Principles of Questionnaire Construction

Abstract

Purpose: The cognitive goal of this article is to enrich the knowledge of the principles for constructing survey questionnaires and answer the question “what principles should researchers obey while constructing a questionnaire”. The utilitarian goal consists in the indication of errors and problems that researchers may face while creating a questionnaire as well as presentation of the possible effects of failing to obey the principles of questionnaire design in relation to the quality of research. Introduction: Appropriate preparation of a questionnaire is the most important factor which determines the success of the study. Some examples of the mistakes that can be made by a questionnaire designer are: too long questionnaires, wrong order of the questions and the lack of significant questions that may be needed to outline the problem comprehensively. If a survey is boring, tedious or confusing the respondents are less engaged in fulfilling it. Sometimes, in order to complete it faster, they give random answers. To avoid these errors the researchers should follow the principles of designing questionnaires.