RESEARCH METHOD COHEN ok
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RESEARCH METHOD COHEN ok

RESEARCH METHOD COHEN ok RESEARCH METHOD COHEN ok

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APPROACHING THE PLANNING OF A QUESTIONNAIRE 319 Box 15.1 Aflowcharttechniqueforquestionplanning Do you have double-glazing on any window in your house Yes No Chapter 15 Did you have it fitted or was it here beforehand Do you have any plans to get it installed or not Fitted by present occupant Fitted beforehand Yes No What were the reasons for you getting it installed Do you think you would have moved in here if it was not installed What were the reasons for you getting it installed If you were given a grant to complete the work, would that make any difference or not What are its advantages What are its disadvantages etc. What do you think are its advantages And its disadvantages etc. Source:SocialandCommunityPlanningResearch1972 and then translated into a specific, concrete aim or set of aims. Thus, ‘to explore teachers’ views about in-service work’ is somewhat nebulous, whereas ‘to obtain a detailed description of primary and secondary teachers’ priorities in the provision of in-service education courses’ is reasonably specific. Having decided upon and specified the primary objective of the questionnaire, the second phase of the planning involves the identification and itemizing of subsidiary topics that relate to its central purpose. In our example, subsidiary issues might well include the types of courses required, the content of courses, the location of courses, the timing of courses, the design of courses, and the financing of courses. The third phase follows the identification and itemization of subsidiary topics and involves formulating specific information requirements relating to each of these issues. For example, with respect to the type of courses required, detailed information would be needed about the duration of courses (one meeting, several meetings, a week, a month, a term or a year), the status of courses (nonaward bearing, award bearing, with certificate, diploma, degree granted by college or university), the orientation of courses (theoretically oriented involving lectures, readings, etc., or practically oriented involving workshops and the production of curriculum materials). What we have in the example, then, is a move from a generalized area of interest or purpose to a very specific set of features about which direct data can be gathered. Wilson and McLean (1994: 8–9) suggest an alternative approach which is to identify the research problem, then to clarify the relevant concepts or constructs, then to identify what kinds of measures (if appropriate) or empirical indicators there are of these, i.e. the kinds of data required to give the researcher relevant evidence about the

320 QUESTIONNAIRES Box 15.2 Aguideforquestionnaireconstruction A B C D Decisions about question content 1IsthequestionnecessaryJusthowwillitbeuseful 2Areseveralquestionsneededonthe subject matter of this question 3Dorespondentshavetheinformation necessary to answer the question 4Doesthequestionneedtobemoreconcrete,specificandclosely related to the respondent’s personal experience 5Isthequestioncontentsufficiently general and free from spurious concreteness and specificity 6Dotherepliesexpressgeneralattitudesand only seem to be as specific as they sound 7Isthequestioncontentbiasedorloaded in one direction, without accompanying questions to balance the emphasis 8Willtherespondentsgivetheinformationthatisaskedfor Decisions about question wording 1CanthequestionbemisunderstoodDoesitcontain difficult or unclear phraseology 2Doesthequestionadequatelyexpress the alternative with respect to the point 3Isthequestionmisleadingbecauseofunstatedassumptionsorunseenimplications 4 Is the wording biased Is it emotionally loaded or slanted towards a particular kind of answer 5Isthequestionwordinglikelytobeobjectionable to the respondent in any way 6Wouldamorepersonalizedwordingofthe question produce better results 7Canthequestionbebetteraskedinamoredirectoramoreindirectform Decisions about form of response to the question 1Canthequestionbestbeaskedinaformcallingforcheckanswer(orshortanswerofawordortwo,oranumber), free answer or check answer with follow-up answer 2Ifacheckanswerisused,whichisthebest type for this question – dichotomous, multiple-choice (‘cafeteria’ question), or scale 3Ifachecklistisused,doesitcoveradequatelyallthesignificantalternatives without overlapping and in a defensible order Is it of reasonable length Is the wording of items impartial and balanced 4Istheformofresponseeasy,definite,uniform and adequate for the purpose Decisions about the place of the question in the sequence 1Istheanswertothequestionlikelytobeinfluencedbythecontentofprecedingquestions 2Isthequestionleduptoinanaturalway Is it in correct psychological order 3Doesthequestioncometooearlyortoolatefromthepoint of view of arousing interest and receiving sufficient attention, avoiding resistance, and so on Source:Sellitzet al.1976 concepts or constructs, e.g. their presence, their intensity, their main features and dimensions, their key elements etc. What unites these two approaches is their recognition of the need to ensure that the questionnaire: is clear on its purposes is clear on what needs to be included or covered in the questionnaire in order to meet the purposes is exhaustive in its coverage of the elements of inclusion asks the most appropriate kinds of question (discussed below) elicits the most appropriate kinds of data to answer the research purposes and sub-questions asks for empirical data. Structured, semi-structured and unstructured questionnaires Although there is a large range of types of questionnaire, there is a simple rule of thumb: the larger the size of the sample, the more structured, closed and numerical the questionnaire may have to be, and the smaller the size of the sample, the less structured, more open and word-based the questionnaire may be. The researcher can select several types of questionnaire, from highly structured to unstructured.

