What are the main features of Questionnaire?

A form containing a set of related questions specially one designed to gather statistical data from a sample population is called questionnaire.

Main features of Questionnaire are:

1. A questionnaire is a format containing a list of questions sequentially ordered to obtain information relevant to the topic of the study. A questionnaire is specially intended to obtain particular type of answers.

2. Through questionnaire, primary data is collected. Developing a suitable and ideal questionnaire is the most important aspect of research. Before developing a questionnaire, the researcher must have the insight about the topic of the research. The questions are developed according to the title and nature of the research.

3. Questionnaires are printed/electronic forms filled in by respondents. Questionnaires can be handed out or sent by mail and later collected or returned by stamped addressed envelope. This method can be adopted for the entire population or sampled sectors.

4. Questionnaires may be used to collect regular or infrequent routine data, and data for specialized studies. Some of the data often obtained through questionnaires include demographic characteristics, fishing practices, opinions of stakeholders on fisheries issues or management, general information on fishers and household food budgets.

5. The respondents are expected to fill out the form on their own. Questionnaires should be prepared in the language known by the target group. If more than one language is used then special care needs to be taken in these cases to ensure accurate translations.

6. The questionnaires should be as simple and clear as possible, with targeted sections and questions. This can maximize the possibility of returning the answered questionnaire. Most importantly, questionnaires should also be as short as possible. If the questionnaire is being given to a sample population, then it may be preferable to prepare several smaller, more targeted questionnaires, each provided to a sub-sample. If the questionnaire is used for a complete enumeration, then special care needs to be taken to avoid overburdening the respondent.

7. Questionnaires can contain either structured questions with blanks to be filled in, multiple choice questions, or they can contain open-ended questions where the respondent is encouraged to reply at length and choose their own focus to some extent.

8. To facilitate filling out forms and data entry in a structured format, the form should ideally be readable. The writing should be reduced to a minimum (e.g. tick boxes, multiple choices), preferably being limited to numerals. In an open-ended format, keywords and other structuring procedures should be imposed later to facilitate database entry and analysis.

9. Framing a questionnaire requires certain amount of technical knowledge. The researcher must know exactly what to ask and what not to ask. The questions must be developed on various topics, headings and sub-headings. For framing a questionnaire, the following points are important

  • The nature of data
  • The method of data collection
  • Length and size of questions and questionnaire

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