Surveys with questionnaire

The process of research

Determining the research problem

Choosing the units for analyses

Overview of previous results

Determining hypotheses

Conceptualization

Taking sample

Collecting data

Analyses, interpretations

Publishing results

Questionnaires

 Comprehensive category: Types of research, which describes variables

referring to a determined population in a quantitative way

with the help of a pre-determined and unified questionnaire

Questionnaires (Survey method)

They can be used in different phases of research, but their main aera is data collection

With this methods a large population can be examined

Definition of population: the group that the result of the survey referred to.

Definition of sample: that part of the population who are involved in the survey.

Important to note: Filling in the questionnaire is voluntary the number of those submit the questionnaire ranges 5-100%

The number depends on topic and methods

Planning the questionnaire

Planning the questionnaire

The characteristics of population survey

The topic

The prospective methods of analysis and interpretation must be considered.

Phases of a questionnaire study Decision about the information we would like

gather

Definition of the types of questions

Preparing of the first version

Testing the questionnaire

Reviewing the questions

Preparing the final questionnaire

Recording data

Processing data

Information gathered by a questionnaire

Factual information About the responder:

Personal datae.g. How old are you? Highest degree obtained?

Behavioural datae.g. What do you spend your free time with?Do you like reading?How many hours do you watch TV?

About others Personal data

e.g. What is your mothers highest degree?

Behavioural data

e.g. How many hours do your parents watch TV? Based on these question we can compare the responders and the parents responses and draw conclusions about them

Information gathered by a questionnaire

Knowledge e.g. Which food is healthy?

Do you know who the Prime Minister is?

Opinion What do you think about the quality of higher education?

Attitude To what extend do you think the following qualities are true for you?

(Mark your answer on a scale from one to seven /1: The least --- 7: The most/)

Tolerant

Patient …

Motivation Why did you choose this university?

Types of questioning Explicit (direct) questioning

Direct question e.g. (Question to a student)

How many hours did you read yesterday? even those student who did not read at all will feel oblige to answer at least 1 hour

Implicit questioning Indirect question: we deduce the answer to the original

question from the given answer e.g. (Question to a student)

What did you spend yesterday afternoon with? (Please indicate the time after each activity)Studying ….Watching TV ….Playing with the computer ….Reading …. If they didnt read, they will not indicate it.

Types of questions

Open question Projective question

Closed question

Anecdote question

Semi closed question

Question including scaled answered

Open questions

The questions that the responder can answered freely are called open question. The responder answers in there on way and uses there own vocabulary.

Advantages:

The researcher may get unexpected answers

Suitable for revealing unknown data

It is more difficult to influence answers

What do you think about the gym at your school?

Excellent

Acceptable

Bad, because it is too small

Bad, because it is not well equipped

Bad, because the equipment is obsolete

The compensation and the spelling both supplement the characterisation of the person examined.

Disadvantage: The variations make the processing more difficult.

Projective question

The question is a situation without an end. The responder should finish this story. E.g. Wolfgang arrives at school but he hasn’t done the homework for the

math's lesson. What should he do?

Psychologists have proved that responders give a more honest answer if the subject of the story is an unkonwn person.

Closed questions

Alternative question: Yes/No question

Usually two options can be given for the answer, but sometimes there is a third options. „I don't know”

E.g. Does your mother have a university degree?

Yes

No

I don't know

Multiply choose question More options for the answers (a, b, c, d, ….)

It has to contain all options, but for this, the examined population has to be known

Anecdotal question

The question describes a situation, and offers multiply ending. Mr. Schmidt arrives is late for work, because he celebrated his

birthday the previous night. As soon as he enters the office building he meets his boss.What should he say?

A. I am late because I got stuck in a traffic jam.

B. I am late because I celebrated my birthday last night.

C. I am late but you have also been late several times recently.

This question type is frequent is implicit question.

Closed questions used in test (Special aera)

Complex multiply test We give statements and the correctness of these is combined in the

answers.

E.g. in English lesson: Question:„I should have had my bicycle repaired.

Grammatical structures you can choose from:I. passiveII. necessity pastIII. reported speechIV. conditional causativeWhich grammatical structures can you find in this sentence?”

Answers:A. I. és II.B. I., II. and IV.C. II. and IV.

Closed questions used in test (Special aera) Associations:

Tasks in which the respondent has to find the correct order

Or

Matching different units

Relation analysis It examines the understanding of causality

When in a compound sentence the respondent has to decide whether the first half or the second half is true, and if the two parts are correct it has to be decided whether there is a connection between them.

E.g. „The number of sunny days in Bremen is lower than in Budaoest, because Bremen lies north of Budapest.”

