Creating A Good
Questionnaire
IB Geography
Advantages and Disadvantages of
Questionnaires
• Advantages
– Can assess a large group quickly
– Easy to analyze if constructed correctly
• Disadvantages
– Requires “good” language skills
– Some people give answers they think you
want
– Not very good for getting in-depth information
The Basics
• The purpose of a questionnaire in this
case is to yield quantifiable data based on
participant responses.
• There are 2 main types of questions asked
in questionnaires: open and closed.
Requirements for the Mini IA
• 7 Closed Questions
• 3 Open Questions
• 10 Completed Questionnaires (cannot be
completed by GWHS students)
Open Questions
• Used to explore topics in-depth
• Advantage: Gives people a chance to
respond in detail and explain their
opinion
• Disadvantage: They are timeconsuming for you to summarize and
analyze
Examples of Open Questions
• What do you think of ….?
• What do you like about….?
Open Questions
• Open-ended Questions
– Example:
– What changes would you like to see in our science class?
• Stem Plus Questions
Example:
• Some things I would like to see change in our science
class are _________________
Closed Questions
• A closed question is one where the
respondent is limited to one or more of a
limited range of options.
• Advantages:
– Questionnaires based on closed questions
are much easier and quicker to analyze.
– A large amount of information can be
processed in a short period of time.
Closed Questions
• Disadvantages:
– Respondents tend to presume the answer in advance
– Respondents may put what they think you want to
see
– Data may not be entirely accurate because they may
be rounding to fit your answer choices
– More inclined to lie when they see possible answers
– it is sometimes necessary to add a catch-all category
of “Other”.
– Questionnaires that have numerous Yes/No
questions are unlikely to yield much useful data, or
allow for interesting methods of presentation
Examples of Closed Questions
• Here are 2 examples of closed questions:
– Do you agree that the new school is good for
the community? Yes/No
– How many times do you visit the grocery store
each month? 1, 1-2, 3-5, >5
Closed Questions
• Dichotomous Questions (2 choices)
– Yes/No
– Agree/Disagree
Do you think a paper recycling program
should be started in your school?
Yes
No
Closed Questions
• Multiple-choice Questions
– Give respondents options
– May ask for single or multiple answers
Example:
How did you hear about our Website?
___ Newspaper
___ Magazine
___ Radio
___ Internet
___ Other: Please specify __________
Closed Questions
• Rank Order Questions
– Respondents place things in order
– Example:
– Which activities do you like to do in your spare time?
Place a “1” next to the activity that you like to do most,
a “2” by the next favorite, and so on to the least
favorite.
•
•
•
•
•
___ Watch TV
___ Read
___ Visit friends
___ Surf the Internet
___ Shop
Closed Questions
• Rating Scale (Semantic Differential)
– Also called a “Likert Scale”
– Give a statement; choose your response along a
scale
– Example:
My students are motivated to learn.
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Not Sure
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Effects of Scales
•
The police need
to do a better job of
enforcing traffic
laws.
Agree
Disagree
90%
10%
Agree
Neither
Agree or
Disagree
Disagree
70%
28%
2%
– 2 Level
- 3 level
Effects of Scales
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Undecided
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
7%
63%
28%
1%
1%
5 Level
Demographics Questions
• Demographic questions may ask about
personal characteristics such as -– age
– ethnicity
– gender
– home characteristics
Things to Avoid
Unclear or ambiguous questions
Examples:
What do you think about school?
What role should the principal play in
educating students?
Things to Avoid
• Know your audience
• Make sure that the length, content, and
wording matches the intended audience
• Keep questions clear and concise
• Avoid technical wording