Report Assessment AE Semester Two QUESTIONNAIRE Report Assessment AE Semester Two

PURPOSE The report involves the analysis of prior research and the addition of new research The questionnaire = the new research You need this information to compare to the literature.

QUESTIONNAIRES Are an inexpensive way to gather data Can allow statistical analysis of results Are flexible in what they can measure The accuracy of your findings will increase with the sample size The sample will reflect the population from which it is drawn Can be conducted in a number of different ways e.g. mail, telephone, face to face

A MULTI- STAGE PROCESS After developing your hypothesis Define the objectives (what do you want to know?) Determine the sample group (who to ask?) Write the questionnaire Administer the questionnaire Interpret the results

TYPES OF INFORMATION GATHERED IN A QUESTIONNAIRE KNOWLEDGE: WHAT PEOPLE KNOW What is the recommended interval between eye checks for patients with uncomplicated diabetes? - 6 months - 1 year - 2 years OPINIONS, ATTITUDES, BELIEFS AND VALUES: WHAT PEOPLE THINK What do you think are the major issues affecting community health in Queensland at the moment? _________________________

BEHAVIOUR: WHAT PEOPLE DO Have you initiated the development of a care plan for any of your patients? - Yes - No ATTRIBUTES: WHAT PEOPLE ARE When did you graduate from university? _________ Do you need to ask about their: Political affiliation Religion Educational level? Gender Age Salary Marital status Sexual orientation

TYPES OF QUESTIONS OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS: No answer choices, respondents are able to answer in their own words CLOSED-ENDED QUESTIONS: Answers structured so they only fit into previously established categories

O P E N C L S D ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES • useful for exploratory research to generate range, meanings, new ideas • very flexible – can achieve depth, gives respondents freedom • useful to solicit suggestions and clarify Positions • useful when the expected number of respondents is low • requires some skill in asking the questions and in interpreting the results • answers often lack uniformity – requires some skills to categorise, count and compute • more time consuming to fill in and time consuming to analyse, particularly with a large number of respondents • illegible handwriting C L S D • useful for statistical analysis – easy to count and compute • easy to interpret, neat and quick • reliability can be high • useful if a large number of respondents expected • may not have catered for all possible answers • questions may not be relevant, or important • requires pre-testing and prior open-ended research to ensure choices offered are the relevant ones

PARTIALLY CLOSED QUESTIONS: Can choose from fixed categories and add their own response if desired ADVANTAGE: useful if options have been overlooked DISADVANTAGE: “other” category often yields little response

QUESTION WORDING Questions need to be simple, clear and precise Use standardised questions where possible Avoid asking the same question twice Use as little technical language as possible Avoid vague words e.g. about, few Avoid ambiguity Use short words rather than long, complicated ones Be aware of the connotations of different words e.g. ‘childish’ or ‘child-like’

ORDERING QUESTIONS The questionnaire should have a logical flow: - general to specific - impersonal to personal - easy to difficult Questions relating to a specific topic should be grouped together ! Place sensitive questions in the context of which they are being asked so they seem relevant

Grouping It is important to group your questions so that the material can be easily analysed. If all your questions are mixed up, they will be difficult to untangle into clear patterns when you do your interpretation.

QUESTIONNAIRE LAYOUT Clear and simple Be sure to provide enough space for open-ended questions Number all questions Do not clutter the questions together Questions and answers should not be split across pages Always include a ‘Thank you’ at the end

Extra points Make sure that you have your name(s) at the top of the page. Write your topic at the top of the page. Include the aim/objective at the beginning of the questionnaire. For example; The aim of the following questionnaire is to find out……….. Make sure that your questions are easy to read precise, and correctly set out. Due to time constraints it is probably best to include question types/formats that are easy to tabulate/read. Try and include at least 1 open question (usually towards the end). To begin with, ask questions relating to personal information (age, gender, education level) Only ask questions that will help you to prove your hypothesis.

Make sure all statements are relevant to the hypothesis. Mix positive and negative so what you are looking for is not too obvious and will influence people's responses. Don't put the hypothesis at the top for the same reason Make sure you have examples of all 4 types of information (including what people do) Give attribute choices at the start to save time and make groups for ease of statistical analysis. e.g. unemployed / student / blue collar / white collar

Look at the model questionnaire in your workbook

Make sure you proof read your questionnaire before you approach people – a native speaker of a target language should be able to give you additional insights into potential interpretations.

After getting the results Make sure you split your statistics into: Overall Male/Female Age Occupation Religion Political affiliation You will need these statistics to complete the next section (interpretation of results)

Try making a mini questionnaire and questioning the other students

Now work on your own questionnaire, then have it approved by Duncan before administering it.