Unit 3 16 25
Unit 3 16 25
Unit 3 16 25
Questionnaire Method
For this section, choose a title that matches other important dimensions of client
service, such as “Timeliness of Delivery,” “Safety,” or “Environmental Responsibility.”
4) Responsiveness, problem-solving, and client service
This set of questions will address your client’s perceptions of your service. This
section might be merged with the quality or other-considerations section. These
major sections of your questionnaire provide the overall outline. Once you know
these major themes, you need to develop actual questions or items.
5) Types of questionnaire items
You must draft actual questionnaire items within each of the sections of your
questionnaire. It is difficult to vary the types of questions too often, so economise
within each section by asking similar types of questions.You will need to master six
types of questionnaire item before you invent your own. Unproved alternatives are
often confusing to the reader. So use unproved alternatives only after you are fully
familiar with the types of items described below.
6) Multiple-choice item
This type of question is useful for the introduction or background-information section.
7) Fill-in-the-blank item
Use this form when the possibilities are too numerous to list using a multiple-choice
item. They work well in a mix with multiple-choice. So, they are also good in the
introduction.
8) Rating-scale item
This type of item enables you to collect a lot of information efficiently. Rating-scale
items are good for rating your goods and services, other considerations, and so forth.
9) List item
This type of item provides a stronger form of feedback than a rating scale. It forces
the client to identify what he or she considers important and helps the researcher to
avoid the problem of people just agreeing because it is easy to check a box without
feeling that it is important to them.
What aspects of your training course did you like most? Please list three of them.
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10) Comment-on item
This type of question is another way to gain an understanding of what your client
considers important. It is particularly useful for “mopping up” in the concluding
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section.
Tools of Data Collection Please write any other comments about the work of school principal and suggestions
for training that you consider important:
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11) Likert-scale items
The Likert scale allows the respondent to agree or disagree with a series of statements.
(Note, these are statements, not questions.) The Likert scale is easy to use, if you
know how, and like other rating scales it is an efficient way to collect lots of
information.
Now, you try a few. Write your own statements for dimensions of your work unit’s
outputs. Include items that are worded both positively and negatively.
12) Design the questionnaire
As you write the items, you should begin considering an overall design for your
questionnaire. Follow these rules:
Lay out items to avoid confusion;
Use the formats shown in the examples;
Don’t allow a question to cross over two pages;
Instruct the respondent in what you want him or her to do for each type of
question; and
Number the questions consecutively.
Use a booklet to make it professional and facilitate completion. Have a title and
introductory explanation, to let your clients know what you are doing and to help
them fill out the questionnaire properly.
Arrange the questionnaire in sections, each with a title to help structure the respondent’s
thinking; and to facilitate analysis.
Group similar types of items together especially with rating-scale items; but Fill-in-
the-blank and multiple-choice items can be mixed together.
Use all available space. Try to limit the length of the questionnaire to four pages and
Use space for comments to fill in pages.
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Questionnaire Method
3.14 PILOT TEST OF QUESTIONNAIRE
Even the best questionnaire needs testing. You might understand everything in the
questionnaire, but your client may not. Here are some tips to help you test your
questionnaire. Show the questionnaire to critical colleagues and ask them to read
it and to comment in the margins; and then revise the questionnaire.
Following this, test the questionnaire with a few clients
Now you have a questionnaire ready to go! You’ll need to work out a strategy for
how and where to send it. The first part of your strategy is to select a sample of
people who fairly represent all your clients. Prepare a list of your sample clients.
The second part of your strategy is to decide on the technology you will use to send
out your questionnaire.
1) Standard: Questionnaires can be printed, in your office or by a printer, and
mailed to respondents. Respondents fill them out and mail them back. Results
are manually input into a database or statistical program for analysis.
2) Optical scanning: It is possible to print questionnaires so that they can be read
by an optical scanner that picks up the responses automatically.
3) Electronic questionnaires: The coming wave for internal client-needs assessments
is the e-mail questionnaire. This is designed on a computer and sent as a
computer file to clients via e-mail. The client receives the file, completes the
questionnaire on his or her computer, and sends the file back to you by e-mail.
4) Follow-up: You also need a follow-up strategy. This may include tracking the
number returned each day – e-mail lets you know who hasn’t yet replied.
Sending a reminder two weeks after first mailing; and deciding on corrective
action, if returns are poor. When key people in each unit distribute and collect
the questionnaire, pyramid networks are great, but personal networks are the
best of all for getting returns. Develop a cover letter and send the questionnaire.
5) Cover letter: Every successful questionnaire comes with a cover letter. The
letter should contain six pieces of information:
i) The purpose of the questionnaire;
ii) Who is sending it;
iii) Why the respondent was selected;
iv) Where, how, and when to return the questionnaire;
v) Whom to contact if there are further questions; and
vi) Whether and how the results will be shared.
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