An independent and very common form of survey is a questionnaire, i.e. filling out pre-prepared forms with a list of questions.
The questionnaire is a list of questions that the interviewee (respondent) must answer. Compilation of the questionnaire is preceded by a large research, described in works on sociometry, aimed at taking into account the psychology of the respondent, predicting his reaction to one or another form of a question, the degree of his sincerity and the ability to formulate an unambiguous answer. The set of answers should characterize the problem being studied. Questionnaires are a common method of surveying in marketing. Its advantage is that as a result of processing responses, a quantitative, statistical characteristic of the phenomenon being studied can be obtained, cause-and-effect relationships can be identified and modeled.
The list of possible questions does not lend itself to strict regulation. Each compiler, depending on the goals, object of research and his own capabilities, offers his own set and wording of questions. However, despite the apparent anarchy there are certain rules and standards that every researcher must follow.
A questionnaire is not just a list of questions. This is a very thin and flexible instrument. It requires careful study. Everything is important: the types and wording of questions, their sequence and quantity, correctness and appropriateness. Developing a competent questionnaire can take from one to several weeks of work. Before launching the study, it is necessary to conduct a trial survey - “pilotage”, the purpose of which is to bring the questionnaire up to standard, eliminate errors, inaccuracies, ambiguities and leading elements. The scope of a pilot study typically affects 5% of the expected number of respondents.
Questionnaire design is a complex research process that includes setting goals, putting forward hypotheses, formulating questions, developing a sample, determining the method of questioning, etc. The questionnaire can be carried out orally, i.e. The registrar himself fills out the form according to the respondent (forwarding method). Another form is written (self-registration method), when the respondent fills out a questionnaire with his own hand, which is sent by mail (correspondent method). The disadvantage of this (cheaper) method is a certain percentage of incorrectly completed questionnaires. In addition, some questionnaires are not returned at all. Sometimes even control random rounds of respondents are carried out. The survey method is also used when organizing panels and working with trade correspondents. Questionnaires are filled out by experts, specialists, etc.
Typically, the questionnaire is in the form of a table with printed questions and free space for answers (the questionnaire can be multi-page). The traditional scheme includes three blocks:
Introduction (the purpose of the survey, information about the respondents: name, characteristics, address, guarantee of anonymity of the survey and confidence of the answers);
List of questions characterizing the subject of the survey (main part);
Information about the respondents (requisite part, or passport).
In the introduction (preamble) short form information about who is conducting the research and why, about the company, its reputation and the goals it pursues this examination. It would be nice to emphasize that the respondents' answers will be used in their own interests, and to assure the absolute anonymity of the survey.
The introduction provides instructions for completing the questionnaire and returning it. Gratitude is also expressed here for the time the respondent kindly devoted to the researchers. If the survey is conducted by mail, the introduction may be written in the form of a cover letter.
When developing the main part of the questionnaire, you should pay attention to the content of the questions, their type, number, sequence of presentation, and the presence of control questions. The content of the questions should characterize the subject of the survey. But here it is necessary to find a reasonable compromise between the desire to make the questionnaire as complete as possible and real opportunity get answers. The main part of the questionnaire can be divided into two blocks, sometimes called “fish” and “detector”.
"Fish"- this is the part containing the questions for which, in fact, the research was started.
"Detector" consists of control questions designed to test the attentiveness, seriousness and frankness of respondents when filling out the questionnaire, as well as the integrity and professionalism of the interviewers. Duplicate questions, contradictory positions, and a sequence of questions with answers known in advance may be provided here. Only in the case of complete trust between customers, researchers and interviewers and with the relative simplicity and tolerance of the research topic can one do without a “detector”. The right way To increase the reliability of the study is to include in the text of the questionnaire a request to leave a contact phone number. As practice shows, from 30 to 60% of metropolitan respondents and from 15 to 25% of provincial respondents respond to it. And this is more than enough for verification.
The details part (passport) contains information regarding respondents: age, gender, belonging to a certain class, occupation, marital status, name and address - for individuals, and for organizations: size, location, direction of production and economic activity, position respondent in the organization, his name. In addition, it is necessary to identify the questionnaire itself, i.e. give it a name, indicate the date, time and place of the survey, and the name of the interviewer.
The number of questions should be optimal, i.e. providing completeness of information, but not excessive, which increases the cost of the examination (a reasonable compromise is necessary). Questions should be written tactfully so as not to offend or alarm respondents or provoke negative reaction from their side.
