Designing a SurveyDesigning a SurveyEDUU600EDUU600

Adapted from McMillan & SchumacherAdapted from McMillan & Schumacher

Make items clearMake items clear Avoid double-barreled questions (avoid Avoid double-barreled questions (avoid

and)and) Respondents must be competent to Respondents must be competent to

answer (and provide reliable information)answer (and provide reliable information) Questions should be relevantQuestions should be relevant Short, simple items are bestShort, simple items are best Avoid negative itemsAvoid negative items Avoid biased items or termsAvoid biased items or terms

Writing Questions and Writing Questions and StatementsStatements

Types of ItemsTypes of Items

Closed Form – Structured response where Closed Form – Structured response where subject chooses between predetermined subject chooses between predetermined responsesresponses

Open Form – subject writes in any responseOpen Form – subject writes in any response Scaled items Scaled items

– Gradations, levels, or valuesGradations, levels, or values– Likert scaleLikert scale– Semantic differential scaleSemantic differential scale– Ranked itemsRanked items– Checklist itemsChecklist items

Data Collection TechniquesData Collection TechniquesPros and ConsPros and Cons

Paper/pencilPaper/pencil– Economical/standardEconomical/standard– Norms inappropriateNorms inappropriate– Must be able to readMust be able to read

Alternative AssessmentAlternative Assessment– Holistic/authenticHolistic/authentic– Subjective ratingSubjective rating– Costly/time-consumingCostly/time-consuming

Questionnaire or SurveyQuestionnaire or Survey– Economical/easy to scoreEconomical/easy to score– Response rate/inability to probe and clarifyResponse rate/inability to probe and clarify– Biased/ambiguous itemsBiased/ambiguous items

Interview and ObservationInterview and Observation

InterviewInterview– Flexible/include nonverbal responsesFlexible/include nonverbal responses– Costly/time consumingCostly/time consuming– Can be anonymousCan be anonymous– Effect of interviewer and interviewer biasEffect of interviewer and interviewer bias

ObservationObservation– Captures natural behaviorCaptures natural behavior– Costly/time consumingCostly/time consuming– Observer biasObserver bias– Not anonymousNot anonymous

Designing a QuestionnaireDesigning a QuestionnaireStrongly Strongly AgreeAgree

AgreeAgree NeutralNeutral DisagreeDisagree Strongly Strongly DisagreeDisagree

AlwaysAlways Most of the Most of the TimeTime

SometimesSometimes RarelyRarely NeverNever

Very happyVery happy Somewhat Somewhat happyhappy

Neither sad Neither sad or happyor happy

Somewhat Somewhat sadsad

Very SadVery Sad

Use a Likert Scale, (or combination of Likert, ranking and differential)

Like Dislike

Important Unimportant

Smileys for KidsSmileys for Kids

Questions must be readQuestions must be read Child can respond by circling correct Child can respond by circling correct

responseresponse May respond verbally or by pointingMay respond verbally or by pointing

Open-ended QuestionsOpen-ended Questions Questions to which there is not one definite Questions to which there is not one definite

answer. answer. May be a good way to break the ice with a surveyMay be a good way to break the ice with a survey Gives respondents an opportunity to answer in Gives respondents an opportunity to answer in

their own words. their own words. Example: "Are there any other comments about Example: "Are there any other comments about

the course you would like to add?" the course you would like to add?" Responses to open-ended questions can be very Responses to open-ended questions can be very

useful, often yielding quotable material. useful, often yielding quotable material. Drawback is that the responses are more difficult Drawback is that the responses are more difficult

to catalogue and interpret to catalogue and interpret

From types of survey questions - http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/surveyquest/index.htm

Closed-ended QuestionsClosed-ended Questions Have a finite set of answers from which the Have a finite set of answers from which the

respondent chooses. respondent chooses. One of the choices may be "Other" but need to One of the choices may be "Other" but need to

provide a write-in responseprovide a write-in response Easy to standardizeEasy to standardize Data gathered from closed-ended questions lend Data gathered from closed-ended questions lend

themselves to statistical analysis themselves to statistical analysis More difficult to write than open-ended questionsMore difficult to write than open-ended questions Design choices must include allDesign choices must include all the possible the possible

answers a respondent could give for each answers a respondent could give for each questionquestion

From types of survey questions - http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/surveyquest/index.htm

Likert ScaleLikert Scale

When you want to know respondents' When you want to know respondents' feelings or attitudes about somethingfeelings or attitudes about something

Respondents must indicate how closely Respondents must indicate how closely their feelings match the question or their feelings match the question or statement on a rating scale. statement on a rating scale.

