JAWAHARLAL NEHRU TECHNOLOGICAL

UNIVERSITY,ANANTAPUR,ANANTAPURAMU-515002

SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

Questionnaire Design
QUESTIONNAIRE
DESIGN
CONTENTS

 Introduction

 Types of survey questionnaires

 Ideal qualities of a Questionnaire

 The steps preceding questionnaire design

 Conclusion

 References
 INTRODUCTIO
N
 “Research is a quest for knowledge through diligent
search or investigation or experimentation aimed at the
discovery & interpretation of new knowledge”
 Research problem comprises of various steps each
being mutually exclusive
 Steps include:
The research design
 Problem definition

 Hypothesis generation

 Decision on the types of the study appropriate to the

problem
 Decision on the method of data gathering

 Development of an analysis plan

 Data collection

 Performance of analysis

 Drawing conclusions and recommendations

 The method of data collection is one of the
important
steps in the research process.
 Questionnaire is one such tool used to
collect information which can cover almost all practical
issues
 Questionnaires areextensively used in surveys
and forms the backbone of the survey procedure
 The questionnaire was invented by Sir Francis
Galton, a British anthropologist, explorer and
statistician, invented questionnaires in the late
1800s
 DEFINITIO
N
 “A questionnaire a research instrument
is consisting of a of questi and
prompts
series for the purpose
onsof gatheringother
information from respondents.”
(Wikipedia)

 Questionnaire: A measuring device used to query a

population/sample in order to obtain information
for analysis.

 A questionnaire is simply a list of mimeographed

or printed questions that is completed by or for a
respondent. (Health Research Methodology 2nd ed.
2001 WHO)
 Preparing a questionnaire or a form is one of the most
delicate moments of the entire work. If insignificant
information is asked and important information is
omitted, results will be irrelevant and of little use.
Before starting preparing a questionnaire or a form it is
important know that:
 1. It is necessary to distinguish among key variables,
explicative and structure variables:
 Key variables are those which describe the topic under
investigation, for example if the study is relative to cancer,
key variables will be relative to cancer.
 Explicative variables are all those variables which
might be correlated (linked) to the key variables, for example
in the case of cancer it could be the environment, stress, food,
and so on.
 Structure variables are age, sex, education, profession;
variables which are usually used to describe the sample of the
study.
WHEN TO USE QUESTIONNAIRE?

 When resources and money are limited

 When it is necessary to protect the privacy of

the participants

 When corroborating other findings

WHY IS A QUESTIONNAIRE IMPORTANT
 A questionnaire is the main means of collecting
quantitative primary data
 A questionnaire enables quantitative data to be
collected in a standarized way so that data are
internally consistent and coherent for analysis.
 A questionnaire ensures standardization and
comparability of the data across interviewers,
increases speed and accuracy of recording, and
facilitates data processing
 Characteristics of a questionnaire
⚫ Elicits information from respondents
⚫ Results can be tabulated
⚫ Standardized across respondents
⚫ Understandable to respondents
A GOOD QUESTIONNAIRE MUST:

 obtain the most complete and accurate information possible.

 Is organized and worded to encourage respondents to

provide accurate, unbiased and complete information.

 make it easy for respondents to give the necessary

information and for the interviewer to record the answer, and
it should be arranged so that sound analysis and
interpretation are possible.

 keep the interview brief and to the point and be so arranged

that the respondents remain interested throughout the
interview.
ADVANTAGES OF
QUESTIONNAIRE
 Low cost even when the universe is large and is widely
spread geographically.
 It is free from the bias of the interviewer; answers are in
respondents own words.
 Respondents have adequate time to give well thought out
answers
 Respondents who are not easily approachable can also
be reached conveniently.
 Large samples can be made use of and thus the results can
be made more dependable and reliable.
DISADVANTAGES OF
QUESTIONNAIRE
 Low rate of return of the duly filled in questionnaires
 It can be used only when respondents are educated and co- operating.
 The control over the questionnaire may be lost once it is sent
 It is difficult to know whether willing respondents are truly
representative
 There is also the possibility of ambiguous replies or omission of
replies altogether to certain questions
 This method is likely to be the slowest of all
 Respondents may misinterpret a question, thereby limiting the
validity of the results
HOW TO OVERCOME
⚫ Pilot testing the questionnaire with individuals who are
similar to the sample population who have been chosen to
participate in the study can minimize the disadvantage.
⚫ These individuals can alert the investigator to any unclear
items.
⚫ After reviewing the results from the pilot study the researcher
can revise the questionnaire accordingly before distribution to
the population sample.
⚫ Clear instructions should be provided for respondents

explaining how to complete the questionnaire and

requesting that all items be answered completely.