Questionnaire questions are classified according to the degree of freedom, the nature of the answers and the form of the questions. They are divided into open, when the answer is given in free form, without restrictions, and closed, when a list of answer options is offered, from which one or more are selected (“fan” of answers). Alternative questions are often asked and the answers are “yes”, “no”, “I don’t know”. An important role in the survey is played by questions about intentions and opinions, in the answers to which a greater degree of freedom is allowed than in questions about facts and actions. Sometimes filtering questions are asked, with the goal of cutting off some of the respondents. For example, if the question “do you have any product?” - the respondent answers “no”, then questions about assessing his properties are unnecessary. Finally, any questionnaire contains control questions used to assess the reliability of the answers. Formulating questions is a labor-intensive research work that requires high qualifications and erudition, knowledge of the basics of sociometry. This is a creative activity that does not allow mechanical copying. The questionnaire must be linked to the questionnaire development plan, table layouts, and model options. In developing questionnaires we use statistical methods(groupings, correlation and regression analysis, etc.).
Open question- a survey question that collects primary marketing information; it allows the respondent to answer in his own words, which allows the latter to feel quite free when answering and to give examples. Open questions often given at the beginning of a questionnaire to “warm up” respondents. However, keep in mind that they are difficult to process.
There are five options for open questions:
A simple open-ended question (“What do you think about...?”);
Word association;
Completing a sentence;
Completion of a story, drawing;
Thematic apperception test (the respondent is shown a picture and asked to come up with a story about what, in his opinion, is happening or could happen in it).
In such questions there is no bias, no desire to impose a certain answer. However, the answers to this type questions require quite a lot of time, as they usually raise new, additional questions. In addition, the responses received may be interpreted in different ways. Therefore, they are not often used in surveys.
Closed question- a survey question with the help of which primary marketing information is collected; it includes everything possible options answers from which the respondent chooses his own. There are three types of closed questions:
Alternative (dichotomous). Assumes an answer like “yes” or “no”, there is no third option (simple, closed, alternative question). Alternative questions are very easy to use. Their interpretation is simple and straightforward;
Multiple choice, for example: “Where do you keep your savings?”, where the following answer options exist: “in the bank”; "in an insurance company"; "V construction company"; “houses” from which you can choose (cross out, leave, circle). The main disadvantage of multiple choice questions is the difficulty of articulating all possible answers, characteristics, or factors;
Scale question. It assumes the presence of some kind of scale: evaluative (excellent, good, satisfactory, bad, terrible); importance (exceptional, important, average, small, insignificant); Leukert scale (absolutely agree, not sure, disagree, not true).
According to the form of questions, two groups are distinguished: 1) about facts or actions; 2) about opinions and intentions. In particular, the first include questions characterizing the purchase made (its type and size), the availability of the product in the respondent’s use, the costs of purchases, the prices at which the product was purchased, etc. It is very difficult to formulate questions about the intentions and opinions of buyers, which can change and not be strictly formulated.
An important role in the questionnaire is given to the so-called filtering questions that are asked if some of the questions do not apply to all respondents. For example: “Do you have this product?” If “no,” then “Are you going to purchase it?” It is clear that the second question and all subsequent ones are addressed only to those who answered negatively to the first.
Sometimes so-called tabular questions are introduced - combining various questions and arranging them in the form of a table.
As an illustration in Fig. Figure 2.4 presents a layout of a questionnaire, the purpose of which is to obtain information from consumers about the clothing market.
Continuation
Regarding the sequence of questions in the questionnaire, it is not recommended to start the questionnaire with difficult or personal questions or with questions that are not interesting to respondents; It is recommended to ask such questions in the middle or at the end of the questionnaire. The first question should interest the respondents. It is desirable that the questions are presented in a certain logical sequence, allowing them to be considered as fully as possible individual topics. The transition to the next topic should begin with some introductory phrase. The questionnaire should not contain questions that people do not want to answer, cannot answer, or do not require an answer. Sometimes you can get the information you want by asking indirect questions. So, instead of asking a direct question about the respondent’s income, they ask what social group he classifies himself (as a high-income population, wealthy, medium-income, low-income, etc.).
Formulating questions is a complex and time-consuming job that requires high qualifications, knowledge of economics, statistics and sociometry, and certain literary abilities. Despite the fact that there are uniform principles of questioning, it is impossible to mechanically copy existing samples.
Special attention You should pay attention to the design of the questionnaire, which sometimes turns out to be unsuccessful and inconvenient: semantic blocks are not separated from each other, a poorly readable font is chosen, there is no space for codes, etc. If you do not pay attention to these factors in time, the work of the interviewer, and then the coder, operator will be difficult and may even lead to errors.
Mailing out/distributing questionnaires can be a serious problem. During sales exhibitions, in the store hall, on the street, etc. questionnaires are distributed to everyone with a request to fill them out on the spot and return them to any of the employees. This is essentially a random, non-repetitive sample, the characteristics of which will be determined after the questionnaires are returned. Naturally, these questionnaires should include a minimum of questions and be simple in content. Very often, surveys are carried out during test marketing. Sometimes the questionnaire is included as a tear-off label in some popular publication. If you have good connections with the management of a certain enterprise or institution, then it can assist you in distributing the questionnaire among its employees.