Number at one end of the scale represents Number at one end of the scale represents least agreement, or "Strongly Disagree”least agreement, or "Strongly Disagree”

Number at the other end of the scale Number at the other end of the scale represents most agreement, or "Strongly represents most agreement, or "Strongly Agree" Agree"

From types of survey questions - http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/surveyquest/index.htm

Multiple ChoiceMultiple Choice

When you want respondents to pick When you want respondents to pick the best answer or answers from the best answer or answers from among all the possible options,among all the possible options,

Multiple-choice questions are easy to Multiple-choice questions are easy to lay out on a written survey. lay out on a written survey.

Include specific directions about how Include specific directions about how many answers to select directly after many answers to select directly after the question. the question.

From types of survey questions - http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/surveyquest/index.htm

Other Closed QuestionsOther Closed Questions

Ordinal: When you need all possible Ordinal: When you need all possible answers to be rank orderedanswers to be rank ordered

Categorical: When the possible Categorical: When the possible answers for a question are categoriesanswers for a question are categories– Each respondent must "belong" in Each respondent must "belong" in

exactly one of themexactly one of them Numerical: When the answer must be Numerical: When the answer must be

a real numbera real number

From types of survey questions - http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/surveyquest/index.htm

When to Use What Type Question

Type of question... Best Used for...

Open-endedBreaking the ice in an interview; when respondents' own

words are important; when the surveyor doesn't know all the possible answers.

Closed-endedCollecting rank ordered data; when all response choices

are known; when quantitative statistical results are desired.

Likert-scale To assess a person's feelings about something.

Multiple-choiceWhen there are a finite number of options (remember to

instruct respondents as to the number of answers to select).

Ordinal To rate things in relation to other things.

CategoricalWhen the answers are categories, and each respondent

must fall into exactly one of them.

Numerical For real numbers, like age, number of months, etc.

http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/surveyquest/index.htm

InfoPoll Survey TipsInfoPoll Survey Tips

Write a short questionnaire Write a short questionnaire Use simple words Use simple words Relax your grammar Relax your grammar Assure a common understanding Assure a common understanding Start with interesting questions Start with interesting questions Don't write leading question Don't write leading question Avoid double negatives Avoid double negatives Balance rating scales Balance rating scales

http://www.accesscable.net/~infopoll/tips.htm

InfoPoll Survey TipsInfoPoll Survey Tips

Don't make the list of choices too long Don't make the list of choices too long Avoid difficult concepts Avoid difficult concepts Avoid difficult recall questions Avoid difficult recall questions Use Closed-ended questions rather than Use Closed-ended questions rather than

Open-ended ones Open-ended ones Put your questions in a logical order Put your questions in a logical order Pre-test your survey Pre-test your survey Name your survey to pique interest Name your survey to pique interest Include cover memo or introduction Include cover memo or introduction

http://www.accesscable.net/~infopoll/tips.htm

Online Survey EnginesOnline Survey Engines Survey Monkey - (Basic Account Free) Survey Monkey - (Basic Account Free)

http://www.surveymonkey.com Survey Suite (14 days free) - Survey Suite (14 days free) -

http://intercom.virginia.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/intercom/SurveySuite/ss_index.pl

Other Surveys - Other Surveys - http://www.surveymonkey.com/Pricing.asp

Zoomerang - Zoomerang - http://info.zoomerang.com/ Advanced Survey - Advanced Survey -

http://www.advancedsurvey.com/ Online Survey Builder - Online Survey Builder -

http://freeonlinesurveys.com/ Create Survey - Create Survey - http://www.createsurvey.com/

ResourcesResources Types of Survey Questions - Types of Survey Questions -

http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/surveyquest/index.htm Writing questions - Writing questions -

http://www.ryerson.ca/~mjoppe/ResearchProcess/WriteBetterQuesthttp://www.ryerson.ca/~mjoppe/ResearchProcess/WriteBetterQuestion.htmion.htm

U of Texas - Survey Questions - U of Texas - Survey Questions - http://www.utexas.edu/academic/diia/assessment/iar/how_to/methhttp://www.utexas.edu/academic/diia/assessment/iar/how_to/methods/survey.phpods/survey.php

How to write a good survey - How to write a good survey - http://www.accesscable.net/~infopoll/tips.htmhttp://www.accesscable.net/~infopoll/tips.htm

Super Survey - http://knowledge-base.supersurvey.com/survey-Super Survey - http://knowledge-base.supersurvey.com/survey-questions.htmquestions.htm

Writing Effective Survey Questions - Writing Effective Survey Questions - http://www.custominsight.com/articles/effective-survey-http://www.custominsight.com/articles/effective-survey-questions.aspquestions.asp

Designing Surveys that Count - Designing Surveys that Count - http://www.keene.edu/crc/forms/designingsurveysthatcount.pdf http://www.keene.edu/crc/forms/designingsurveysthatcount.pdf