 TYPES OF SURVEY
QUESTIONNAIRES
 The design of a questionnaire will depend
whether
on the researcher wishes to collect

exploratory information (i.e. qualitative

information for the purposes of better

understanding or the generation of hypotheses on a

subject) or information (to

quantitative test
specific hypotheses that have previously been

generated).
 Exploratory questionnaires: If the data to be
collected is qualitative or is not to be statistically evaluated,
it may be that no formal questionnaire is
needed. One might prepare a brief guide, listing
perhaps ten major open-ended questions,
appropriate with
probes/prompts listed under each.
 Formal standardized questionnaires: If the
researcher is looking to test and quantify hypotheses and the
data is to be analyzed statistically, a formal standardized
questionnaire is designed.
They are generally characterized by:
 Prescribed wording and order of questions, to ensure that each
respondent receives the same stimuli.
 Prescribed definitions or explanations for each question, to
ensure interviewers handle questions consistently and can
answer respondents' requests for clarification if they occur
 Prescribed response format, to enable rapid completion of the
questionnaire during the interviewing process.
FORMS OF
QUESTIONNAIRE
 The general form of questionnaire can be three types.
⚫ Structured
⚫ Semistructured
⚫ Unstructured
STRUCTURED 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
 Structured questionnaires have fixed alternative questions in which
responses of the informants are limited to the stated alternatives
 A highly structured questionnaire is one in which all questions and
answers are specified and comments in the respondents own words
are held to minimum.
 Structured questionnaires are simple to administer and relatively
inexpensive to analyse.
 They are used in large interview programmes (anything over 30
interviews and more likely over 200 interviews in number) and may
be carried out over the tele- phone, face-to-face or self completion
depending on the respondent type, the content of questionnaire and
the budget.
SEMI-STRUCTURED
QUESTIONNAIRES
 Semi-structured questionnaires comprise a mixture of closed and

open questions.

 They are commonly used in research where there is a need to

accommodate a large range of different responses from companies.

 The use of semi-structured questionnaires enables a mix of

qualitative and quantitative information to be gathered.

 They can be administered over the telephone or face-to-face.

UNSTRUCTURED
QUESTIONNAIRES
 Unstructured questionnaires are made up of questions that

elicit free responses.

 These are guided conversations rather than structured interviews

and would often be referred to as a “topic guide”.

 The topic guide is made up of a list of questions with an

apparent order but is not so rigid that the interviewer has to

slavishly follow it in every detail.

 There are no hard-and-fast rules about how to design a
questionnaire, but there are a number of points that can be
borne in mind:
1. A well-designed questionnaire should meet the research
objectives.
2. It should obtain the most complete and accurate information
possible.
3. A well-designed questionnaire should make it easy for
respondents to give the necessary information and for the
interviewer to record the answer, and it should be arranged so
that sound analysis and interpretation are possible.
4. It would keep the interview brief and to the point and be so
arranged that the respondent(s) remain interested throughout
the interview.
 IDEAL QUALITIES OF A QUESTION
 One that yields a truthful, accurate answer
 One that asks for one answer on one dimension