Rice. 2.5. Questionnaire organization scheme
A widely used method is to arrange questionnaires according to mailboxes(possibly by agreement with the postman). Typically, in this case, either mechanical sampling is used (for example, every tenth recipient) or serial sampling (houses are selected in which questionnaires are distributed continuously). In any case, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of non-return of questionnaires (up to 50% of total number). Returning questionnaires by mail is subject to payment in advance.
Considering that developing questionnaires is a creative task, its plan is drawn up in advance and discussed, linked to common tasks and the purposes of marketing research. The following diagram reflects a certain sequence of actions in the survey process (Fig. 2.5).
The costs of surveying are quite high. Thus, according to the consulting firm MSKshzeu api Sotrapu, these costs depend on the number of respondents (Table 2.7).
Table 2.7 Survey costs
From a financial point of view, large numbers of respondents are more efficient, and this is confirmed by the calculation of costs per respondent.
CONTROL QUESTIONS
1. What is a survey? What types of surveys do you know?
2. For what purposes are focus groups formed?
3. What are the criteria for attracting participants to focus groups?
4. What are the requirements for the interviewer?
5. How is the questionnaire constructed? Name its structures.
TESTS
1. Panel is:
a) wooden paneling of the office of the company manager;
b) part of the street;
c) constant sample population persons/enterprises.
2. Omnibus is:
a) double-decker bus in England;
b) panel with a changing survey program;
c) a panel with a permanent survey program.
3. Questioning is:
a) a survey in the form of written answers to questions given in the form of a table;
b) studying the biographical data of the respondent;
c) compiling a list of questions.
4. Content analysis is:
a) quantitative methods of document analysis;
b) bibliographic reference;
c) searching for a source of information in the catalogue.
5. The question/answer series aims to:
a) provide a list of open questions arranged in a logical sequence;
b) select one or more options from the list of closed questions with suggested answers;
c) give a list of questions to which answers are given in the form of numbers.
Introduction
A survey is the most common method of collecting primary information. With its help, almost 90% of all sociological data are obtained. In each case, the survey involves addressing a direct participant and is aimed at those aspects of the process that are little or not amenable to direct observation. This is why a survey is indispensable when it comes to studying those substantive characteristics of social, group and interpersonal relationships that are hidden from external eye and make themselves felt only in certain conditions and situations. There are two main types of sociological surveys: questionnaires and interviews.
Questioning is one of the main types of survey, carried out through indirect communication between a sociologist and a respondent. The following types of surveys are distinguished:
a) according to the method of communication between the researcher and the respondent - press (the questionnaire is printed in a newspaper, magazine); postal (questionnaires are sent by mail) and distribution (the questionnaire is distributed to a group of respondents). In the first two cases (correspondence survey) there is no direct contact with the respondent. In the third case (face-to-face questioning), the surveyor acts as an instructor in filling out questionnaires, a distributor of questionnaires, but the questionnaire is filled out by the respondent independently;
b) at the place of conduct --- questioning at the place of residence and at the place of work or study. In the latter case, it can be group (or classroom);
c) by level of standardization --- fully or partially standardized. This type of survey is determined by the nature of the questions (closed or semi-closed).
Questioning has both advantages (efficiency, saving money and time, etc.) and disadvantages associated with the subjectivity of the information received, its reliability, etc. Therefore, questioning must be combined with other methods of collecting primary information.
The research that the sociologist strives for involves a survey of certain individuals, and it is necessary that, if possible, these individuals, firstly, participate in the survey, and secondly, answer sincerely, carefully, independently, in detail. In this regard, the West German researcher N. Noel speaks of a special “survey dramaturgy”, which includes, in particular, the disclosure of the sociologist’s ability to produce
respondents good impression, arouse their interest, gain trust, confirm their self-confidence, prevent them from getting bored and thereby force them to answer sincerely and with pleasure. This problem is not only purely methodological, but also ethical. The sociologist has to think both about his own research program and about what topics respondents will be more willing to discuss and what might interest them more. Therefore, according to N. Noel, the questionnaire should be polite and not selfish. This means that the questionnaire must perform not only scientific and educational, but also communicative functions.
Thus, not only the list of questions arranged in a logical sequence, united by a single topic, but the list that will be equipped with a preamble, instructions, and appeal should be ordered. In addition, it will include not only questions directly aimed at obtaining the desired answers or controlling them, but also questions that allow you to establish contact with respondents, create a cooperative attitude among them, help relieve tension, boredom and fatigue, uncertainty, etc. Others In other words, a questionnaire is a list of questions offered to all respondents in an identical form and adapted to the conditions of mass asymmetric targeted mediated communication.
