Methods of Primary Data Collection
Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a formal list of questions designed to gather responses from respondents on a given topic, issue, or event. Thus, the questionnaire is an efficient data collection mechanism when the researcher knows exactly what is required and how to measure the variables. The response obtained from such a questionnaire is used to test a hypothesis.
A questionnaire can be designed to secure a different type of primary data related to intentions, attitudes and opinions, activities or behavior, and demographic factors. A questionnaire is a list of questions developed systematically. The proper questionnaire design is also essential for the quality of data. The keys to successful qUestionnaire design are order, layout, length, and appearance. Such qUestionnaires are delivered to the respondents personally or by mail Or email and internet. Respondents fill up the questionnaire and return back to the researcher. Generally, a questionnaire is delivered to respondents personally in Nepal.
Some of the definitions of questionnaires are given below:
In the words of G.A. Lundberg, “Fundamentally the questionnaire is a set of stimuli to which literate people are exposed in order to observe their verbal behavior under these stimuli.
According to Wallace and Wallace, “A questionnaire is a means of gathering information by having the respondents full in answers to printed questions.
Following facts are found while analyzing the above definitions:
- A questionnaire is a set of questions.
- A questionnaire is sent to the respondents personally or by using a post office, internet or email.
- A questionnaire is sent to those who are literate or can read and write.
- Respondents give information in some issues or subjects in the form of answers to the questions.
- There is no direct relationship between the researcher and respondents.
- Generally, it is used to study the behavior of people.
Principles of Questionnaire Writing
The researcher should consider certain guidelines while designing and administering the questions which are known as principles of the questionnaire. Major principles of questionnaire preparaåon are given below:
1. Clear and precise:
A questionnaire designer should use those words and items that are more easily understood rather than the words which are stressful. So, the questionnaire designer should use appropriate and simple words and short sentences while designing the questionnaire.
2. Use of natural and familiar language:
Even though it depends on the competence of the respondent, generally researcher should use simple and common language and should not use the jargon of the particular subject while designing a questionnaire.
3. Unbiased:
The researcher should not use such words which show biasness. Use of the words like more, less, better, good shows biases of the researcher in the preparation of the questionnaire. For example; pay is more valuable than other factors for employee satisfaction in the organization. In this statement, the researcher is trying to draw the responses focusing to pay not other non-financial factors. Thus, a researcher should not use this sort of statement while preparing a questionnaire.
4. Avoid double-barreled questions:
A double-barreled question combines two or more issues in a single question. Like: Do you elicit information from parents and other teachers? If the question contains this sort of word; then such questions are double-barreled questions. It creates confusion in results. Thus, such questions should not be included in the questionnaire.
5. State explicit alternatives:
Whatever the alternatives are provided to the respondents, those alternatives must be clearly express the views of the respondents. If the alternatives are not clear, it will be difficult to draw the results from the responses. So, while providing alternatives in questions, they must be stated explicitly.
6. Reliable and valid:
The instruments that are used for collecting information must be valid and the results expected from the survey should be similar to the actual results. It can be done through a pilot survey.
7. Length of the questionnaire:
Respondents can not give more time to the researcher. So, unnecessary questions should be avoided and only essential questions are to be included in the questionnaire. If the questionnaire is long, there is the chance of careless responses from respondents, Thus, the length of the questionnaire should neither be too long nor too short leaving important dimensions of the research.
8. Match the objectives:
The questionnaire should be designed in such a way so that the researcher can obtain the objectives of the research through the analysis of responses collected. Thus, questions must match with the objectives of the research.
9. Consider to participants:
The researcher should decide on participants before developing the questionnaire. The structures and language of the questionnaire depending on the quality and competence of participants. For example; if participants are top-level employees, words used in question will be different than the words used for targeting lower-level employees.
10. Pilot study and improving the questionnaire:
The researcher should implement/ administer a questionnaire in a very small group of samples which is known as a pilot study. The questionnaire should be finalized only after the incorporation of suggestions of a pilot study.
Contents /Components of Questionnaire Writing
Generally, a questionnaire divides subjects into three groups. Such groups should arrange serially. Parts of the questionnaire are arranged in the following ways while preparing the questionnaire:
1. Part incorporating explanatory information:
In this part, the researcher provides information about the need for information, the objective of the collection of information, and reasons for filling the questionnaires. As well researcher provides guidelines for filling up the questionnaire. It helps to remove the confusion of the respondents. Thus, the researcher can collect quality information. Generally, the researcher includes the following information in this part while preparing the questionnaire:
- Introduction of researcher and research organization (if any)
- The main objective of the research
- Guidelines to fill up the questionnaire
- Assurance of secrecy of responses provided by respondents
- Address to deliver the questionnaire
- Thanks for participating in the research work
2. Main part:
It is a part that consists of questions and probable answers to those questions. In this part, the researcher enlists the questions for the collection of data with the purpose of solving the research problem. Questions can be long or short as per the necessity of the research. This part of the questionnaire covers all necessary subjects under study. This part may content dichotomous questions, Likert scale, and open-ended questions, for example, the following types of questions may be prepared to collect the data related to training:
i. Needs are identified based on the report of appraisal system-
a. Yes
a. Yes
b. No
ii. Training is the regular activity of the organization
a. Fully Agree
b. Agree
c. Undecided
d. Disagree
e. Fully disagree
iii. Give your opinion on the effectiveness of the training program provided by your organization.