 One that accommodates all possible contingencies of

response
 One that uses specific, simple language

 One that has mutually exclusive response options

 One that produces variability in response

 One that minimizes social desirability

 One that is pretested

THE STEPS PRECEDING QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN
Even after the exploratory phase, two key steps remain to be
completed before the task of designing the questionnaire
should commence.
 The first of these to articulate the
questions/objectives
is that research is intended to
address.
 The second step is to determine the hypotheses around
which the questionnaire is to be designed.
There are nine steps involved in
the
development of a questionnaire:
1. Decide the information required.
2. Define the target respondents.
3. Choose the method(s) of reaching your target
respondents.
4. Decide on question content.
5. Develop the question wording.
6. Put questions into a meaningful order and
format.
7. Check the length of the questionnaire.
8. Pre-test the questionnaire.
9. Develop the final survey form.
1. DECIDING ON THE INFORMATION REQUIRED
 It should be noted that one does not start by writing
questions. The first step is to decide 'what are the things
one needs to know from the respondent in order to meet
the survey's objectives?' should appear in the research
brief and the research proposal.
2. DEFINE THE TARGET RESPONDENTS
 Demographic characteristics
 Job or social category
 Other relevant characteristics
 Secondary audiences:
 • Demographic characteristics, such as age, sex,
religion, urban/rural residence, income level, social
class, education, employment status, and ethnic or
language group;
 • Job or social category, such as policymakers,
doctors, nurses, factory workers, religious leaders or
university students
 • Job or social category, such as policymakers,
doctors, nurses, factory workers, religious leaders or
university students;
 • Other relevant characteristics: Some individuals
or groups may be disproportionately affected by TB,
such as persons living with HIV/AIDS, imprisoned
people, homeless populations, drug users, or family
members of people with TB;
 • Secondary audiences: Your secondary audiences
may include allies who can influence or provide access
to your primary audience, such as community leaders
or health authorities.
 Knowledge, attitudes and health-seeking practices may
vary substantially among population groups, and
according to social, cultural or economic
characteristics.
3. CHOOSE THE METHOD(S) OF REACHING TARGET
RESPONDENTS

 Face-to-Face Interview
 Telephone Interviews
 Mail Questionnaires
 Internet Questionnaire
A. Face-to-Face Interview
 Face-to-face interviews or personal interviews are surveys
conducted in person by an interviewer who usually travels
to the person being surveyed.
 • Pros—High response rates; can clarify questions, if
necessary; control over respondent selection; can use
longer, more complex questionnaire; and easier to motivate
the respondent.
 • Cons—High costs, time-consuming, and more
administrative requirements (i.e., selecting and training
interviewers, contacting respondents, travel arrangements).
Also, there is a tendency for respondents to give socially
acceptable answers.
B. Telephone Interviews
 Telephone interviews are usually conducted from a central
office that places telephone calls to selected households or
businesses.
 • Pros—Good response rates, fast, some anonymity for
respondents in answering questions, and control over
respondent selection. If a comprehensive list of the target
population is available, the likelihood of obtaining a
representative sample is high.
 • Cons—Questions must be short and not complex; cannot
control interruption by others in household/ office; hard to find
persons at home, and those that are at home may resent
intrusion; there is mounting displeasure among households
receiving unsolicited telephone calls; requires training and
quality control monitoring of the interviewers; and is usually
difficult to target a specific geographical location.
C. Mail Questionnaires
 Mail questionnaires are written surveys that are sent through the

mail to selected members of the population to be surveyed.

 • Pros—Good response rates with rigorous follow-up procedures,

relatively easy to obtain a listed population and locate respondents,

can avoid interviewer bias and distortion, answers unlikely to be
socially influenced, easy to administer and relatively low costs,
can cover a wide geographical area, and more manageable for
handling large samples.
 • Cons—Questionnaire may be given to someone else to fill out

or may not reach the desired respondent; most difficult type of

questionnaire to design; hard to interpret open-ended questions;
cannot control sequence in which respondents answer questions;
and time consuming, given periodic mail- out requirements.
D. Internet Questionnaire
 An Internet questionnaire is a form of a written survey.
Respondents may be invited to participate in the survey
through email or because they visit a particular web page.
 • Pros—Fast to conduct and tabulate, some software products
allow questionnaires to be customized depending on the
respondent’s answers, avoids interviewer bias and distortion,
answers unlikely to be socially influenced, easy to administer,
and relatively low costs.
 • Cons—Information transferred via the Internet may not be
confidential; poor control over respondent selection; follow-
up difficult to conduct; difficult to obtain probability sample;
and, like mail surveys, this is the most difficult type of
questionnaire to design.
4. DECIDE ON QUESTION CONTENT
There are a series of questions that should be posed
as the researchers develop the survey questions
themselves:
a) "Is this question sufficient to generate the required
information?“
b) "Can the respondent answer the question correctly?“
c) "Are there any external events that might bias
response to the question?“
d) "Do the words have the same meaning to all respondents?"
For example, "How many members are there in your
family?" There is room for ambiguity in such a question
since it is open to interpretation as to whether one is
speaking of the immediate or extended family.
e. "Are any of the words or phrases loaded or leading in
any way?"
f. "Are there any implied alternatives within the question?"
g. "Will the question be understood by the type
of individual to be interviewed?“
h. "Is there any ambiguity in my questions?"