The process of adapting the questions addressed to respondents to the necessary communication will be called questionnaire design. The design tasks include: creating and maintaining a cooperative attitude among respondents; give respondents confidence in their ability to answer all questions asked; establish trusting relationships, create the impression that you can give any, most unexpected and frank answers; free respondents' answers from the influence of previous questions and answers to them; maintain constant interest in working with the questionnaire.
It is easy to see that the solution to many problems is also achieved through special work
§1. Questionnaire method
Questionnaire method - study of individual psychological characteristics personality of the subordinate based on content analysis the written answers they give to a pre-prepared list of questions ;
Questionnaire , like observation, is one of the most common research methods in psychology. Questionnaires are usually conducted using observational data, which (along with data obtained through other research methods) is used to construct questionnaires.
There are three main types of questionnaires used in psychology:
These are questionnaires made up of direct questions and aimed at identifying
perceived qualities of the subjects. For example, in a questionnaire aimed at
identifying the emotional attitude of schoolchildren to their age, used
such a question: “Do you prefer to become an adult now, right away, or do you want
stay a child and why?";
These are selective-type questionnaires, where the subjects answer each question of the questionnaire
Several ready-made answers are offered; the task of the subjects is to choose
the most appropriate answer. For example, to determine a student's attitude towards
For various academic subjects, you can use the following question: “Which of the
educational subjects- the most interesting?” And as possible answers you can
propose a list of academic subjects: “algebra”, “chemistry”, “geography”,
"physics" etc.;
These are scale questionnaires; When answering questions on questionnaire scales, the subject must not
just choose the most correct of the ready-made answers, and scale
(score) the correctness of the proposed answers. For example,
instead of answering “yes” or “no”, subjects can be offered a five-point scale
5 - definitely yes;
4 - more yes than no;
3 - not sure, don’t know;
2 - no more than yes;
1 - definitely not.
There are no fundamental differences between these three types of questionnaires; they are all
are just various modifications of the survey method. However, if
the use of questionnaires containing direct (and even more so indirect) questions,
requires prior qualitative analysis answers, which is significant
makes it difficult to use quantitative methods of development and analysis
obtained data, then scale questionnaires are the most formalized type
questionnaires, as they allow for more accurate quantitative analysis
survey data.
The indisputable advantage of the survey method is the rapid receipt
mass material, which allows us to trace a number of general changes in
depending on the nature of the educational process, etc. Disadvantage
method of questioning is that it allows you to reveal, as a rule,
only the top layer of factors: materials, using questionnaires and questionnaires
(composed of direct questions to the subjects) cannot give the researcher
ideas about many patterns and causal dependencies related to
to psychology. Questioning is a means of first orientation, a means
preliminary reconnaissance. To compensate for the noted shortcomings
questionnaire, the use of this method should be combined with the use
questionnaires, masking the true purposes of surveys from subjects, etc.
The written answers they give to a pre-prepared list of questions;
The questionnaire method has long been successfully used in various areas of zoological research. Special value this method represents when collecting information on rare species. It can be used along with standard survey and accounting methods, without requiring large material and time costs. The result of the survey may be additional, often unique,
information about the locations of finds that has not been previously recorded anywhere rare species, their lifestyle, the state of the food supply, the attitude of the local population, existing limiting factors, etc. On the other side
Preliminary survey data can be used for further planning of activities to survey a particular area of the range of the species of interest, and search for an answer to a particular question posed.
The practice of using the survey method in studying hunting and commercial species of mammals and birds is well known (Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, 1963; Isakov, 1963; Yurgenson, 1963, etc.), as well as rare species, for example, the snow leopard.
The form of the questionnaire, despite its external conciseness, has a large information capacity. The simplicity and clarity of the questions posed makes it possible to use it among the general population with different educational levels. The questionnaire is easily translated into various languages. The respondents themselves choose the language of presentation. In some cases, depending on the wishes of the respondents, the survey may be anonymous.
Our own experience of questioning, conducted within the framework of projects in 2001 and 2003, made it possible to identify both the undeniable advantages of this method and its disadvantages. The advantages include:
Obtaining unique information from the population and employees of protected areas.
Standardization that allows information to be summarized correctly.
Survey method
The use of questionnaires or questionnaires is one of the most popular methods of marketing research.
The questioning method is a psychological verbal-communicative method in which a formalized list of questions is used as a means of collecting information from the object - a questionnaire.
Questioning is one of the main technical means of a specific social research; used in sociological, socio-psychological, economic, demographic and other studies.
During the survey process, each person from the group selected for the survey is asked to answer in writing the questions posed in the form of a questionnaire - questionnaire.
During the survey, contact with the respondent is kept to a minimum. Questioning allows you to most strictly follow the planned research plan, since the “question-answer” procedure is strictly regulated.
