REMINDER

After the classes on 20th and 27th of January, there will be 2

classes left on 3rd and 10th of February wherein you, as a group,
will make presentations on your project. We leave it to you
whether you opt for a RESEARCH PROJECT or RESEARCH
PROPOSAL project; In any case, be ready for a 20 minutes
power-point presentation, ten minutes question-answer session
and submission of a written report.
Suggested structure for written Research Project or Research Proposal
project report is, as follows.

Research Project Research Proposal Project

Abstract Abstract
Introduction Introduction
Literature review Literature review
Method Methodology
Results References
Discussion Appendices
Conclusions
References
Appendices
 Lecture 11

Collecting primary data

using questionnaires
 Definition of Questionnaires

Techniques of data collection in which each

person is asked to respond to the same set
of questions in a predetermined order

Adapted from deVaus (2002)

Use of questionnaires (1)

Types of questionnaire

Saunders et al. (2009)

Use of questionnaires (3)

 Types of data variable-questions
Three distinct types of data variable used in questionnaire,
are:
Opinion variable: This type of variable records what respondents feel
about something or what they think or believe is true or false (opinion).
Example: How do you feel about the following statement?
‘Financial advisors should place their clients’ interest before their own’.

Behavior variable: This type of variable records what respondents

actually do (behavior).
Example: How often do you place your clients’ interest before your
own?

Attribute variable: Variable that records data about respondents’

characteristics, in other words things they possess, such as age,
gender, marital status, education, occupation and income.
Example: How old are you?
 Data requirements table

To ensure that essential data are collected, develop a ‘Data Requirements

Table’ in the following format.

Saunders et al. (2009)

Ensuring that essential data are collected

 PREPARING ‘DATA REQUIREMENTS TABLE’
Research question/objective: To establish employee’s attitude to the possible
introduction of a no-smoking policy at their workplace.
Type of research: Predominantly descriptive, although wishing to examine differences
between employees.

Investigative Variable(s) Detail in which data 

Measuremen
questions examined measured t question
included
Do employees feel they Opinion of Feel…should be allowed,
should be able to smoke employee to should not be allowed, no
in their office if they smoking in their strong feeling
want to as a right? office as a right.
(opinion)
Would employees accept Likely behavior of Accept with no preconditions,
a smoking ban at work? an employee accept if a smoking room was
(behaviour) regarding the provided, not accept without
acceptance of a ban additional conditions…………
How representative are Age of the Age brackets, i.e. 20-25 etc.
the responses? employee, gender Male/female
(Attribute) of employee
 Stages that must occur if a question is to be valid and
reliable

Source: developed from Foddy (1994)

‘ the question must be understood by the respondents in

the way intended by the researcher and the answer must
be understood by the researcher in the way intended by the
respondent’.
 DESIGNING INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS
Researchers can do one of the three things:
• Adopt questions used in other questionnaires: adopting without any
modification
• Adapt questions used in other questionnaires: adapting them to suit
your condition.
• Develop their own questions

Adopting or adapting questions may be necessary:

* To replicate or to compare findings with another study.
* This can allow reliability to be assessed.

But beware! There are a vast number of poor questions in

circulation; so always assess each question
carefully. Also check for copyright.
 DESIGNING THE QUESTIONNAIRE (2)
Types of individual questions
• Open-ended questions
• Question allowing respondents to give answers in their own way.
• Close-ended questions
• Question that provides a number of alternative answers from
which the respondent is instructed to choose.
• Types of closed-questions
• List questions
• Category questions
• Ranking questions
• Scale or rating questions
• Quantity-questions
• Grid questions
 Open questions

6 Please list up to three things you like about

your job

1…………………………………………

2…………………………………………

3…………………………………………

Saunders et al. (2009)

Examples of question types (1)

 List questions

7 What is your religion?

Please tick  the appropriate box

Buddhist  None 
Christian  Other 
Hindu 
Jewish 
Muslim
Sikh 

Saunders et al. (2009)

Examples of question types (2)

 Category questions

8 How often do you visit the shopping centre?

Interviewer: listen to the respondent’s answer and tick 
as appropriate

 First visit
 Once a week
 Less than fortnightly to once a month
 2 or more times a week
 Less than once a week to fortnightly
 Less often
Saunders et al. (2009)

Examples of question types (3)

 Ranking questions

9 Please number each of the factors listed below in

order of importance to you in choosing a new car.
Number the most important 1, the next 2 and so on.
If a factor has no importance at all, please leave
blank.

Factor Importance
Carbon dioxide emissions [ ]
Boot size [ ]
Depreciation [ ]
Price [ ]

Adapted from Saunders et al. (2009)

Examples of question types (4)

 Rating questions

10 For the following statement please tick the box

that matches your view most closely

Agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Disagree

I feel employees’    
views have
influenced the
decisions taken
by management
Saunders et al. (2009)

Examples of question types (5)

 Quantity questions

14 What is your year of birth?

(For example, for 1988 write: )

1 9

1 9 8 8

Saunders et al. (2009)

Examples of question types (6)

Examples of question types (7)

Some more materials on

examples of these and other
rating scales are provided in
hard copies as attached
Question wording, question order and questionnaire layout

• ‘Checklist for question wording’ given in Box 10.1 (page 317)

helps avoid the most obvious problems associated with wording;

• ‘Checklist for question order’ given in Box 10.2 (page 321) helps
arrange questions in a logical order; and

• ‘Checklist for questionnaire layout’ given in Box 10.3 (page 323)

helps frame an appropriate layout of questionnaire.

ASSIGNMENT 9 (PART A)
Those who are going to use ‘Questionnaire’ for their research project are
advised to go through their questions and check whether their all questions
and questionnaire
fulfil the attributes and conditions which the
above three checklists talk about
» I am not satisfied with the benefits I
receive(R)
» The benefits we receive are as good as
most other organizations offer
» The benefit package we have is
equitable(R)
» There are benefits we do not have which
we should have(R)

Job Satisfaction Survey

Testing for Reliability and Validity
Reliability (Accuracy in measurement):
1. Stability
a. Test-retest reliability
b. Parallel-form reliability (Parallel/Strict parallel tests)
2. Consistency
a. Inter-item consistency (Cronbach’s alpha test)
b. Split-half reliability (Split-half test)
READING MATERIAL IS AVAILABLE AS ATTACHED

These four tests are available in SPSS

(Command: Click ANALYZE, SCALE and RELIABILITY
ANALYSIS)
 Group Assignment 10
A Typical Questionnaire on Job Satisfaction: An Example

Previously we talked about how questions can be

designed; particularly the following:
“Researchers can do one of the three things:
• Adopt questions used in other questionnaires
• Adapt questions used in other questionnaires
• Develop their own questions”
Lets’ check whether the measure developed by Spector (1985) for
capturing the incidence of job satisfaction can be adapted for
your research. Prepare a questionnaire, using Spector’s (1985)
questionnaire (hard copy attached) as your Group Assignment 10
needed to be turned in next class.