1. Half 2. Half Relation

A. True True Yes

B. True True No

C. True False -

D. False True -

E. False False -

Advantages and disadvantages of close question Advantages:

Offers options for the responder that they may disregard

Standardized way of filling in easy processing

Directly suitable for statistical processing.

Disadvantages:

If not all the possible answers are included it will distort

The responder chooses an answer, because they find it attractive and not because it typifies their own opinion.

Semi-closed questions

They combines the advantages of the open and closed questions.

Besides the option offered’ we can find the other: … category

The responder may add a new item to the list if they don’t find an appropriate pre-written answer

Evaluation scales

They determine the presence or the obscene of a phenomenon

Types: Graphic scales:

Numeric scales

Descriptive scales

The rules of preparing of questionnaire

Clear wording

Avoid ambiguous questions E.g: What do you think about dealing writing less and with speaking

more in the English lessons?The problem is that the responder may agree with the first half of the question but may not agree with the second half because may think about an other alternative e.g. that they should do more reading or listening in English lessons.

It’s better to ask shorter questions

Avoid negative question E.g. Don’t you like sports?

Avoid suggestive questions E.g. Nuclear power stations should be closed, shouldn’t they?

The rules of preparing of questionnaire Do not economize on paper

Use conditional questions

Or use skipping instructions

Give instruction at the beginning of the questionnaire.

Testing

Test the questionnaire on samples that represent the population to be examined.

Researcher must be present

After filling in the questionnaire it is advisable to ask about the responders opinion

Reviewing the questions

Content: Is the given question necessary?

Do the questions cover the examined topics.

Are new questions necessary?

Do the responders possess the require information?

Do the responders give the require information?(With taboo topics it is comment that they don’t do not use direct questions)

E.g. Direct question: Do you smoke? Yes/no

Better: How many cigarettes do you smoke a day?

If we get numerous similar answers we should think it over whether we have suggested those answers.

E.g. What do you think about iPhone revolution?

Reviewing the questions

Wording: Is the question understandable?

Is the question clear?

Use only one aspect per question. E.g Where and how do you learn English?

We must examine whether facts and desires are separated?

E.g. Bad question:What is your favorite holiday place?

Good question:Which is the best holiday place you have ever been to?OrWhat is your dream destination that you haven’t been to?

Reviewing the questions

Order: Is it proper?

It is advisable to start with the simple questions Factual question first, than attitude question then.

Some kind of logic helps the responder e.g.: Chronological, Topic

Processing We have to decide the processing methods. Decision about the necessary information

E.g.: Name, Sex, Age etc. We can not make up for this information later

Preparing the final questionnaire

It must be known Whether the researcher will be present during the filling in,

if not, clear instruction necessary E.g.: Circular the correct answers.

You must mark one answer, the option for several anwers will be indicated.

Introduction is useful It should be motivating

Ensure the responder about anonymity (Even if the name is asked for, we should ensure the responders that we will consider there personality rights)

Sending the questions to the responders

The questionnaire available at the place of the research

(workplace, school, library readers who are members of the library)

Questionnaires sent by post

(E.g.: library potential readers)

Questionnaire with interlocutor

They must be trustworthy Clothing is important they should be

similar to the responders They must know the questionnaire as if

they were talking They must know the aim of the

questionnaire The shouldn’t divert from the text They should record the answers correctly

The interlocutor must be trained.

Designing online questionnaire

Advantages and disadvantages ofpaper-format questionnaires

Advantages:

Tactile

Easier to flip through and to review

Even those without ICT competence can use it.

Disadvantages:

Expensive

It is complicated to have the questionnaire filled in

Processing is time consuming and costly

Scanning answer sheets maybe helpful

But…

Digital literacy changes our habits

The means of communication have changed The effect of the development of the ICT can be used when designing

questionnaire

Advantages and disadvantages of online questionnaire Advantages:

Cheaper but not free (designing and creating online questionnaires and data processing are time and money consuming just like with the paper questionnaires)

Easier to send them to the responders

Easier to create and address list using databanks

Disadvantages:

Consumer society constantly bombarding us with questionnaires Apathy

Low fill-in rate

Exception: when the topic affects the people and on an emotional basis they think it is important to express their opinion.

A computer is needed to fill-in the questionnaire

We may loose responders

Paper or online questionnaire?

The answer is not given!

It depends on the Situation

Topic

Target group.

In some cases both computer and paper based questionnaire can be used.

Practice

Task 1.

Let’s make an online questionnaire!

Online questionnaire creating software's

Pay-sites

Frequest.com

Profilsurvey.com

Free-sites

Limesurvey.com

Gmail.com

Step 1.

Log on to your gmail account!

If you don’t have one, please create it!