The Essential Features of a Good Questionnaire:

1. It tackles a significant topic.

2. Its significance is carefully stated on the questionnaire itself.

3. It seeks only that data which cannot be obtained from the resources like books, reports and
records.

4. It is as short as possible, only long enough to get the essential data.

5. It is well- arranged and clearly duplicated or printed.

6. Directions should be clear and complete.

7. The questions are objective, with no clues, hints or suggestions.

8. Questions should be simply stated.

II The Essential Features of an Interview:.

1. The interviewer can explore factors, determine attitudes, or discover the origin of problem
2. It is appropriate to use when dealing with young children and illiterate people.
3. It helps the investigator to gain an impression of the person concerned.
4. It can deal with delicate, confidential and even intimate topics.
5. It has flexibility.
6. It gives no chance for respondent to modify his earlier answer.
7. It is applicable in survey method, but it is also applicable in historical, experimental, case
studies and clinical studies

A.Tips on the Implementation of an Interview:

-Select a setting with little distraction.

-Explain the purpose of the interview.

-Address terms of confidentiality.

-Explain the format of the interview.

-Indicate how long the interview usually takes.

-Tell them how to get in touch with you later if they want to.

-Ask them if they have any questions.

-Do not count on your memory to recall their answers.

B.Types of Interview Questions that should be Avoided:

-Lengthy questions (break down to shorter follow-up questions.

-Questions using unclear language, slang, jargon.

-Biased questions

-Yes/no questions

III. The Essential Features of Observation:

1. It serves a formulated research purpose

2. It is planned systematically rather than occurring haphazardly.

3. It is systematically recorded and related to more general propositions.

4. It is subjected to checks with respect to validity , reliability and precision.

5. It is a direct technique to study an object, an event or a problem.

6. It is based mainly on visual –audio scene.

7. It establishes cause-effect relationship.

8. It is an objective technique of data collection.

9. It is quantitative as well as qualitative technique for data collection

IV. Conducting Surveys:

A survey is a traditional way of conducting research. They are particularly useful for nonexperimental
descriptive designs that seek to describe reality. A survey is frequently used to collect information on
attitudes and behaviour

A. Advantages of Using a Survey in Academic Research:

Surveys are efficient.

-Surveys can cover geographically spread samples

– -Surveys can be conducted through the use of a wide range of techniques including postal
questionnaires and telephone interviews.

-Surveys may have ethical advantages.

-Surveys are flexible

-Surveys can easily be combined with other methods to produce richer data.

B. Some Limitations of Using Surveys in research:

-Surveys are dependent upon the chosen sampling frame.

-Surveys are not so good at explaining why people think or act as they do.

- Interview surveys are only as good as the interviewers asking the questions (The results of a survey
may be influenced by interviewer error and bias)