Business

Research Methods

William G. Zikmund

Chapter 04:
Questionnaire Design
 A Good Questionnaire Appears
• As easy to compose as a good poem
• But, it is usually the result of long,
painstaking work
 The Major Decisions in
Questionnaire Design
1. What should be asked?
2. How should each question be phrased?
3. In what sequence should the questions be
arranged?
4. What questionnaire layout will best serve
the research objectives?
5. How should the questionnaire be
pretested? Does the questionnaire need to
be revised?
 What Should Be Asked?
• Questionnaire relevance: A questionnaire is
relevant if no unnecessary information is collected
and if the information that is needed to solve the
business problem is obtained.

• Questionnaire accuracy: Accuracy means that the

information is reliable and valid. Simple,
understandable, unbiased, unambiguous,
nonirritating words ensure accuracy.
 Phrasing Questions
• Open-ended questions: A question that poses some problem and asks
the respondent to answer in his or her own words.
• Fixed-alternative questions: A question in which the respondent is
given specific limited alternative responses and asked to choose the
one closet to his or her own viewpoint
• Simple dichotomy question: A fixed alternative question that requires
the respondent to choose one of two alternative
• Determinant choice question: A types of fixed alternative question that
requires a respondent to choose one response from among several
possible alternatives.
• Frequency determination question: A types of fixed alternative
question that asks for an answer about general frequency of
occurrence.
• Checklist Question: A types of fixed alternative question that allows
the respondent to provide multiple answers to a single question.
 The art of asking questions
• No hard and fast rules
• Only guidelines
• Avoid Complexity: use simple, conversational language
When effluents from a paper mill can be drunk and exhaust from factory
smokestacks can be breathed, then humankind will have done a good job in
saving the environment….Don’t you agree that what we want is zero toxicity:
no effluents?

• Avoid leading (implies certain answer) and loaded (suggest emotional charge)
questions
•We are happy when you like programs on channel 7. We are sad when you
dislike programs on channel 7. Write us and let us know what you think of our
programming.
•What did you rank academically in your high school graduating class?

• Avoid ambiguity (often, occasionally, usually, regularly,

frequently, many, good): be as specific as possible

•
•Avoid double-barreled items: A question that may induce
bias because it cover two issues at once. Between you and
your husband, who does the housework?

• Avoid making assumptions: Do you think Jak in the Box

restaurants should consider changing their name?

• Avoid burdensome questions that may tax the

respondent’s memory: Do you recall any commercials on
that program?
 Question sequence
Order bias: Bias caused by the influence of earlier
questions in the questionnaire or by an answer’s
position in a set of answer.
Funnel technique: Asking general questions
before specific questions in order to obtain
unbiased responses.
Filter bias: A question in a questionnaire that
screens out respondents not qualified to answer
a second question.
 Layout for Questionnaires
i) Layout of traditional questionnaires
ii) Layout for Internet Questionnaires
• Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Paging layout going from screen to screen
• Scrolling layout gives the respondent the ability to
scroll down
• Push buttons
• Status bar