Using the survey method, you can obtain high level massiveness of the research. A special feature of this method is its anonymity (the identity of the respondent is not recorded, only his answers are recorded). Questionnaires are carried out mainly in cases where it is necessary to find out people’s opinions on certain issues and to reach a large number of people in a short period of time.
Despite numerous advantages, the method has a number of disadvantages, of which we can pay attention to the following:
· It is unknown what level of detail in responses provides a valid answer.
· Not every respondent correctly understands the meaning of the questions.
· Questionnaire analysis allows us to understand what people think, but does not explain why they hold this point of view.
· The list is not generated strengths and areas of activity requiring further improvement.
· The accuracy of the results depends on the quality of the questions asked.
According to their form, the questions are divided into open - you are asked to give a free answer - and closed - the answer consists of choosing from several statements proposed in the questionnaire. Open questions provide deeper information, but large number questionnaires lead to significant difficulties in processing due to non-standard responses.
Basic rules for constructing a questionnaire: logical sequence of topics covered by the questions; the interest of the interviewee should grow from question to question; no questions that are too complex or intimate; compliance of the wording of the questions with the educational level of the group being surveyed; closed questions must include all possible answer options; the total number of questions should not be too large - the survey should not tire or irritate the respondent.
Questioning can be carried out in three ways: the questionnaire is filled out individually in the presence of the collector; group filling in the presence of a collector; respondents independently fill out and submit questionnaires at the same time to maintain anonymity; “mail” survey, when the questionnaire is distributed or mailed to home, and then returned to the respondents by mail.
Let's consider this method to obtain data on the consumer preferences of survey participants in the cultural environment. This survey involved 44 people. Segment group - high school students high school and higher educational institutions(Age from 15 to 21 years). The survey method is by post. All participants were sent a questionnaire (see Appendix 2).
The analysis of these questionnaires showed following results:
1) To the question “How do you most often spend your leisure time?” the most popular answers were “I visit cultural institutions (theaters, museums, discos, recreation centers, etc.) (45%), “I read books, periodicals” (45%), “I walk along the street” (41%). “I engage in various hobbies” (dancing, drawing, etc.) was answered by 36% of respondents. The answer “watching TV” was the least popular (23%).
2) To the question “What cultural events and cultural institutions do you prefer?” the most popular answers were theaters (95%), cinemas (95%), museums (65%). Exhibitions were noted by 45% of respondents, discos and nightclubs - 41%. Popular music concerts are preferred by 23%, and classical music concerts by only 18%. The option “everyone is indifferent” was not chosen.
3) To the question “What cultural events and cultural institutions do you most often visit?” the most common answer was movie theaters (77%). The remaining options did not pass the 50 percent barrier. Most often, 41% of respondents visit the theater, 36% - exhibitions, 27% - museums. Discos and pop music concerts were chosen by 23%. Judging by this survey, classical music concerts are least likely to be attended (4%). No one noted the option “everyone is indifferent.”
4) To the question “How often do you visit cultural institutions?” 50% of respondents answered “once a week”, 30% once a month, 14% several times a week. The least popular options were once a year (4%) and never visit (2%).
5) To the question “Who do you visit cultural institutions with most often?” The following results were obtained: 86% prefer to visit cultural institutions with friends. This was the most popular answer; the other options did not even pass the 10 percent barrier. 7% of respondents visit cultural institutions alone. The option “with your significant other” was chosen by 5%, “with parents” - by 2%. For the options “with children” and “the whole family” not a single vote was received due to the fact that the survey was carried out by a specific segment group - students.
6) To the question “What goal do you pursue when going to a cultural institution?” the most popular answer was “to have fun” (68%) and learn more about the culture (55%). Next came the options “keep company and chat with friends (boyfriend/girlfriend, family)” (28%) and “meet new people” (14%). The option to “kill” time” was not chosen.
7) Question “Are you satisfied with the quality of cultural events (the level of professionalism of the actors, the variety of repertoires, the general design)?” not only demanded a “Yes/No” answer, but also asked to indicate what did not suit the respondent at the SCS institution.
Institutions were grouped into 3 types: 1) theater, cinema 2) exhibition, museum 3) disco, night club.
The survey showed that 91% were satisfied with the quality of theaters and cinemas, 9%, respectively, were not satisfied. The reasons for dissatisfaction were: “lack of worthy films,” “films of the same type,” “boring plays.” 86% were satisfied with the quality of exhibitions and museums, 14% were not satisfied. No one noted the reasons for dissatisfaction. 64% are satisfied with the quality of discos and nightclubs, 36% are not. The reasons for dissatisfaction were: “bad, boring music”, “high cost of alcohol in bars”, “mismatch of musical interests”.