i. "Are any words or phrases vague?"

j. "Are any questions too personal or of a
potentially
embarrassing nature?"
k. "Do questions rely on feats of memory?"
5. DEVELOP THE QUESTION WORDING

a) Contingency questions/cascade format

b) Matrix questions

c) Closed ended questions

 Dichotomous, where the respondent has two
options
 Nominal-polytomous, where the respondent has
more than two unordered options
 Ordinal-polytomous, where the respondent has
more than two ordered options
 (Bounded)Continuous

d) Open ended questions

Contingency questions/cascade format – several questions have
been used to scale a response to the unasked but real understanding
question. A question that is answered only if the respondent gives a
particular response to a previous question.
This avoids asking questions of people that do not apply to them (for
example, asking men if they have ever been pregnant)
Eg. 1. Do you use tobacco?
(a) Yes (Go to 1a Question) (b) No (Go 2 Question)
1 (a) How many packs of tobacco do you use?
(a) ≥ 10 packs (b) 10 - 5 packs (c) ≤ 5 packs per day
2. Do you use alcohol?
(a) Yes (b) No.
 Matrix questions - Identical response categories are
assigned to multiple questions. The questions are placed one
under the other, forming a matrix with response categories
along the top and a list of questions down the side. This is an
efficient use of page space and respondents’ time.
CLOSED ENDED QUESTIONS
 Closed ended questions - Respondents’ answers are
limited to a fixed set of responses. Four types of response
scales for closed-ended questions are distinguished:
 Dichotomous, where the respondent has two options
 Nominal-polytomous, where the respondent has more
than two unordered options
 Ordinal-polytomous, where the respondent has more than
two ordered options
 (Bounded)Continuous, where the respondent is presented
with a continuous scale. Examples of types of scales
include the Likert scale, semantic differential scale, and
rank-order scale
d) Open ended questions
⚫ Completely unstructured - For example, “What is your
opinion of questionnaires?”
⚫ Word association - Words are presented and the
respondent mentions the first word that comes to mind.
⚫ Sentence completion - Respondents complete an
incomplete sentence. For example, “The most important
consideration in my decision to buy a new house is . . .”
⚫ Story completion - Respondents complete an incomplete
story.
⚫ Picture completion - Respondents fill in an empty
conversation balloon.
⚫ Thematic apperception test - Respondents explain a
picture or make up a story about what they think is happening
in the picture
Advantages of Closed ended questions:
 It provides the respondent with an easy method of indicating
his answer - he does not have to think about how to articulate
his answer.
 It 'prompts' the respondent so that the respondent has to rely
less on memory in answering a question.
 Responses can be easily classified, making analysis very
straightforward.
 It permits the respondent to specify the answer categories most
suitable for their purposes.
Disadvantages of Closed ended questions:
 They do not allow the respondent the opportunity to
give a different response to those suggested.
 They 'suggest' answers that respondents may not have
considered before.
Advantages of Open ended questions:
 They allow the respondent to answer in his own words, with
no influence by any specific alternatives suggested by the
interviewer.
 They often reveal the issues which are most important to the
respondent, and this may reveal findings which were not
originally anticipated when the survey was initiated.
 Respondents can 'qualify' their answers or emphasise the
strength of their opinions.
Disadvantages of Open ended questions:
 Respondents may find it difficult to 'articulate' their responses i.e. to
properly and fully explain their attitudes or motivations.
 Respondents may not give a full answer simply because they may forget
to mention important points. Some respondents need prompting or
reminding of the types of answer they could give.
 Data collected is in the form of verbatim comments - it has to be coded
and reduced to manageable categories. This can be time consuming for
analysis and there are numerous opportunities for error in recording and
interpreting the answers given on the part of interviewers.
 Respondents will tend to answer open questions in different 'dimensions'.
For example, the question: "When did you purchase your tooth brush?",
could elicit one of several responses, viz:
"A short while ago".
"Last month".
"When I lost my last tooth brush". "When I bought the monthly
groceries".
6. PUTTING QUESTIONS INTO A MEANINGFUL
ORDER AND FORMAT
 According to the three stages theory
(also called the sandwich theory),
initial questions should be screening and rapport
questions.
Then in the second stage you ask all the research
specific questions.
In the last stage you ask demographic questions.
 Opening questions

