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Formulating Question Statements

Formulating Question Statements

The merits of a method can be utilized fully only when one is sure about the objectives.  Thus, before formulating the forms, a researcher should know precisely what he wants.  The shotgun approach should be avoided because the lengthy questionnaires put the respondents off and reduce the importance of the study in the eyes of the respondents. (The term ‘shotgun approach’ refers to the approach of asking each and every possible question about the subject in the hope that some of the answers would help.  This approach is often taken up by the inexperienced researchers when they are not sure about what exactly they want. ) Proper and full directions should guide the respondents and there should be no space for the communication gap.  The criteria for the replies should be specified clearly.   If a form contains questions on various subjects or various aspects of the same subjects, the questions should be grouped according to their content.  The questions should be in keeping with the target audience.  For example, in a bi/multilingual situation, the questions should be in all the languages.  All the possible items that a researcher wants to ask should be listed.  One may use the techniques like brainstorming to get all the items.  Then a further sorted list should be prepared.  It is only after completing this stage can one take up further issues like phrasing and administering the forms.

Phrasing the Statements

The limitations of written language are another major problem.  Unlike an interview, there are chances in this method to explain or to use other modes of communication (such as gestures, intonations) or rephrasing the questions.  The questionnaires have to be dependent on the written language only.  For the successful communication, a researcher should avoid ambiguous terms and abstract lexical items.  The terms that can have multiple meanings should be defined or qualified.  The terms such as value, quality, age how much work, now, for example, can mean different things to different people.  Descriptive adjectives that have no generally-agreed- upon meaning should be used very carefully.  The adjectives like frequently, occasionally and rarely do not give a reliable basis for interpretation because what may mean occasionally to one person may mean rarely to another.  Therefore, the emphasis in a question should be made very clear. Capitalizing or highlighting the important words can make the central terms clear.  Technical terms, if used, should be properly defined with explanation.  If a question is a negative one, the negative markers should be differentiated in order to make the negative sense clear.  Avoiding the negative terms as far as possible is a better policy though.  Double negatives make the questions ambiguous and so they should be used only when they are absolutely necessary. A statement should carry only one question item.  More than one question items in a single statement makes the interpretation of the answer complex.  Look at the example given below:

Do you watch television for the sake of improving your English and try to imitate the language on TV ?
 
A ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ in the answer of this question may apply to either of the two actions (i.e. Watching television and imitation it) and the answer may also count for both the statements.  It is quite possible that a learner may take note of the language on television but may not try to imitate it.

Sequencing

The next step after phrasing the questions is to sequence them in the most suitable order.  The right sequencing reduces the chances of misunderstanding, conditions the minds of the respondents for the further questions and makes the answers coherent. The sequence should move smoothly, that is, from general to specific questions.  Easy to answer questions should be set in the beginning.  The questions that may seem intrusive to the respondents or put too much strain on them should be avoided directly.  If necessary, they can be put forth indirectly through the projection devices.  The questions regarding the personal wealth and property should not be set in the beginning of the form.  Sequencing also includes editing.  Redundant questions should be discarded while sequencing the questions.  The type of  a question is as important as the nature of its content.  A form should never start with an open question.  For effective management of the subject of the questions, they should be ordered according to their content group.