QUESTIONNAIRE
What is a Questionnaire, and How is it used in research?
Be it government, a for-profit organisation, or maybe a not-for-profit organisation, data collection is of paramount importance for all to urge insights on the target market and therefore the current and future prospects of an organisation.
You need to ask inquiries to get answers, and a questionnaire helps you with that.
A questionnaire is a research tool consisting of a group of standardized inquiries to gather statistically useful information on a given subject from one or more respondents. It can include written or oral questions.
To make it simple, consider a questionnaire to be a written interview consisting of standardized questions which may be answered face-to-face, over the telephone, through the post, or maybe online.
Purpose of Questionnaire
The main purpose of a questionnaire is to extract data from the respondents. It's a comparatively inexpensive, quick, and efficient way of collecting great deal of data even when the researcher isn't present to gather those responses firsthand. However, it's important to note that a questionnaire isn't the method of analyzing the responses. The method of analyzing responses is called surveying.
Is Questionnaire just another word for "Survey"?
While the two terms seem synonymous, they aren't quite the same. A questionnaire may be a set of questions created for the aim of gathering information; that information might not be used for a survey. However, all surveys do require questionnaires.
Why are questionnaires effective in research?
Questionnaires are popular research methods because they provide a quick, efficient and cheap means of gathering large amounts of data from sizeable sample volumes.
Types of Questionnaires in research
Postal
Paper surveys sent through the mail.
In-house
Conducted face-to-face at homes or workplaces.
Telephone
Conducted via phone calls.
Electronic
Presented via email or online platforms.
Main considerations in designing a questionnaire
Once the choice has been made to use a specific format, the subsequent questions should be considered:
Contents of Questions
Survey inquiries may concern facts, opinions, attitudes, or respondents knowledge on certain topics. Questions generally fall into two categories: factual and subjective.
Pros and Cons of using questionnaires in research
PROS
CONS
Need Help With Your Research Questionnaire?
Our expert team can help you design effective questionnaires that yield valuable insights for your research.