Questionnaire: types of questions, construction and pre-testing
A questionnaire is a printed or online list of questions that respondents answer themselves. Write clear questions in a logical order, then pre-test it on a small group.
Types of questions
| Type | Form | Example (diet survey) |
|---|---|---|
| Open-ended | Respondent answers in her own words | 'What do you usually eat for breakfast?' |
| Dichotomous | Only two choices | 'Do you skip breakfast? Yes / No' |
| Multiple choice | Pick one or more from a list | 'Main cooking oil: groundnut / sunflower / palm / other' |
| Rating (Likert) scale | Degree of agreement or liking, usually 5 points | 'Ragi dishes taste good: strongly agree … strongly disagree' |
| Ranking | Put items in order | 'Rank these snacks from most to least liked' |
| Contingency (filter) | Asked only if an earlier answer applies | 'If yes, on how many days a week?' |
Constructing a questionnaire
Rules for wording questions
- Use simple, familiar words; give a Tamil version if respondents need it.
- One idea per question. 'Do you eat fruits and vegetables daily?' asks two things (double-barrelled).
- Avoid leading questions such as 'You do drink milk daily, don't you?'
- Avoid vague words like 'often' or 'regularly'; give clear options instead.
- Keep sensitive questions (income, weight, periods) for later, and word them politely.
- Keep it short, give clear instructions, and leave space for codes.
Pre-testing
Pre-testing means trying the draft questionnaire on a small group similar to the real respondents, for example 10 students from another college, before the main survey. It shows which questions are unclear, missing, sensitive or too long, how much time the form takes, and whether answers can be coded. Revise the form, and test again if the changes are large. Kothari calls this a pilot survey; some books keep 'pilot study' for a small trial run of the whole study and 'pre-test' for testing the tool alone.
A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is a questionnaire built for nutrition: a list of foods with closed frequency options (daily, weekly, rarely). Pre-test it so that local foods such as ragi, keerai and sundal are on the list.
2 marks: “What is a dichotomous question?” A closed question with only two possible answers, such as Yes/No. Example: 'Do you skip breakfast? Yes / No'.
5 marks: “What is pre-testing? Why is it necessary?” A trial of the draft questionnaire on a small, similar group. It finds unclear, missing or sensitive questions, checks time and coding, and improves the final form.
10 marks: “What is a questionnaire? Explain the types of questions and the steps in constructing a good questionnaire.” Definition, open and closed question types with examples, the construction flow chart, wording rules, pre-testing, and merits and demerits.
Use the funnel order: from general to specific, and from easy to sensitive.