ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the use of questionnaires as a data-collection method in educational research and offers critical discussion of their benefits and limitations. It considers different types of questions, such as open, closed, scaled and multi-choice, and examines specific issues of question phrasing and question sequencing. The discussion draws in particular on the author’s use of questionnaire surveys in three quantitative and qualitative projects, including comparative research. The questionnaires in these projects were paper-based or online, and one was based on an under-utilized but very useful word-association technique. Practical issues examined include piloting, informed consent, annotation of participant responses and analysis of data. The chapter concludes with recommendations about using questionnaires for both novice and experienced educational researchers.
