1. UNIT 4: Research
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER 1

2. How to Write Your
QUESTIONNAIRE 2

3. RESEARCH TOPIC
Based on the research topics that we have discussedwhat interests you the most?
How can you find out the perceptions of SDSU students on that topic? 3

4. QUESTIONNAIRES
Designing a questionnaire is similar to designing an interview. The goal is to gather information from people quickly using a designated set of questions.
There are many things to consider when designing your questionnaire:
Open and Closed Questions Loaded Questions
Hypothetical Questions Clarity
Prestige Bias 4

5. OPEN & CLOSED QUESTIONS
Usually multiple choice
Easy for respondent
By restricting the answer set, it is easy to calculate percentages over the whole group
Answers are limited to the options given
No predetermined set of responses
Free to answer however you choose
Good for getting subjective data - reflects broader opinions
May get unexpected answers - unpredictable
WHICH WILL YOU USE? 5

6. CLARITY Clear, succinct, and unambiguous
It must mean the same thing to all the participants
Do you think the death penalty should be used as a punishment for serious crimes?
How often do you eat at McDonald's?
Very often Often Sometimes Rarely Never
Every day 1-2 / week 1-2 / month Never 6

7. CLARITY
Also, avoid colloquial expressions, which may not be used the same by all participants, as well as technical terms, which may assume a certain background. 7

8. LEADING QUESTIONS
A question that forces or implies a certain type of answer.
How awesome is your LING 200 teacher?
Superb
Excellent
Great
Good
Fair
Not so Great
Do you think someone who has had two DUIs, like Jeffery Rush,
can be trusted to hold political office? 8

9. EMBARRASSING QUESTIONS
Avoid dealing with personal or private matters.
Do not make your participants uncomfortable.
Because you eat McDonald's once a week, are you afraid of gaining a lot of wight? 9

10. HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS
These are conjecture or fantasy and often make your respondent give thought to something they have never considered. This will produce unclear and inconsistent data.
If you were governor, what would you do to stop crime?
OK since it relates to the unit
If you were the CEO of a corporation,
what would your priorities be? 10

11. PRESTIGE BIAS
A way to give your respondents the opportunity to answer in a way that makes them feel better about themselves.
This will give the respondents opportunities to exaggerate the truth. It is hard to avoid, so make the questionnaire as physically private as possible.
Do you think you are more intelligent than the average person? 11