Research Methodology Notes

(Data Collection through Questionnaire and its Merits & Demerits)

Submitted by

Jwbtha Basumatary

18397047

DMS-B
 Data Collection through Questionnaire

This method of data collection is quite popular, particularly in case of big enquiries. It is being
adopted by private individuals, research workers, private and public organisations and even by
governments. In this method a questionnaire is sent (usually by post) to the persons concerned
with a request to answer the questions and return the questionnaire. A questionnaire consists of a
number of questions printed or typed in a definite order on a form or set of forms. The
questionnaire is mailed to respondents who are expected to read and understand the questions
and write down the reply in the space meant for the purpose in the questionnaire itself. The
respondents have to answer the questions on their own.
The method of collecting data by mailing the questionnaires to respondents is most extensively
employed in various economic and business surveys.
The merits claimed on behalf of this method are as follows:
1. There is low cost even when the universe is large and is widely spread geographically.
2. It is free from the bias of the interviewer; answers are in respondents‟ own words.
3. Respondents have adequate time to give well thought out answers.
4. Respondents, who are not easily approachable, can also be reached conveniently.
5. Large samples can be made use of and thus the results can be made more dependable and
reliable.

The main demerits of this system can also be listed here:

1. Low rate of return of the duly filled in questionnaires; bias due to no-response is often
indeterminate.
2. It can be used only when respondents are educated and cooperating.
3. The control over questionnaire may be lost once it is sent.
4. There is inbuilt inflexibility because of the difficulty of amending the approach once
questionnaires have been dispatched.
5. There is also the possibility of ambiguous replies or omission of replies altogether to certain
questions; interpretation of omissions is difficult.
6. It is difficult to know whether willing respondents are truly representative.
7. This method is likely to be the slowest of all.
Before using this method, it is always advisable to conduct „pilot study‟ (Pilot Survey) for testing
the questionnaires. In a big enquiry the significance of pilot survey is felt very much. Pilot
survey is infact the replica and rehearsal of the main survey. Such a survey, being conducted by
experts, brings to the light the weaknesses (if any) of the questionnaires and also of the survey
techniques. From the experience gained in this way, improvement can be effected.
Main aspects of a questionnaire: Quite often questionnaire is considered as the heart of a survey
operation. Hence it should be very carefully constructed. If it is not properly set up, then the
survey is bound to fail. This fact requires us to study the main aspects of a questionnaire viz., the
general form, question sequence and question formulation and wording. Researcher should note
the following with regard to these three main aspects of a questionnaire:

General form: So far as the general form of a questionnaire is concerned, it can either be
structured or unstructured questionnaire. Structured questionnaires are those questionnaires in
which there are definite, concrete and pre-determined questions. The questions are presented
with exactly the same wording and in the same order to all respondents. Resort is taken to this
sort of standardization to ensure that all respondents reply to the same set of questions. The form
of the question may be either closed (i.e., of the type „yes‟ or „no‟) or open (i.e., inviting free
response) but should be stated in advance and not constructed during questioning. Structured
questionnaires may also have fixed alternative questions in which responses of the informants
are limited to the stated alternatives. Thus a highly structured questionnaire is one in which all
questions and answers are specified and comments in the respondent‟s own words are held to the
minimum. When these characteristics are not present in a questionnaire, it can be termed as
unstructured or non-structured questionnaire. More specifically, we can say that in an
unstructured questionnaire, the interviewer is provided with a general guide on the type of
information to be obtained, but the exact question formulation is largely his own responsibility
and the replies are to be taken down in the respondent‟s own words to the extent possible; in
some situations tape recorders may be used to achieve this goal.
Structured questionnaires are simple to administer and relatively inexpensive to analyse. The
provision of alternative replies, at times, helps to understand the meaning of the question clearly.
But such questionnaires have limitations too. For instance, wide range of data and that too in
respondent‟s own words cannot be obtained with structured questionnaires. They are usually
considered inappropriate in investigations where the aim happens to be to probe for attitudes and
reasons for certain actions or feelings. They are equally not suitable when a problem is being
 first explored and working hypotheses sought. In such situations, unstructured questionnaires
may be used effectively. Then on the basis of the results obtained in pretest (testing before final
use) operations from the use of unstructured questionnaires, one can construct a structured
questionnaire for use in the main study.