8) To the question “Would you like to visit cultural institutions more often?” 95% of respondents answered “YES” and 5% - no. To the question “If yes, then for what reasons do you visit less often than desired?” the most common answers were “no free time” (77%), financial difficulties (45%). Other options were also given: “no company” (16%) “health does not allow” (14%) “danger due to the criminal situation” (7%)
9) To the question “Do various competitions and lotteries at cultural events attract you?” “YES” was answered by 45.5%, “NO” by 54.5%
10) To the question “Do you visit bars, cafes in cultural institutions? “YES” was answered by 68%, “NO” by 32%
11) To the question “Do you think that there are not enough cultural institutions in the area where you live?” “YES” was answered by 66%, “NO” by 34%
“Which ones exactly?”: “there is nothing in the area where I live” (23%), “theaters” (27%), “cinemas” (18%), “museums” (16%), “discos, nightclubs "(7%).
Of the many survey methods for collecting information, the most common method is surveys.
Questionnaire– a type of survey in which the goal is to identify the experience, assessments, and point of view of the respondent based on his answers to any pre-formulated question or group of questions; This most important source information about actually existing social facts, about social activities. Questioning presupposes a strictly fixed order, content and form of questions, a clear indication of answer methods, and they are registered by the respondent or alone with himself ( correspondence questionnaire), or in the presence of a questionnaire ( direct survey).
Questionnaire surveys (questionnaires) are classified primarily by the content and design of the questions asked. Distinguish open survey, when respondents express themselves in free form. IN closed In the survey, all answer options are provided in advance. Semi-closed questionnaires combine both procedures. Probing, or express survey, used in public opinion surveys. Questionnaire by mail distinguished from on-site surveys: in the first case, the questionnaire is expected to be returned by prepaid postage; in the second, the questionnaire is collected by the questionnaire itself. Group feeding is different from individualized. In the first case, up to 30–40 people are surveyed, in the second, he addresses each respondent individually. Finally, when classifying questionnaires, numerous criteria related to the topic of surveys are also used: event questionnaires, questionnaires to find out value orientations and opinions, etc.
The reliability of empirical materials obtained through the use of questionnaires depends significantly not only on the content of the planned information, but, of course, also on the design of the question itself, the feasibility of which is dictated by specific task and survey conditions.
The survey questions vary according to content And form.
Dividing questions by content determined by the nature of the information that the answer to a particular question represents. Information about facts and attitudes towards them, about norms and motives of behavior, about the intensity of opinion, about behavior in the present and past is the basis for division according to their content. By form questions are divided into groups: 1) open, closed, semi-closed; 2) direct and indirect; 3) personal and impersonal; 4) basic and control; 5) functional and others.
Open Questions are good at the trial stage, determining the area of research and as control functions. It is assumed that a free-form answer allows one to identify the dominant opinions, assessments, and moods: people note those aspects of phenomena or talk about what dominates in their minds. But the most important thing is that by reacting to a question without prompting answer options, people better demonstrate the characteristics of their everyday, everyday consciousness, their way of thinking.
The main disadvantage of open-ended questions is that the opinions and assessments expressed here are associated with some framework of comparison unknown to us. Another disadvantage of open-ended questions is the difficulty of processing the data.
Closed questions allow for a more rigorous interpretation of the answer. The researcher has more reliable grounds than with open-ended questions to compare data under equal conditions. It becomes possible not only to find out the content of judgments, but also to measure the intensity of assessments.
Asking closed questions requires compliance with the following basic requirements:
1. The main thing is to provide as many possible answers as possible. Also used semi-closed option in which a dash is left for additional comments and remarks.
2. When formulating answer options (hints), you should remember three important rules:
a) the person answering the question more often chooses the first clues, less often the subsequent ones, so the least likely answer options should be the first;
b) the longer the hint, the less likely it is to be chosen, since it takes more time to assimilate the meaning, and the respondent is not inclined to spend it, therefore, the hints should be approximately equal in length;
c) the more general (abstract) the hint is, the less likely it is to be chosen. People often think very concretely; they are irritated by the ambiguity of a situation where it seems extremely concrete to the researcher. Hence one more rule - all answer options should be kept at the same level of specificity.
3. In no way should you combine several ideas in one phrase (for example, “the work is interesting and well paid”; “the work is well paid, but uninteresting”).
4. All possible answer options should be printed on one page so that the respondent can cover the scope of correlation of assessments at once.
5. You cannot print the entire series of positive answer prompts in a row followed by a series of negative ones, or vice versa. In these cases, the opinion is imposed by the very sequence of the proposed options.
6. The list of proposed answers is sometimes so extensive that respondents get tired as they move towards the end and work with the last groups of judgments less carefully than with the first, or the force of inertia in the answers begins to act.
