ABSTRACT
This chapter helps people to: understand how and when to use structured and unstructured questions; learn how to develop simplicity in word selection; learn how to collect accurate information from respondents; learn how to avoid bias in questions. The quality of the questions used in the questionnaire determines the accuracy of the data and information. Questions are formed by using a series of words in a sequence that survey participants easily understand. Objectives should be written for each questionnaire and each question must contribute to the objectives of the questionnaire. The words one use in a question is the key elements to maximizing data validity and reliability. Pretesting the questionnaire includes testing its format, word selection, question order, instructions, and question simplicity. The chapter refers the process of skipping questions as branching. Branching questions only skip forward, not backward. Electronic and telephone surveys provide skips automatically if the respondent is not qualified to answer subsequent questions.
