Questionnaire

Principles of Questionnaire Design Questionnaires are paper- and- pencil instruments designed to gather data from individuals about knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and feelings. (Haber and Wood 2006). Linking theory to practice, our group made up of four members spent time investigating everything to do with the principles of questionnaire designs. This essay explores the various stages in designing a questionnaire. The first stage in designing a questionnaire is to ensure that it is an appropriate method for collecting the survey. (Rees C. 2003). Critical thinking was paramount in determining the type of research question to use for structuring the questionnaire, which was a survey tool used by the group in the collection of data from participants who were students. The research topic for our questionnaire was, how students at Middlesex University travel to campus and if they will be willing to make changes. This topic was derived by the group who worked as a team. The type of research used was quantitative. Quantitative research encompasses the study of research questions and/ hypotheses that describe phenomena, test relationships, assess differences, and seek to explain cause and effect interactions between variables and tests for intervention effectiveness. The numeric data in quantitative studies are summarized and analyzed using statistics. (Haber and Wood 2006). Rees C (2002) outlines basic principles in designing questionnaires. Incorporating these principles meant the questionnaire had to be concise and unambiguous. The questionnaire used by my group for piloting was brief and clear. It was clear of jargons and easy to understand. Burns and Grove argued that ‘’clear’’ instructions are difficult to construct and usually require several attempts, and each pilot should be tested on naïve subjects who are willing and able to express their reactions to the instructions. Questions were straight forward and not double. There were no negatives, as such; respondents were not confused with type of questions asked. Answers for questions were precise and not leading. Questions were grouped on the same topic to form a logical sequence and finally questions had a clear layout. Administering questionnaires to participants required informed consent which is a legal principle. It is a doctrine that determines and regulates participation in research (Olson, 2003). It was therefore imperative that we gave participants all the necessary information in completing the questionnaire Validity and reliability was another vital key explored during the designing of our questionnaire. Validity refers to whether a measurement instrument accurately measures what is supposed to measure. Reliability of a research instrument on the other hand is defined as the extent to which the instrument yields the same results on repeated measures. (Haber and Wood 2006). The confidentiality of the information on participants must be respected. (Parahoo K 2006) Students who participated in the survey were assured of confidentiality with any information given in accordance with the data protection act. This in effect made participants more confident in answering all questions especially those that were personal. In all it was a successful survey, data collected was analyzed, recorded and presented according to the level of measurement for the various questions. Word Count: 499 Date: 17/12/2009 REFERENCE Burns N and Grove S K (2009) The Practice of Nursing Research: Appraisal, Synthesis and Generation of Evidence (6th ed) Saunders Elsevier. LoBiondo-Wood G and Haber J (2006) Nursing research: Methods, and critical Appraisal for evidence-based Practice. Missouri; Mosby Elsevier Olson DP: HIPPA Privacy regulations and nursing research, Nurs Res 52(5): 344-348, 2003. Parahoo K (2006) Nursing Research Principles, Process and Issues (2nd ed). Palgrave Macmillan Rees C (2003) Introduction to research for midwives (2nd ed). London; Elsevier