7. Tooltip selection may be limited tough And non-rigid. If, according to the meaning of the question, combinations are possible different elections, and in any quantity, it is impossible to limit the choice without special explanations to a certain condition (“Indicate no more than three options ...”). However, in the same case, if the purpose of the question is to identify the dominant, it is quite advisable to limit the choice (“Although you probably have more than one or two favorite activities in your free time, we ask you to indicate no more than three of the most attractive ones in the proposed list”).
8. An important role is played by the option that involves the possibility of avoiding answering a closed question (“hard to say”, “difficult to answer”, “don’t remember”, “don’t know”). The non-response formula emphasizes that the respondent is given sufficient freedom. This encourages him to be more conscientious about the survey as a whole.
In general, comparing the possibilities of open and closed questions, we can say that when first approaching a topic, it is necessary to use open options (it is difficult to foresee the range of answers). Therefore, at the exploration stage, an open question has undoubted advantages. In descriptive research, it is more convenient to use closed and semi-closed questions.
Direct And indirect questions. IN direct version of the question provides an answer that should be understood in the same sense as the respondent understands it (“If you are not satisfied with the quality of teaching the subject, could you indicate what exactly?”). Indirect the question is posed if problems are raised on which respondents are not inclined to speak out frankly (“You said that you are thinking about transferring to another faculty. Where would you like to transfer?”).
Personal And impersonal the questions equally relate to the assessments and judgments of the interviewee himself, but in the second case the assessments are indirect. So, instead of a direct question, “What do you think...”, an indirect, impersonal question is asked: “Some people believe that... Which judgments, in your opinion, are most fair?” The respondent is expected to choose those judgments that he himself holds.
Typically, the questionnaire alternates between open and closed, direct and indirect, personal and impersonal questions.
To check the accuracy of information use control questions. Basic And control questions vary in their function and interpretation of the data. With the help of tests, they clarify and supplement the information received in the main questions. In the questionnaire (questionnaire), the main and control questions should be placed so that the respondent does not perceive a direct connection between them. Therefore, they are interspersed with other topics not related to this one. Sometimes a “silencer” question is used for this. One of the most reliable ways to control the reliability of a given questionnaire is a combination of several methods: questioning and observation; questionnaires and free interviews, etc.
In addition to leading - targeted ones that meet the direct objectives of the study, the so-called functional(official) formulations and questions. The tasks of the latter are to facilitate the interview or questionnaire process, relieve stress and fatigue that appears towards the end of the respondent’s work, and divert his attention. When required, or, on the contrary, to help concentrate.
Functional questions include “filter” and “trap” questions that screen out the incompetent and inattentive; “silencers”, with the help of which they distract attention during a long list or before staging security question; various explanatory comments and reservations (“In your opinion...”, “And now, if we consider it as a whole, how would you characterize...”). The purpose of such formulations is to create psychological comfort for the respondent.
How is the questionnaire compiled? Basic principles The structure of the questionnaire is as follows:
1. The program logic of the questions should not be mixed with the logic of constructing the questionnaire. The questionnaire is constructed from the perspective of the psychology of perception of the respondent. For example, when studying attitudes towards additional education institutions, it would seem logical to first find out whether the respondents attend them, and then move on to a targeted survey of those who answered in the affirmative, and after that - of those who do not attend them. However, taking into account that in the general mass of children there are more of the latter, one should do it differently: first of all, questions are formulated for everyone, then for those attending, then for those not attending, and again for all respondents.
Taking into account the characteristics of the respondent’s perception of the text of the questionnaire is the leading principle from which all other requirements for its construction follow.
2. Indispensable consideration of the specifics of the culture and practical experience of the interviewed audience. For example, in a mass survey, it is unwise to explain at length the scientific goals of the work being done. It is better to emphasize its practical significance. When interviewing experts, both the practical and scientific goals of the study should be indicated.
3. It should be remembered that the same questions, placed in different sequences, will provide different information.
4. The semantic “blocks” of the questionnaire should be approximately the same size. The dominance of a certain “block” inevitably affects the quality of answers for other semantic “blocks”.
5. Distribution of questions according to their degree of difficulty. The first questions should be simpler. This is followed by more complex ones (preferably event-based, non-evaluative), then even more complex (motivational), then a decline (event-based, factual again) and at the end - the most difficult questions(one or two), after which - the final “passport”.
