queries
Covering Letter Final set whom to contact in case of queries Closing remarks thank participant for their help Signature: your’s in blue Name & title: yours including forename & surname Postscript: express thanks or other appropriate message (optional, but Post script is the most visible aspect of letter) Source: Developed from dillman(2000)

Pretesting Pretesting refers to the testing of the questionnaire on a small sample of respondents to identify and eliminate potential problems. A questionnaire should not be used in the field survey without adequate pretesting. All aspects of the questionnaire should be tested, including question content, wording, sequence, form and layout, question difficulty, and instructions. The respondents for the pretest and for the actual survey should be drawn from the same population. Pretests are best done by personal interviews, even if the actual survey is to be conducted by mail, telephone, or electronic means, because interviewers can observe respondents' reactions and attitudes.

Pretesting After the necessary changes have been made, another pretest could be conducted by mail, telephone, or electronic means if those methods are to be used in the actual survey. A variety of interviewers should be used for pretests. The pretest sample size varies from 15 to 30 respondents for each wave. Protocol analysis and debriefing are two commonly used procedures in pretesting. Finally, the responses obtained from the pretest should be coded and analyzed.

Observational Forms Department Store Project
Who: Purchasers, browsers, males, females, parents with children, or children alone. What: Products/brands considered, products/brands purchased, size, price of package inspected, or influence of children or other family members. When: Day, hour, date of observation. Where: Inside the store, checkout counter, or type of department within the store. Why: Influence of price, brand name, package size, promotion, or family members on the purchase. Way: Personal observer disguised as sales clerk, undisguised personal observer, hidden camera, or obtrusive mechanical device.

Questionnaire Design Checklist
Table 10.1 Step 1. Specify The Information Needed Step 2. Type of Interviewing Method Step 3. Individual Question Content Step 4. Overcome Inability and Unwillingness to Answer Step 5. Choose Question Structure Step 6. Choose Question Wording Step 7. Determine the Order of Questions Step 8. Form and Layout Step 9. Reproduce the Questionnaire Step 10. Pretest

Table 10.1 cont. Step 1. Specify the Information Needed Ensure that the information obtained fully addresses all the components of the problem. Review components of the problem and the approach, particularly the research questions, hypotheses, and specification of information needed. Prepare a set of dummy tables. Have a clear idea of the target population. Step 2. Type of Interviewing Method Review the type of interviewing method determined based on considerations discussed in Chapter 6.

Table 10.1 cont. Step 3. Individual Question Content Is the question necessary? Are several questions needed instead of one to obtain the required information in an unambiguous manner? Do not use double-barreled questions.

Step 4. Overcoming Inability and Unwillingness to Answer Is the respondent informed? If respondents are not likely to be informed, filter questions that measure familiarity, product use, and past experience should be asked before questions about the topics themselves. Can the respondent remember? Avoid errors of omission, telescoping, and creation. Questions which do not provide the respondent with cues can underestimate the actual occurrence of an event. Can the respondent articulate?

Step 4. Overcoming Inability and Unwillingness to Answer Minimize the effort required of the respondents. Is the context in which the questions are asked appropriate? Make the request for information seem legitimate. If the information is sensitive: Place sensitive topics at the end of the questionnaire. Preface the question with a statement that the behavior of interest is common. Ask the question using the third-person technique. Hide the question in a group of other questions which respondents are willing to answer. Provide response categories rather than asking for specific figures. Use randomized techniques, if appropriate.

Step 5. Choosing Question Structure Open-ended questions are useful in exploratory research and as opening questions. Use structured questions whenever possible. In multiple-choice questions, the response alternatives should include the set of all possible choices and should be mutually exclusive. In a dichotomous question, if a substantial proportion of the respondents can be expected to be neutral, include a neutral alternative. Consider the use of the split ballot technique to reduce order bias in dichotomous and multiple-choice questions. If the response alternatives are numerous, consider using more than one question to reduce the information processing demands on the respondents.

Table 10.1 cont. Step 6. Choosing Question Wording Define the issue in terms of who, what, when, where, why, and way (the six Ws). Use ordinary words. Words should match the vocabulary level of the respondents. Avoid ambiguous words: usually, normally, frequently, often, regularly, occasionally, sometimes, etc. Avoid leading questions that clue the respondent to what the answer should be. Avoid implicit alternatives that are not explicitly expressed in the options. Avoid implicit assumptions. Respondent should not have to make generalizations or compute estimates. Use positive and negative statements.

Table 10.1 cont. Step 7. Determine the Order of Questions The opening questions should be interesting, simple, and non-threatening. Qualifying questions should serve as the opening questions. Basic information should be obtained first, followed by classification, and, finally, identification information. Difficult, sensitive, or complex questions should be placed late in the sequence. General questions should precede the specific questions. Questions should be asked in a logical order. Branching questions should be designed carefully to cover all possible contingencies. The question being branched should be placed as close as possible to the question causing the branching, and (2) the branching questions should be ordered so that the respondents cannot anticipate what additional information will be required.

Table 10.1 cont. Step 8. Form and Layout Divide a questionnaire into several parts. Questions in each part should be numbered. The questionnaire should be pre-coded. The questionnaires themselves should be numbered serially.

Table 10.1 cont. Step 9. Reproduction of the Questionnaire The questionnaire should have a professional appearance. Booklet format should be used for long questionnaires. Each question should be reproduced on a single page (or double-page spread). Vertical response columns should be used. Grids are useful when there are a number of related questions which use the same set of response categories. The tendency to crowd questions to make the questionnaire look shorter should be avoided. Directions or instructions for individual questions should be placed as close to the questions as possible.

Table 10.1 cont. Step 10. Pretesting Pretesting should be done always. All aspects of the questionnaire should be tested, including question content, wording, sequence, form and layout, question difficulty, and instructions. The respondents in the pretest should be similar to those who will be included in the actual survey. Begin the pretest by using personal interviews. Pretest should also be conducted by mail or telephone if those methods are to be used in the actual survey. A variety of interviewers should be used for pretests. The pretest sample size is small, varying from 15 to 30 respondents for the initial testing. Use protocol analysis and debriefing to identify problems. After each significant revision of the questionnaire, another pretest should be conducted, using a different sample of respondents. The responses obtained from the pretest should be coded and analyzed.

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