ASSIGNMENT

SUBMITTED BY

NISHA
C
 1ST
MBA

TOPIC

Explain the data collection through

questionnaire?
 INDEX

S L NO TITLE PAGE NO
1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 QUESTIONNAIRE 2

3 ASPECTS OF A 3
QUESTIONNAIRE

4 QUESTION SEQUENCE 4

5 FORM OF A QUESTIONNAIRE 5
 6 TYPES OF QUESTIONS 6

7 CONCLUSION 7

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS:
C.R.Kothari, Research Methodology,2002.

Myneni, Research Methodology, 2010

S.P.Jain, Research Methodology,2008.

WEBSITES:

http://en.wikipedia.org dtd on 23-2-2011.

LIST OF ABBREVATIONS
QMR-QUANTITATIVE MARKET RESEARCH
SR-SOCIAL RESEARCH

SUMMARY
The task of data collection begins after a research problem has been
defined and research design chalked out.While deciding about the
method of data collection to be used for the study,theresearcher should
keep in mind two typesof data viz;primary and secondary.Primary data
are those which are collected afresh and for the first time,and thus
happen to be original in character.The secondary data on the other hand
are those which have already been collected by some one else and which
have already been passed through the statistical process.
A questionnaire is a series of questions asked to
individuals to obtain statistically useful information about
a given topic. When properly constructed and responsibly
administered, questionnaires become a vital instrument
by which statements can be made about specific groups
or people or entire populations.Questionnaire is more
highly structured and standardized.So in questionnaire
method is effective tool for the data collection.

INTRODUCTION
The task of data collection begins after a research problem has been
defined and research design chalked out.While deciding about the
method of data collection to be used for the study,the researcher should
keep in mind two typesof data viz;primary and secondary.Primary data
are those which are collected afresh and for the first time,and thus
happen to be original in character.the secondary data on the other hand
are those which have already been collected by some one else and which
have already been passed through the statistical process.Ihere are several
methods of collecting primary data ,important ones are observation
method,interview mehod,through questionnaire,etc.Data collection
through questnnaire is quite popular, particularly in case of big
enquiries.It is being adopted by privte individuals,research
workers,private and public organisations and even by governments.In
this method a questionnaire is sent to the persons concerned with a
request to answer the questions and and return the questionnaire.A
questionnaire consists of a number of questions printed or typed in a
definite order on a form or set of forms.
 QUESTIONNAIRE

A questionnaire is a series of questions asked to individuals to obtain

statistically useful information about a given topic. When properly
constructed and responsibly administered, questionnaires become a vital
instrument by which statements can be made about specific groups or
people or entire populations.
Questionnaires are frequently used in QMR and SR. They are a valuable
method of collecting a wide range of information from a large number
of individuals, often referred to as respondents. Adequate questionnaire
construction is critical to the success of a survey. Inappropriate
questions, incorrect ordering of questions, incorrect scaling, or bad
questionnaire format can make the survey valueless, as it may not
accurately reflect the views and opinions of the participants. A useful
method for checking a questionnaire and making sure it is accurately
capturing the intended information is to pretest among a smaller subset
of target respondents.

The method of collecting data by

mailing the questnnaires to respondents is most extensively employed in
various economic and business surveys.The merits claimed on behalf of
this method are as follows;
1.There is low cost even when the universe is large and is widely spread
geographically.
2.It is free from the basic of the interviewer ,answers are in respondents
own words.
3.Respondents have adequate time to give well thought out answers.
4. Respontents ,who are not easily approachable ,can also be reached
conveniently.

MAIN ASPECTS OF QUESTIONNAIRE

Questnnaire as considered as the heart of a survey operation.Hence it
should be very carefull y constructed.this fact requires us to study the
main aspects of a questnnaire viz;general form,question sequence and
question formulating and wording.
1.GENERAL FORM
So far as the general form of a questionnaire is concerned ,it can either
be structured or unstructured questionnaire.structured questnnaires are
those questnnaires in which there are definite,concrete and
predetermined questions.The questions are presented with the exactly
the same wording and in the same order to all respondents.
2.QUESTION SEQUENCE
In order to make the questionnaire effective and to ensure quality to the
replies received ,a researcher should pay attention to the question
sequence in prepairing the questionnaire.A proper sequence of a
question reduces considerably the chances of individual questions of
being mis understood.The following questions should generally be
avoided as opening questions in a questnnaires.
1.Questions that put too great a strain on the memory or intellect of the
respondent.
2.Questions of a personal character.
3.Questions related to personal wealth etc.

3.QUESTION FORMULATION AND WORDING

Question should be impartial inorder not to give a biased picture of the
true state of affairs.questions should be constructed with a view to their
forming a logical part of a well thought out tabuation plan.In general,all
questions should meet the following standards –a)should be easily
understood b)should be simple c)shold be concrete and should conform
as much as possible to the respondents way of thinking.

Question sequence

➢ Questions should flow logically from one to the next.

➢ The researcher must ensure that the answer to a question is
not influenced by previous questions.
➢ Questions should flow from the more general to the more
specific.
➢ Questions should flow from the least sensitive to the most
sensitive.
 ➢ Questions should flow from factual and behavioural
questions to attitudinal and opinion questions.
➢ Questions should flow from unaided to aided questions

FORM OF A QUESTIONNAIRE

1.Size of the question

The size of the question must be small and manageable.
2.Appearence
Good quality paper ,attractive printing and layout have great importance
in the questionnaire methods.
3.Clarity.
To obtain correct answers ,the question should be clear and precise have
should not be any ambiguity about the idea of the questions.
4.Sequence
The question should be in proper sequence ,lucid and interesting to the
respondents.
5.Margin
A proper margins on oneside gives a neat look to the questnnaire and
makes filling easy.
6.Length of question
The question should not be too length

TYPE OF QUESTIONS
1. Contingency questions - A question that is answered only if the
respondent gives a particular response to a previous question.

2. Matrix questions - Identical response categories are assigned to

multiple questions. The questions are placed one under the other,
forming a matrix with response categories along the top and a list
of questions down the side. This is an efficient use of page space
and respondents’ time.
3. Closed ended question - Respondents’ answers are limited to a
fixed set of responses. Most scales are closed ended. Other types
of closed ended questions include:
Yes/no questions ,
Multiple choice

4. Open ended question - No options or predefined categories are

suggested. The respondent supplies their own answer without
being constrained by a fixed set of possible responses. Examples
of types of open ended questions include:
1.Completely unstructured - For example, “What is your
opinion of questionnaires?”
2.Word association - Words are presented and the
respondent mentions the first word that comes to mind.
3.Sentence completion - Respondents complete an
incomplete sentence. For example, “The most important
consideration in my decision to buy a new house is . . .”
4.Story completion - Respondents complete an incomplete
story.
5.Picture completion - Respondents fill in an empty
conversation balloon.
6.Thematic apperception test - Respondents explain a
picture or make up a story about what they think is
happening in the picture

CONCLUSION
A questionnaire is a series of questions asked to
individuals to obtain statistically useful information about
a given topic. When properly constructed and responsibly
administered, questionnaires become a vital instrument
by which statements can be made about specific groups
or people or entire populations. Questionnaire is more
highly structured and standardized.So in questionnaire
method is effective tool for the data collection.