 Question flow

 Question variety

 Closing questions
 Opening questions: Opening questions should be easy to
answer and not in any way threatening to THE respondents.
The first question is crucial because it is the respondent's first
exposure to the interview and sets the tone for the nature of
the task to be performed. If they find the first question
difficult to understand, or beyond their knowledge and
experience, or embarrassing in some way, they are likely to
break off immediately. If, on the other hand, they find the
opening question easy and pleasant to answer, they are
encouraged to continue
 Question flow: Questions should flow in some kind of
psychological order, so that one leads easily and naturally to
the next. Questions on one subject, or one particular aspect of
a subject, should be grouped together. Questions should flow
logically from one to the next. The researcher must ensure
that the answer to a question is not influenced by previous
questions. Questions should flow from the more general to
the more specific. Questions should flow from the least
sensitive to the most sensitive. Questions should flow from
factual and behavioural questions to attitudinal and opinion
questions. Questions should flow from unaided to aided
questions.
 Question variety: Respondents become bored quickly
and restless when asked similar questions for half an hour or
so. It usually improves response, therefore, to vary the
respondent's task from time to time. An open- ended
question here and there (even if it is not analysed) may
provide much-needed relief from a long series of questions
in which respondents have been forced to limit their replies
to pre-coded categories. Questions involving showing
cards/pictures to respondents can help vary the pace and
increase interest.
 Closing questions
It is natural for a respondent to become increasingly
indifferent to the questionnaire as it nears the end. Because of
impatience or fatigue, he may give careless
answers to the later questions. Those questions,
therefore, that are of special importance should,
possible, be if included in the earlier part of the
questionnaire. Potentially sensitive questions should be left to
the end, to avoid respondents cutting off the interview before
important information is collected.
7. PRESENTATION AND LAYOUT OF THE
INTERVIEW FORM

 Use of booklets
 Simple, clear formats

 Creative use of space and typeface

 Use of colour coding

 Interviewer instructions
8. PILOTING / PRE-TESTING THE
QUESTIONNAIRES

 whether the questions as they are worded

will achieve the desired results
 whether the questions have been placed in the best order

 whether the questions are understood by

all
classes of respondents
 whether additional or questions are
specifying needed questions should be
or whether
eliminated some
 whether the instructions to interviewers are
adequate.
Recognizing poor questions through pretests:
1. Lack of order in the answers

2. All or None responses

3. High proportion of don’t-know or don’t understand

answers
4. Great number of qualifications or/irrelevant comment

5. High proportions of refusals to answers

6. Substantialvariation in answers when order of

questions has been changed.
BASIC STEPS IN PRE-TESTING:

 (i) Select a sample similar to one that will be considered

in the main study.

 (ii) Instruct questionnaire administrators to note all

respondents remarks regarding instructions or question

wording.

 (iii) Administer the questionnaires.

 (iv) Check Reliability and validity

RELIABILIT
Y
 The reliability refers extent to which a measurement gives
consistent results.
 In pretesting of the questionnaire, one should check
⚫ test retest reliability and
⚫ internal consistency reliability
TEST-RETEST
RELIABILITY:
 It is used to assess the consistency of response to the items in a
questionnaire from one time to another.
 In case of a questionnaire assessing the self-rated oral health status
of individuals, it tests if few respondents give erratic responses at
two different times.
Eg: Day 1. What is your opinion about your oral health?
Response. Oral health is very important.
Day 2. What is your opinion about your oral health?
(tothe same respondent)
Response. Not so bad
 Then either the respondent is unreliable or the question is confusing.
 If such responses are obtained from more than 5-10% of respondent
then question is unreliable and considered for rephrasing.
 On the other hand, the test-retest reliability can be evaluated by using
intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) computed based on a single
sample using the one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) model .
 The value of ICC is considered appropriate if it is at least 0.70
 Internal consistency reliability:

Here one should judge the reliability of the tool by

estimating how well the items that reflect the same

construct yield similar results i.e. how consistent the

results are for different items for the same construct.

