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Questionnaire Design

Questionnaires are one of many ways to elicit information. Researchers who design their own questionnaires need to take steps to ensure that they are validly measuring whatever it is they seek to measure. A strong, well-designed questionnaire starts with the conceptualization of the problem and ends with the visual clarity of the presentation. Poor questionnaire design not only leaves a researcher with incomplete and/or inaccurate information but also wastes the time of the individuals who complete the questionnaire.

Conceptualizing the Problem: What Questions Need to Be Asked?

Before specific questions are developed, it is imperative that a researcher identify what problem he or she is trying to understand as well as consider potential explanations for that problem. This process of conceptualization may use established theoretical frameworks typically based on prior research or, if no known framework exists to the researchers knowledge, a generative process of exploring all possible explanations should be pursued. Because this process is often difficult and time-consuming, it is sometimes omitted. However, failure to conceptualize all the possible ‘whys’ that may explain a problem will result in the probable exclusion of important questions in the final questionnaire. It is often not until the conclusion of the study that these omissions become apparent, and it is then too late to remedy them.

To illustrate the process of conceptualizing a problem, consider the researcher interested in understanding smoking behavior by female adolescents. In the medical, biological, and social science literature, there are a number of possible explanations for why a young girl begins to smoke. For example, there are arguments identifying biological, familial, emotional, and social exposures influencing smoking initiation. While a particular researcher may be interested in understanding the impact of parental smoking on an adolescent girl's decision to smoke, going through the generative process of conceptualizing and examining other explanations alerts the researcher to consider including questions about age, psychological well-being, and the environment in which the girl lives. Even if they are not the focus of the study, including these factors will further refine the researcher's ability to understand how parental smoking operates as a risk factor.

Operationalizing the Measures

Once a researcher has identified the concepts to be measured, the next step is to determine the specific ways to measure them. This is referred to as operationalization. To measure a concept accurately, a researcher must ask questions whose answers will provide useful information about the concepts of interest. The questions must be phrased in such a way that the respondent understands what is being asked and can provide a reasonable reply. To ensure clarity in questions, certain types of questions should be avoided, such as ‘doubled-barreled’ questions (which ask more than one question at a time), long questions, and questions that use language that may confuse the respondent. For example, using the problem of female adolescent smoking, a question such as, ‘When you are feeling overwhelmed, do you tend to want a cigarette?’ is doubled-barreled—a ‘No’ could mean that the respondent does not smoke when overwhelmed or that the respondent does not get overwhelmed. Additionally, the word ‘overwhelmed’ may not be understood by all adolescent respondents.

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