320 QUESTIONNAIRES<br />

Box 15.2<br />

Aguideforquestionnaireconstruction<br />

A<br />

B<br />

C<br />

D<br />

Decisions about question content<br />

1IsthequestionnecessaryJusthowwillitbeuseful<br />

2Areseveralquestionsneededonthe subject matter of this question<br />

3Dorespondentshavetheinformation necessary to answer the question<br />

4Doesthequestionneedtobemoreconcrete,specificandclosely related to the respondent’s personal experience<br />

5Isthequestioncontentsufficiently general and free from spurious concreteness and specificity<br />

6Dotherepliesexpressgeneralattitudesand only seem to be as specific as they sound<br />

7Isthequestioncontentbiasedorloaded in one direction, without accompanying questions to balance the emphasis<br />

8Willtherespondentsgivetheinformationthatisaskedfor<br />

Decisions about question wording<br />

1CanthequestionbemisunderstoodDoesitcontain difficult or unclear phraseology<br />

2Doesthequestionadequatelyexpress the alternative with respect to the point<br />

3Isthequestionmisleadingbecauseofunstatedassumptionsorunseenimplications<br />

4 Is the wording biased Is it emotionally loaded or slanted towards a particular kind of answer<br />

5Isthequestionwordinglikelytobeobjectionable to the respondent in any way<br />

6Wouldamorepersonalizedwordingofthe question produce better results<br />

7Canthequestionbebetteraskedinamoredirectoramoreindirectform<br />

Decisions about form of response to the question<br />

1Canthequestionbestbeaskedinaformcallingforcheckanswer(orshortanswerofawordortwo,oranumber),<br />

free answer or check answer with follow-up answer<br />

2Ifacheckanswerisused,whichisthebest type for this question – dichotomous, multiple-choice (‘cafeteria’<br />

question), or scale<br />

3Ifachecklistisused,doesitcoveradequatelyallthesignificantalternatives without overlapping and in a defensible<br />

order Is it of reasonable length Is the wording of items impartial and balanced<br />

4Istheformofresponseeasy,definite,uniform and adequate for the purpose<br />

Decisions about the place of the question in the sequence<br />

1Istheanswertothequestionlikelytobeinfluencedbythecontentofprecedingquestions<br />

2Isthequestionleduptoinanaturalway Is it in correct psychological order<br />

3Doesthequestioncometooearlyortoolatefromthepoint of view of arousing interest and receiving sufficient<br />

attention, avoiding resistance, and so on<br />

Source:Sellitzet al.1976<br />

concepts or constructs, e.g. their presence, their intensity,<br />

their main features and dimensions, their<br />

key elements etc.<br />

What unites these two approaches is their<br />

recognition of the need to ensure that the<br />

questionnaire:<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

is clear on its purposes<br />

is clear on what needs to be included or covered<br />

in the questionnaire in order to meet the<br />

purposes<br />

is exhaustive in its coverage of the elements of<br />

inclusion<br />

asks the most appropriate kinds of question<br />

(discussed below)<br />

<br />

<br />

elicits the most appropriate kinds of data to<br />

answer the research purposes and sub-questions<br />

asks for empirical data.<br />

Structured, semi-structured and<br />

unstructured questionnaires<br />

Although there is a large range of types of<br />

questionnaire, there is a simple rule of thumb: the<br />

larger the size of the sample, the more structured,<br />

closed and numerical the questionnaire may have<br />

to be, and the smaller the size of the sample, the<br />

less structured, more open and word-based the<br />

questionnaire may be.<br />

The researcher can select several types of questionnaire,<br />

from highly structured to unstructured.

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