Eg. Impact of dental caries on the activities of daily living.

 In physical domain if respondent says he has pain due to dental

caries and also tells he does not have trouble eating that means

the questionnaire is not framed properly.

 Internal consistency reliability is expressed using the statistical

test Cronbach’a (alpha).

 It is acceptable if value is 80% or above.

 If a questionnaire is unreliable then it can’t be valid

VALIDITY
:
 The degree to which a questionnaire measures what it was

intended to measure.

 In questionnaire 4 types of validity should be checked.

⚫ Content validity,

⚫ Face validity,

⚫ Criterion validity and

⚫ Construct validity.
CONTENT
VALIDITY:
 It indicates the degree to which the items on the instrument

are representative of the knowledge being tested or

characteristic being investigated.

 Expert judgment is the primary method used to determine

whether a test/tool has content validity.

 No statistical test is employed here.

 Based on the expert opinion, questionnaire would be modified.

FACE
VALIDITY:
 Face validity refers to the degree to which a questionnaire or

test appears to be measuring what it is supposed to measure.

 Eg: Questionnaire about domestic violence training should

have questions related to that issue.

 Face validity can be done using 2 methods:

⚫ interview/probe method and

⚫ bilingual method
1. INTERVIEW/PROBE
METHOD:
 The investigator will have a detailed discussion with

them regarding the each item, assessing their understanding

about the question is appropriate to elicit accurate responses.

 Based on this interview, necessary modifications will be

made in the tool and subsequently interview may be done to

decide the final version.

BILINGUAL
METHOD

 It is employed if the tool is translated in to a

regional language.

 Here a bilingual expert who is well versed in both the

languages is employed to assess the face validity.

CRITERION
VALIDITY
 It refers to the instrument’s capacity to predict a characteristic that is

associated with the characteristic.

 The responses on the questionnaire being developed are checked against on

external criteria or by using gold standard which is direct and independent

measure of what the new questionnaire is designed to measure.

 In the absence of such a gold standard one can use proxy measures like clinical

examination or direct questions to respondents.

 Depending on the nature of the data collected, criterion validity can be
subdivided into
⚫ Concurrent validity and
⚫ Predictive validity.

 Concurrent validity: the measurement and the criterion refer to the same
point in time.
⚫ Eg: visual inspection of a wound for evidence of infection validated against
bacteriological examination of a specimen taken at the same time.

 Predictive validity: The measurement validity is expressed in terms of its ability to predict
the criterion.
⚫ Academic aptitude test that is validated against subsequent academic performance.
CONSTRUCT
VALIDITY
 It refers to the extent to which the new questionnaire conforms

(goes along with) to existing ideas or hypothesis concerning the

concepts/constructs that are being measured.

 This is greatest challenge in questionnaire development.

 Construct validity can further be subdivided into

⚫ convergent validity and

⚫ discriminate validity.
 Convergent validity:
⚫ It is a general agreement between measures where theoretically they should
be related.
 Discriminate validity:
⚫ It is a general disagreement between measures where theoretically they
should not be related.
 Both convergent and discriminate validities will be examined by using the item-
scale correlations;
 Convergent validity indicates correlation between an item and its own scale.
 Discriminate validity indicates correlation between an item and any of the other
scales
 This can be examined by

⚫ Multi Trait Multi Matrix method (MTMM) and

⚫ Factor analysis.
MULTI TRAIT MULTI MATRIX
METHOD
 If a questionnaire is developed from another tool
measuring the same construct, then this method of
checking construct validity is employed
FACTOR
ANALYSIS
 This is employed when the tool is a newly developed one that

it is not derived from any gold standard.

 Factor analysis is a complicated statistical procedure used to

estimate where each item in the questionnaire is correctly

reflecting the corresponding theorized construct.

 If the tool has increased construct validity then shows increased

correlation with the corresponding domains.