Regular sequence of semantic sections The questionnaire is as follows:
A) introduction, which indicates who is conducting the survey and why; how the data will be used; if required by the content of the questions, a guarantee of anonymity of information; instructions for filling out the form and how to return it;
b) introductory questions perform two functions: 1) to interest the respondent and 2) to make it as easy as possible for him to start working. Therefore, difficult or disturbing questions should not appear at the beginning of the questionnaire. The most convenient for this purpose are questions of purely event-related content. You can’t start a survey with a “passport”, which generally worries some people. It is useful to include information about the demographic data of the interviewee at the end of the questionnaire. Difficult questions asked at the beginning can be intimidating, leading to people refusing to participate in the survey. If the respondent has already joined the conversation, he will be inclined to finish the work rather than interrupt it halfway;
V) final questions The content of the topic should be relatively easy. Because we must take into account that when working with a questionnaire, people gradually get tired. Rating scales and other information in closed versions are good here. Open questions that require extensive comments are placed closer to the middle of the questionnaire; as control they are resolved at the end, but no more than one or two;
G) "passport" occupies the last page. It is concise, does not require much effort and indicates completion of the questionnaire;
e) usually concludes with an expression of gratitude for your cooperation in conducting the survey. Often this is a repeated thank you, as in the introduction they write: “Thank you in advance for your cooperation.”
So, we have answered the question - how is the questionnaire developed? Let us assume that you have compiled the questionnaire in accordance with these principles and requirements. But this is only the first step - preparing her project ; the second is a pilot survey (reconnaissance survey), which covers a small number of people (20-30 people), selected according to the main characteristics that are determined by the topic, goals and objectives of the study. After carefully analyzing the test results and correcting errors in the questionnaire, you can begin a mass survey.
Let's summarize all of the above. Thus, the survey conducted must meet a number of requirements:
1) should last no more than 30-40 minutes, otherwise the respondent gets tired, and the last questions usually remain without full answers;
2) it is important that interest in the subject of the survey does not decrease, but gradually increases. Therefore, questions that are more complex in content (and understanding) should follow the simpler ones;
3) the first question should not be controversial or alarming; it is best if it is neutral;
4) it is advisable to place difficult questions in the middle of the questionnaire so that the respondent “gets involved” in the topic;
5) questions must be clear, precise, and understandable to the respondents, and to everyone without exception;
6) questions must meet the requirements of logic: first, the conversation must be about establishing a particular fact, and then about its assessment;
7) introduction and new section The questionnaire must begin with an address to the respondent, for example: “And now we ask you to express your opinion about this...”.
The empirical materials obtained as a result of the survey are collected, processed and can serve as the basis for obtaining orientation in the problem, identifying current trends, formulating certain conclusions, etc.
Questioning is one of the fundamental technical means when conducting any social or socio-psychological research. Also, this is one of the most common types of surveys in which communication between the researcher and the respondent occurs through the text of the questionnaire.
Types of surveys
There are several classifications by which it is customary to distribute surveys.
By number of respondents
- Individual survey - one person is interviewed.
- Group survey - several people are interviewed.
- Audience questioning is a type of questioning organized in such a way that a group of people gathered in one room is asked to fill out questionnaires in accordance with the rules of the procedure.
- Mass survey - from hundreds to several thousand people take part.
By type of contact with respondents
- Face-to-face - the survey is conducted with the participation of a researcher-questionnaire.
- Absentee - there is no interviewer.
- Distribution of questionnaires by mail.
- Publication of questionnaires in the press.
- Internet survey.
- Delivery and collection of questionnaires at the place of residence, work, etc.
- Online survey.
This method has both positive and negative sides. The advantages include the speed of obtaining results and relatively low material costs. The disadvantages of questionnaires are that the information obtained is very subjective and is not considered reliable.
Questioning in psychology is used to obtain certain information. Contact between the psychologist and the interviewee is kept to a minimum. This allows us to say that the personality of the specialist conducting the survey in no way influenced the results obtained during the psychological questionnaire.
An example of the use of the survey method in psychology is a survey by F. Galton, who studied the influence environment and heredity on the level of intelligence. More than a hundred well-known British scientists took part in the survey as respondents.
Purpose of the survey
The specialist conducting the survey initially faces the task of determining the purpose of the questionnaire, which is formulated individually in each specific case.
- Evaluation by company employees of innovations carried out in its management.
- Surveying employees regarding a specific issue, with the aim of subsequently adjusting management methods.
- Surveying people to find out their attitude towards this or that social phenomenon etc.
After the purpose of the survey is determined, the questionnaire itself is compiled and the range of respondents is determined. These could be company employees, passers-by on the street, elderly people, young mothers, etc.
Particular attention is paid to the length of the questionnaire. According to experts, a standard questionnaire should contain no more than 15 and no less than 5 questions. At the beginning of the questionnaire it is necessary to include questions that do not require special mental effort. In the middle of the questionnaire, you should put the most difficult questions and at the end they should again be replaced by easier ones.
With the help of social surveys, you can easily obtain a high level of mass participation in the research being conducted. It is carried out in most cases in situations where it is necessary to obtain data from large quantity of people.
Anonymity can be considered a special difference between this method and other existing ones. Anonymous surveying gives much more truthful and open statements. But this type of written survey has back side medals, due to the lack of the need to indicate their data, respondents very often give hasty and thoughtless answers.