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3. Part incorporating personal information:
This part usually covers socio-demographic variables. It facilitates grouping the answer of the respondents and studies the pattern. These questions usually appear at the end of a survey questionnaire. This part incorporates age, gender, education, marital status, family income, occupation, religion, etc. This information is used for segmenting the samples on the basis of characteristics. Classification of information enables the researcher to analyze the data through tabulation. Such information is also important to prepare the profile of the respondents and determining significant differences between the different groups of respondents. An example of this part is given below:
Respondent’s name (optional):_________
Belonging organization:__________
Age: [Less than 20 years] [20 to 30 years]
[More than 30 years]
Qualification: [Master and More than master level], [Bachelor levell
[12 class pass], [SEE pass]
Service tenure: [Less than 5 years], [5 to 9 years], [10 to 14 years], and [More than 14 years].
Questionnaire Design
The questionnaire is prepared to obtain the information for attaining the goal of the research. The success of the questionnaire depends on the collection of the necessary information. A surveyor should ask the right question to the right person so as to obtain the right information. The questionnaire should be simple, well understood, and should not create confusion. Although each questionnaire must be designed with specific research objectives there is a sequence of logical steps that every researcher should follow while developing a questionnaire. Those steps are given below:
1. Plan what to measure
- Revisit the research objective
- Decide issue of the research problem
- Get additional information on the research issue from the literature review
- Decide the issues to be asked.
2. Formulate questions to obtain the needed information
- Determine the content of each question
- Decide the format of the questions
3. Decide on the order and working of questions and their layout
- Determine the words for questions based on the quality of respondents
- Evaluate each research questions on the basis of comprehensibility, and ability to collect information
- Evaluate the inclination of respondents to answer the question.
- Group all the questions in a sub-topic to develop a complete questionnaire.
4. Use a small sample test, to check omissions and ambiguity
- Read thoroughly the whole questionnaire to check the sense and validity.
- Check the questionnaire to find out errors that are in the questionnaire
- Check the physical appearance of the questionnaire.
- Pretest the questionnaire.
5. Correct the questionnaire and finalize the questionnaire
Pilot Testing
Pilot testing of a questionnaire refers to the act of administering the questionnaire to a small group of the sample so as to know that the respondents understand the questionnaire and questionnaire can collect intended information. The main aim of pilot testing is to improve the questionnaire so that questions can be modified and clarified. In pilot testing, a questionnaire is distributed to few respondents and asked to report the problems and inappropriate questions.
As well pilot testing evaluates the understanding of questions of the respondents and the researcher improves in the wordings, sequences, and structures of the questions. This process helps the researcher to make the questionnaire more understandable and sequential so that the responses collected using such a questionnaire will be more reliable and correct. As well it helps to make questions easier to understand to the respondents.
Procedures of Pilot Testing
There are some procedures that are to be followed while testing the questionnaire. Some of the major procedures are given below:
1. Selection of sample:
A researcher should select a small group of people from the targeted group that represents the characteristics of the population which is known as a sample.
2. Select the respondent for a pilot survey:
A researcher should select very few numbers of people from the group of sample for the pilot survey. It is better to select the people from various sub-sections.
3. Asking to suggest:
A researcher should ask every respondent to suggest the appropriateness of wordings, structures, and sequence and suggestions for improvement in the questionnaire. (if any)
4. Administering the questionnaire:
A researcher should distribute the questionnaire to all the members of the pilot survey asking them to fill up the questionnaire and suggest alternatives to improve in the questionnaire.
5. Check the indications:
A researcher should check the indications of response rate and problems like incomplete questionnaires, inappropriate answers and unclear answers.
6. Modification:
Considering the problems seen in the responses, a researcher should improve the questionnaire so as to make it easy to understand and fill up to the respondents which help to increase the responses rate and accuracy of responses.
Questionnaire Administration
Various methods can be used to approach the respondents. The questionnaire can be administered personally or by using a surveyor. But the method of administration of questionnaires is decided by literacy rate, the confidentiality of information, etc. If the literacy rate is low, the personal administration of the questionnaire is better but if literacy is high, the questionnaire can be administered by post or email. In Nepal, the personal administration of questionnaires is considered more effective. The researcher’s performance in questionnaire administration can be measured with respect to the following aspects:
1. Contact rate:
A researcher requires contacting with the appropriate person for getting reliable information. Contact rate is determined based on the contact made by the researcher with the appropriate person. The more the contact rate, the higher the performance of the researcher.
2. Response rate:
Non-response is also a great problem in the research. The ratio between the contact person and the number of responses or answers is known as the response rate. A low response rate decreases the reliability of the research and findings of such research cannot be generalized. Thus, the higher the response rate shows the higher performance of the researcher.
3. Completeness rate:
The incomplete questionnaire may be returned to the researcher. Such questionnaires are useless for the purpose of analysis. The ratio of questionnaire obtained with the complete information is referred to as completeness rate, If the incomplete questionnaires are more, questionnaire administration is poor.
4. Accuracy rate:
The ratio of measurement of true value is known as the accuracy rate. If the alternatives provided in the questionnaire are not correct then such research decreases the reliability and increases the chances of wrong results. Such administration of questionnaires is considered as poor administration.
