Creating Survey and Interview Questions Tips for creating successful research

Types of questions open-ended (from comments to essays). E.g.: What were the most important wars fought in the history of the United States? What was your high school experience like? closed-ended (yes/no, multiple choice, rating scale, etc.) E.g.: Do you like Math? What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate Vanilla Mint chocolate chip

Tips for creating a successful interview Closed-ended questions should generally be avoided in interviews because they do not encourage an in- depth response nor will they illicit rich stories and experiences that you aim to collect through interviews. In general, open-ended questions that encourage respondents to describe feelings and tell stories make better interview questions.

Tips for creating a successful interview Use “how” questions vs. “why” questions when you are seeking descriptions and detailed information. Asking “why” questions often leads to justifications rather than descriptions. “Why” questions are useful for organizing purposes and can agitate or provoke. “How” questions tell you more detailed information and are good for your interviews. Clarification or Probing questions are useful to use when your respondent is discussing something important that you want more information about, or when you are unsure of what they are saying and need clarification. Examples of clarification questions include: What do you mean by____? Can you be more specific about____? When you said____, what does that look like? Can you give me some examples?

When creating questions you want to avoid: 1. Biased questions: Biased questions are questions that encourage your participants to respond to the question in a certain way. They may contain biased terminology or are worded in a biased way. Biased question: Don't you agree that campus parking is a problem? Revised question: Is parking on campus a problem? Biased question: There are many people who believe that campus parking is a problem. Are you one of them? Revised question: Do you agree or disagree that campus parking is a problem? Adapted from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/559/06/

When creating questions you want to avoid: 2. Confusing or wordy questions: Make sure your questions are not confusing or wordy. Confusing questions will only lead to confused participants, which leads to unreliable answers. Confusing questions: What do you think about parking? (This is confusing because the question isn't clear about what it is asking--parking in general? The person's ability to park the car? Parking on campus?) Do you believe that the parking situation on campus is problematic or difficult because of the lack of spaces and the walking distances or do you believe that the parking situation on campus is ok? (This question is both very wordy and leads the participant.) Revised question: What is your opinion of the parking situation on campus? Adapted from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/559/06/

When creating questions you want to avoid: 3. Questions that do not relate to what you want to learn: Be sure that your questions directly relate to what it is you are studying. A good way to do this is to ask someone else to read your questions or even test your survey out on a few people and see if the responses fit what you are looking for. Unrelated questions: Have you ever encountered problems in the parking garage on campus? Do you like or dislike the bus system? PILOT YOUR QUESTIONS!

When creating questions you want to avoid: 4. Leading Questions: You don't want to lead your respondents into answering a certain way based on the wording of the questions. Leading Question: We have recently upgraded our website features to become a first class tool. What are your thoughts on the first class site? Revised question: What are your thoughts on the changes to our website? 5. Loaded Questions: These types of questions work through emotionally charged items like words, stereotypes, etc. This too can push respondents towards a specific answer choice. Adapted from http://help.surveymonkey.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/134/~/tips-for-writing-effective-and-relevant-survey-questions.

When creating questions you want to avoid: 6. Built-in assumptions: Do not ask questions that assume the respondents are familiar with the specifics of it. Include details or additional information if necessary. 7. Jargon: Use simple language. Use words that are direct and familiar to the respondents. Try not to use jargon or technical concepts.

When creating questions you want to avoid: 8. Double Negatives or Double-Barreled Questions: Double-Barreled questions split them into more than one part, idea, or meaning. The answer choice for each part might have separate meanings to the ideas presented within the one question. Double-barreled question: How useful do you find our Help Center Topics and the email support center? Revised questions: Q1: How useful do you find our Help Center Topics? Q2: How useful do you find our email support?

Let’s practice! In groups, start working on your survey and interview questions taking into considerantion your observation and your research goals.