What do you understand by Questionnaire?

Explain
its various types along with its advantages and
disadvantages.
What is a Questionnaire?
A questionnaire is a research instrument that consists of a set of
questions or other types of prompts that aims to collect information
from a respondent. A research questionnaire is typically a mix of
close-ended questions and open-ended questions. Open-ended,
long-form questions offer the respondent the ability to elaborate on
their thoughts. Research questionnaires were developed in 1838 by
the Statistical Society of London. The data collected from a data
collection questionnaire can be both qualitative as well as
quantitative in nature. A questionnaire may or may not be delivered
in the form of a survey, but a survey always consists of a
questionnaire.

Types & Definitions

As we explored before, questionnaires can be either structured or
free-flowing. Let’s take a closer look at what that entails for your
surveys.

Structured Questionnaires: Structured questionnaires collect

quantitative data. The questionnaire is planned and designed to
gather precise information. It also initiates a formal inquiry,
supplements data, checks previously accumulated data, and helps
validate any prior hypothesis.

Unstructured Questionnaires: Unstructured questionnaires collect

qualitative data. They use a basic structure and some branching
questions but nothing that limits the responses of a respondent. The
questions are more open-ended to collect specific data from
participants.

Types of questions in a questionnaire

You can use multiple question types in a questionnaire. Using various
question types can help increase responses to your research
questionnaire as they tend to keep participants more engaged. The
best customer satisfaction survey templates are the most commonly
used for better insights and decision-making.

Some of the widely used types of questions are:

Open-Ended Questions: Open-ended questions help collect

qualitative data in a questionnaire where the respondent can answer
in a free form with little to no restrictions.

Dichotomous Questions: The dichotomous question is generally a

“yes/no” close-ended question. This question is usually used in case
of the need for necessary validation. It is the most natural form of a
questionnaire.

Multiple-Choice Questions: Multiple-choice questions are a close-

ended question type in which a respondent has to select one (single-
select multiple-choice question) or many (multi-select multiple
choice question) responses from a given list of options. The multiple-
choice question consists of an incomplete stem (question), right
answer or answers, incorrect answers, close alternatives, and
distractors. Of course, not all multiple-choice questions have all of
the answer types. For example, you probably won’t have the wrong
or right answers if you’re looking for customer opinion.

Scaling Questions: These questions are based on the principles of

the four measurement scales – nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.
A few of the question types that utilize these scales’ fundamental
properties are rank order questions, Likert scale questions, semantic
differential scale questions, and Stapel scale questions.

Pictorial Questions: This question type is easy to use and encourages

respondents to answer. It works similarly to a multiple-choice
question. Respondents are asked a question, and the answer choices
are images. This helps respondents choose an answer quickly
without over-thinking their answers, giving you more accurate data.

Advantages of Questionnaire
Economical: Contrasted with a face-with face survey followed
through on location, via telephone, or by post, there are no work,
paper, printing, telephone or postage costs to stress over with the
web-based questionnaire, making it a substantially more expense
effective methodology.
Contact individuals rapidly: With a wide selection of mediums with
which to appropriate your survey, from messaging and messaging it,
to placing a connection to it on your site, or making it downloadable
by means of a QR code, you can connect and acquire input rapidly
from your respondents.
Questionnaires come in various structures from authentic to
assessment-based, from checkboxes to free text reactions. But
there are many pros and cons of questionnaire, which we have
discussed in the article. Adaptability: Because of the web, it’s fast
and easy to increase the crowd for your web-based survey and in a
real sense target them anyplace on the planet. You should simply
send them a connection to your survey, which could be executed
through a computerized email in a client on boarding or lead
supporting effort.
Respondent obscurity: Contrasted with different methodologies
incorporating face-with face and via phone addressing, the capacity
to give obscurity an internet-based questionnaire is a critical
advantage, especially when you are hoping to study respondents on
delicate issues. Whenever namelessness is given it promptly
reassures respondents and urges them to answer honestly, which is
extraordinary while you’re attempting to get a more legit and precise
image of your subject of examination, like while you’re studying
representatives about your organization culture.
Adaptability for respondents over where and when to finish their
questionnaire: The extraordinary thing about the internet-based
survey is that respondents can pick when and where they will finish
your questionnaire. With more opportunity to fill in your overview
and, surprisingly, the adaptability to begin it and afterwards return
to it at some other point to polish it off, can assist with helping your
general reaction rates.
Information exactness: While techniques, for example, eye to eye
and via phone surveys require the questioner to handle respondent
responses, with the internet-based questionnaire answers are
consequently embedded into accounting pages, information bases,
or other programming bundles decreasing the gamble of human
blunder and empowering programmed approval of the information.

Disadvantages of Questionnaire
Less and Poor Responses: One of the significant constraints of the
survey is that it very well may be material just to those respondents
who have a lot of instruction. It cannot be utilized for ignorant or for
semi-educated people. The questionnaire frequently neglects to
cover extremely occupied and pre-involved people who pointlessly
question the exploration specialist’s goals, earnestness, dedication
and responsibility. These are individuals who comprise a vital portion
of the respondents to be canvassed in the assortment of
information, however, they can only sometimes get. Accordingly,
surveys are not really fitting for a bigger segment of this kind of
populace.

No Personal Interaction: As if there should be an occurrence of the

survey the analyst doesn’t go to the field, he can’t lay out a
legitimate individual relationship with the respondents. In the event
that the respondent neglects to see a portion of the specialized
terms or he feels a little sceptical, there is no one to explain these
specialized terms or questions. Despite the fact that the scientist
attempts in the most ideal way to make the survey a basic, exact and
advantageous one, the point and objective of the questionnaire can
be greatly improved clarified actually than through some other
means. Without legitimate individual reach, it is truly challenging to
spur the respondent to top off the questionnaire.

Unreliability: The data gathered through the questionnaire can’t be

supposed to be particularly solid or substantial. Assuming the subject
misjudges an inquiry or gives an inadequate or endless reaction very
little should be possible to associate such reaction. As against this, in
a meeting, there is generally the chance of rewording inquiries for
additional explanation.

Incomplete Individual Entries: Regularly the greater part of the

respondents top off the survey structure ineffectively. They once in a
while leave out many inquiries out and out or fill so that, it turn out
to be undeniably challenging with respect to the agent to follow
those reactions. Other than this, there might be the issue of
language, utilization of shortenings and questionable terms and so
forth every one of these makes a questionnaire a deficient one.

Contrasts in comprehension and understanding: The issue with not

introducing inquiries to clients eye to eye is that each might have
various translations of your inquiries. Without somebody to clarify
the questionnaire completely and guarantee every individual has a
similar agreement, results can be abstract. Respondents might
experience difficulty getting a handle on the importance of certain
inquiries that might appear clear to the maker. This
miscommunication can prompt slanted outcomes. The most ideal
way to battle what is happening is to make basic inquiries that are
not difficult to reply.

Reaction from Improper Representative Section of People: The

respondents who return the surveys may not comprise an agent
segment of the whole gathering. Just simple dependable, research
disapproved or those for the issue might like to react. A portion of
the significant segments of the gathering may thoroughly stay quiet.
This vitiates the last ends and discoveries.