Question sequence: In order to make the questionnaire effective and to ensure quality to the
replies received, a researcher should pay attention to the question-sequence in preparing the
questionnaire. A proper sequence of questions reduces considerably the chances of individual
questions being misunderstood. The question-sequence must be clear and smoothly-moving,
meaning thereby that the relation of one question to another should be readily apparent to the
respondent, with questions that are easiest to answer being put in the beginning. The first few
questions are particularly important because they are likely to influence the attitude of the
respondent and in seeking his desired cooperation. The opening questions should be such as to
arouse human interest. The following type of questions should generally be avoided as opening
questions in a questionnaire:
1. questions that put too great a strain on the memory or intellect of the respondent;
2. questions of a personal character;
3. questions related to personal wealth, etc.
Following the opening questions, we should have questions that are really vital to the research
problem and a connecting thread should run through successive questions. Ideally, the
questionsequence should conform to the respondent‟s way of thinking. Knowing what
information is desired, the researcher can rearrange the order of the questions (this is possible in
case of unstructured questionnaire) to fit the discussion in each particular case. But in a
structured questionnaire the best that can be done is to determine the question-sequence with the
help of a Pilot Survey which is likely to produce good rapport with most respondents. Relatively
difficult questions must be relegated towards the end so that even if the respondent decides not to
answer such questions, considerable information would have already been obtained. Thus,
question-sequence should usually go from the general to the more specific and the researcher
must always remember that the answer to a given question is a function not only of the question
itself, but of all previous questions as well. For instance, if one question deals with the price
 usually paid for coffee and the next with reason for preferring that particular brand, the answer to
this latter question may be couched largely in terms of pricedifferences.

Question formulation and wording: With regard to this aspect of questionnaire, the researcher
should note that each question must be very clear for any sort of misunderstanding can do
irreparable harm to a survey. Question should also be impartial in order not to give a biased
picture of the true state of affairs. Questions should be constructed with a view to their forming a
logical part of a well thought out tabulation plan. In general, all questions should meet the
following standards—

a. should be easily understood;

b. should be simple i.e., should convey only one thought at a time;
c. should be concrete and should conform as much as possible to the respondent‟s way of
thinking.
For instance, instead of asking. “How many razor blades do you use annually?” The more
realistic question would be to ask, “How many razor blades did you use last week?”
Concerning the form of questions, we can talk about two principal forms, viz., multiple choice
question and the open-end question. In the former the respondent selects one of the alternative
possible answers put to him, whereas in the latter he has to supply the answer in his own words.
The question with only two possible answers (usually „Yes‟ or „No‟) can be taken as a special
case of the multiple choice question, or can be named as a „closed question.‟ There are some
advantages and disadvantages of each possible form of question. Multiple choice or closed
questions have the advantages of easy handling, simple to answer, quick and relatively
inexpensive to analyse. They are most amenable to statistical analysis. Sometimes, the provision
of alternative replies helps to make clear the meaning of the question. But the main drawback of
fixed alternative questions is that of “putting answers in people‟s mouths” i.e., they may force a
statement of opinion on an issue about which the respondent does not infact have any opinion.
They are not appropriate when the issue under consideration happens to be a complex one and
also when the interest of the researcher is in the exploration of a process. In such situations,
open-ended questions which are designed to permit a free response from the respondent rather
than one limited to certain stated alternatives are considered appropriate. Such questions give the
respondent considerable latitude in phrasing a reply. Getting the replies in respondent‟s own
words is, thus, the major advantage of open-ended questions. But one should not forget that,
from an analytical point of view, open-ended questions are more difficult to handle, raising
problems of interpretation, comparability and interviewer bias.
In practice, one rarely comes across a case when one questionnaire relies on one form of
questions alone. The various forms complement each other. As such questions of different forms
are included in one single questionnaire. For instance, multiple-choice questions constitute the
basis of a structured questionnaire, particularly in a mail survey. But even there, various open-
ended questions are generally inserted to provide a more complete picture of the respondent‟s
feelings and attitudes.

Researcher must pay proper attention to the wordings of questions since reliable and meaningful
returns depend on it to a large extent. Since words are likely to affect responses, they should be
properly chosen. Simple words, which are familiar to all respondents should be employed.
Words with ambiguous meanings must be avoided. Similarly, danger words, catch-words or
words with emotional connotations should be avoided. Caution must also be exercised in the use
of phrases which reflect upon the prestige of the respondent. Question wording, in no case,
should bias the answer. In fact, question wording and formulation is an art and can only be learnt
by practice.

Essentials of a good questionnaire: To be successful, questionnaire should be comparatively

short and simple i.e., the size of the questionnaire should be kept to the minimum. Questions
should proceed in logical sequence moving from easy to more difficult questions. Personal and
intimate questions should be left to the end. Technical terms and vague expressions capable of
different interpretations should be avoided in a questionnaire. Questions may be dichotomous
(yes or no answers), multiple choice (alternative answers listed) or open-ended. The latter type of
questions are often difficult to analyse and hence should be avoided in a questionnaire to the
extent possible. There should be some control questions in the questionnaire which indicate the
reliability of the respondent. For instance, a question designed to determine the consumption of
particular material may be asked first in terms of financial expenditure and later in terms of
weight. The control questions, thus, introduce a cross-check to see whether the information
collected is correct or not. Questions affecting the sentiments of respondents should be avoided.
Adequate space for answers should be provided in the questionnaire to help editing and
tabulation. There should always be provision for indications of uncertainty, e.g., “do not know,”
“no preference” and so on. Brief directions with regard to filling up the questionnaire should
invariably be given in the questionnaire itself. Finally, the physical appearance of the
questionnaire affects the cooperation the researcher receives from the recipients and as such an
attractive looking questionnaire, particularly in mail surveys, is a plus point for enlisting
cooperation. The quality of the paper, along with its colour, must be good so that it may attract
the attention of recipients.