QUESTIONNAIRE
BY :SALEEQ AHMAD
ROLL NO: 06
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Definition of a Questionnaire

A set of questions on a topic or group of
topics designed to be answered by the
respondent.

It is the vehicle used to pose the questions
that the researcher wants respondents to
answer
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Advantages of the Questionnaire
1. Requires less skill.
2. Less training is needed.
3. Cheaper in nature.
4. Also impersonal in nature.
5. Pressure is less.
6. Anonymity.
7. Suitable for geographically scattered
population
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Disadvantages of the Questionnaire
1. No control over respondent’s environment.
2. Response is also less.
3. No help on doubts.
4. Occurrence of errors.
5. Less reliable.
6. Sometimes answers obtained can be
wrong.
7. Not suitable for illiterates.
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TYPOLOGY OF QUESTIONIRES
Open ended
Simple
dichotomy
Question
type
Closed ended
Multiple
choice
Determinant
choice
Check-list
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Open ended or unstructured Questionnaire
In which the respondent answers in his own words.
E.g. What according to you is the biggest challenge of Academic libraries?
………………………………………………………………………………………..
Closed ended or structured Questionnaire
Question in which respondent selects one or more options
from pre-determined set of responses.
Simple dichotomy  Closed ended question with only two
response alternatives.
E.g. How do you rate the services of your library?
Good ….
Bad……
Multiple Choice  Closed ended question with more than
two response alternatives.
E.g. How much satisfaction do you get from your job?
(a) A great deal (b) Quite a bit (c) A little (d) not at all
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Determinant choice – Multiple choice question in which
respondent must select only one of the response
alternatives.
E.g. How much satisfaction do you get from your library job?
a) A great deal
b) Very little
c) Fairly well
d) Not at all
Checklist question - Multiple choice question in which
respondent can select more than one of the response
alternatives
E.g. Please indicate the purpose of visit in the library? ( you may tick (√) as
many responses as are applicable).
a) To consult text books b) To read comic Books c) To consult Journals
d) To Access Internet
e) To read news papers f) To listen music
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Open Ended Questions
Advantages:
 Freedom and spontaneity of the answers
 Opportunity to probe
 Useful for testing hypothesis about ideas
Disadvantages:
 Time-consuming
 Coding: very costly and slow to process
 Demand more effort from the respondents
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Closed Ended Questions
Advantages:
 No extended writing
 Easy to process
 Useful for testing specific hypothesis
Disadvantages:
 Loss of spontaneous response
 Bias in answer categories
 May irritate respondents
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Question Format
General Format -In
possible answers general format,
all possible answers are listed and respondents are
required to check the appropriate categories. The
respondents can tick mark, color the box or circle the
number.
Cafeteria Style Questions- This is another general
format common style, wherein the respondent is
requested to check or indicate one item that describes his
situation or as many items as applicable to his situation.
Likert-Type Response Format- One of the most used
format where, a respondent is asked to make a judgment
in terms of an ordered set of categories.
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Other formats
Bogardus: Social distance scale (1930s)
Osgood: Semantic differential scale(1970s)
Dorian: Ranking schemes (1981)
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Types of Question
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Factual Questions
Opinion and Attitude Questions
Information Questions
Self perception Questions
Projective Questions
Directional Questions
Intensity Questions
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QUESTIONNAIRE LAYOUT

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Ensure that questions are without bias.
Make the questions as simple as possible.
Make the questions very specific.
Avoid jargon or shorthand.
Steer clear of sophisticated or uncommon words.
Avoid ambiguous words.
Avoid questions with a negative in them.
Avoid hypothetical questions.
Do not use words which could be misheard.
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Avoid double Negatives.
 Avoid using Acronyms and Abbreviations.

Add note of thanks at the end.
 Avoid double bared questions.
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Avoid threatening questions.
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Questionnaire Terms
Attitude Questions:-Questions that ask respondents about their
likes/dislikes, preferences, evaluation of objects, persons, organisations,
events or situations
Behaviour Questions:-Essentially factual and relate to what
respondents did in the past, are currently doing or may do in the future
Classifications Questions
:-
Usually
factual
and
relate
to
demographic characteristics
Pre-coding:-Numbering all response categories on a questionnaire so
all responses receive a number as they are given
Routing:-Guiding the respondent or interviewer in a questionnaire to the
next relevant question depending on the answer given
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Questionnaire Pretesting (Pilot study)
Seeks to determine whether respondents
have any difficulty understanding the
questionnaire and whether there are any
ambiguous or biased questions.
By pre-testing the questionnaire, errors can
be rectified and unwanted questions can be
deleted, unclear language and wording can
be corrected and improved.
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Characteristics of a Good Questionnaire
Covering Letter
 Attractive appearance, layout and size
 Anonymity of Respondent
 Objective based.
 Appropriate Wording
 Logical sequencing
 Brevity
 Practicability
 Validity and Reliability

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Logical Flow
Introduction
Simple related questions
Main body
Classification details
Thank and close
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“It is not every question that
deserves an answer.”
Publius Syrus
(Roman, 1st century B.C.)
THANKS
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