Questionaries

• Closed questions


  offer a fixed number of responses
• Open questions


  don't have a fixed range of answer so respondents can answer however they wish
• Aims


  should be clear + concise. there should be a clear explanation on how info gained will be used
• Length


  short and to the point
• Question order


  start with simple questions

  add essential questions in first half - attentive reader
• Question formulation


  ensure they're concise and unambigious
• Incentives


  makes people more likely to complete + return the questionnaires
• Pilot study


  test the questionnaires on a small sample of people to see if the questions elicit the type of data you want
• Measurement scales


  if rating scales are required, might be useful to use a Likert scale - tendency of people choosing the middle
• Strengths


  - cost effective - gather lots of data quickly

  - researchers doesn't have to be present - makes it easy

  - data produced is generally straightforward to analyse -> especially if a lot of closed questions are used
• Weaknesses


  - response may not be honest -> people want to present themself in a positive light, influence answers. social desirability bias

  - low response rate

  - can produce response bias, where ppts tend to respond in a similar way