Types
of Questions
They can use
either open‑ended or closed‑ended questions. An open‑ended question is one
where the question leaves room for the survey‑taker to answer in complete
sentences and ideas. A closed‑ended question allows the survey‑taker to answer
with only one response; there options are pre‑determined and closed.
In general,
open‑ended questions are easier to develop than closed‑ended questions.
Types of Questions
There are numerous types of questions available in
formal questionnaires. For our purposes, we will be exploring the three major
types.
1.
In closed ended questions, respondents’ answers are limited to
a fixed set of responses. Some types of closed ended questions are:
o Yes/no questions
o Scaled questions – where responses are graded on a
continuum (for ex: rate the product on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the
most preferred).
2.
With open ended questions, no options or predefined categories
are suggested. The respondents supply their own answers. For ex: how does your
organization make decisions?
3.
Completely unstructured – For ex: “What is your opinion of
questionnaires?”
o Word
association – a word
is spoken and the respondent mentions the first word that comes to mind.
o Sentence
completion – the respondent
completes an incomplete sentence.
o Story
completion – the respondent
completes an incomplete story.
o Picture
completion – the respondent
fills in a conversation balloon.
As it is with interviews, good
construction is critical to a questionnaire’s effectiveness. Leading questions,
inappropriate questions, incorrect ordering of questions, confusing questions,
or bad format can make any survey valueless.
Question sequence
· Questions
should flow logically from one to the next, and from the more general to the
more specific.
· The
researcher must give care that the answer to a question is not influenced by
previous questions.
· Questions
should flow from the least sensitive to the most sensitive.
· Questions
should flow from factual and behavioral questions to attitudinal and opinion
questions.
·
Initial
questions should be for screening and rapport. Then in the second stage you ask
all the specific questions. In the final stage you ask demographic questions.
One way
to check a questionnaire to make sure it accurately elicits the intended
information, is to pretest it using a smaller group of target respondents.
Questionnaire
Advantages:
·
It
is an effective method to use when you need to quantify the data.
·
It
is time‑effective for use with larger numbers of participants.
·
It
yields qualitative and quantitative data, because one can use both open- and
closed-ended questions.
Questionnaire
Disadvantages:
·
It
can be somewhat impersonal.
·
Questions
may miss the true issues.
·
Some
have been negatively conditioned to the value of questionnaires.
·
Those
who do respond can skew results with biased data.
Conclusion:
Surveys and questionnaires
can be especially useful instruments when you are trying to quantify community
issues or congregational needs. If the issue in question is technical in nature
(e.g. program changes, safety, community or church satisfaction, etc.), then questionnaires
can help you focus in on potential needs. If, however, the issues in question
involve interpersonal dynamics and/or conflict, questionnaires may not generate
the type of useful rapport when training designers take time to sit down and
listen to potential participants (as in interviews).
One useful
rule of thumb is to use open‑ended questions (particularly during an interview)
to identify, in broad strokes, the general scope of participant needs. Then, mail
closed‑ended questions to the participants to test the initial scope of needs
and to quantify the results as much as possible. This "one‑two" punch
can be very helpful when attempting accurately to determine participant needs.
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