 Content validity and face validity are checked during the pre

testing.

 Criterion and construct values are checked after the main study

and these are considered when the tool needs to be validated.

eg. Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14),

Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI), Oral Impacts

of Daily Profile (OIDP).

CONSEQUENCES OF POOR QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN IN
RESEARCH

 Lower response rates

 Question skipping

 Question misunderstanding
QUESTIONNAIRE TRANSLATION AND
PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES
EVALUATION
 A questionnaire translation process should focus in

achieving the conceptual equivalence instead of

achieving linguistic equivalence.

 In view of this, the forward –backward-forward

translation technique should be applied

 Forward translation :
⚫ In the first step, two independent professional bilingual translators are hired
to translate the original English version of the questionnaire into the
relevant language.
 A meeting involving the two independent professional bilingual translators and
a member from the research group will be conducted to review, reconcile and
harmonize the forward translation.
 Backward translation
⚫ This reconciled forward translation will then be translated back into
English by another two independent bilingual translators
 Next, the research group together with the professional

forward translators will review and compare the backward

translation with the original English questionnaire.

 The aim of this process is to reconcile the questionnaires by

producing the final forward translation.

PRE-TEST (COGNITIVE INTERVIEWS
 Purpose: To show that items in the finalized translated
questionnaire are comprehensive and acceptable.
 Firstly, experts should be invited to review and also provide
feedback on the translated questionnaire.
 Then, a small group of participants should be recruited as part
of this study and they should be informed about the objective of
the study.
 Pre-testing is critical in identifying the problems in the translated
questionnaire. Here interviewer/probe method is followed
 The research team will critically review the comments provided by participants via

interview method.

 The words and phrases used in the translated questionnaire will be carefully chosen to

avoid any misunderstanding for future participants.

 Researchers may decide to repeat the pre-testing phase of the questionnaire until

the comments from participants are minimized.

 The final product of this process is known as the finalized forward translation.
VALIDATION
STUDY
 It is highly recommended to conduct a validation study on the translated

questionnaire to examine its psychometric properties such as the validity and

reliability of the questionnaire.

 The appropriate study design for validation study is cross-sectional with at least

100 participants.

 These participants should be selected from various social demographic as well

as socio economic background, so that the sample is more representative of the

population.
FIELD
TASK
 The venue of the validation study should be
carefully determined, chosen and justified.
 Once the venue has been decided, a formal letter needs
to be sent to the relevant authority in charge of the
chosen venue to inform them about the objective of the
validation study and also asking for permission to
conduct such a study at that venue
CONCLUSIO
N
 As a research tool, questionnaires have a few drawbacks inherently.

 Questionnaire development is an exhaustive and time consuming process.

 The accuracy of data collected using the tool solely depends on the subjective

perceptions of the respondents.

 Reduced response rates and incomplete responses to self administered

questionnaires make it mandatory that the tool be developed as simple and

respondent friendly as possible.

 In order to maintain the validity and reliability of data collected, it is

important that the tool be as objective as possible.

 Hence it is necessary that they are constructed systematically based on a sound

scientific method since research outcome is directly dependent on the quality

and the completeness of the data collected.

 Despite of the limitations, well constructed questionnaires can form an

integral part of the research process due to its adaptability to a variety of

situations especially when the resources are limited.

REFERENCES
: 1. Hulley, Stephen B., et al . Designing Clinical Research.
3rd ed. 2007.
2. W.H.O. Health research methodology. A guide for
training in research methods. 2nd Ed. 2001
3. Blaxter, Loraine. How to Research. 4th ed. (2010)
4. Fairfax county Department of Systems Management for
Human Services. “ Survey Questionnaire Design” April
2003.
5. Ulisse Di Corpo. “How to prepare a questionnaire or a
form” Syntrop 2, pag. 64-68; 2005.
6. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“Questionnaire”
7. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“questionnaire construction”petra M Boynton,
Trisha Greenhalgh. “Selecting, designing and
developing your questionnaire” BMJ vol.328 29
May 2004.
8. Suri Sushil, Verma N “Questionnaire Validation
Made Easy” European Journal of Scientific
Research Vol.46 No.2 (2010), pp.172-178