Construction of Schedule /

Questionnaire

Dr. N. Audinarayana
Professor & Head,
Dept. of Sociology & Population Studies
Director, School of Social Science
Bharathiar University
Coimbatore – 641 046
E-Mail: audinarayana.bu@gmail.com
 Schedule Vs Questionnaire
Schedule and questionnaires are the most common
instruments of data collection
Both have set of questions logically related to a problem
Aim at eliciting responses from the respondents
Content, Response Structure, the Wordings of
Questions, Question Sequence, etc. are the same
Then Why Different Terms?
Sch. is a tool for interviewing
Que. is used for mailing
Sch. is filled by the interviewer in a face-to-face
interviewing
Que. is filled in by the respondent himself
 The process of Construction
 The process of construction of a schedule and a questionnaire
is almost same; expect some minor difference in mechanics.
 This process is not a matter of simply listing questions that
comes to researcher’s mind.
 It is a rational process involving much time, effort and
thought. It consists of the following major steps:
- Data need Determination
- Preparation of ‘Dummy’ tables
- Determination of the Respondents’ Level
- Data gathering method decision
- Instrument Drafting,
- Evaluation of the Draft Instrument
- Pre-testing
- Specifications of Procedures / Instructions
- Designing the Format
 Question Construction
Both are Useful for collecting various types of
information –

Factual information of the Respondents:

Sex, Age, Martial Status, Religion, Caste
Education, Occupation and Income
Facts about Events and Circumstances

Psychological Information:
Attitudes, Opinions, Beliefs and Expectations
Behavioural Information like Social participation
Once the information needed is determined,
we have to concentrate on:
- Question Relevance and Content
- Question Wording
- Types of Questions
- Type of Questions to be Avoided
- Question Order or Sequence
 Mechanics of the Schedule / Questionnaire
 In addition to question wording and question
construction, the mechanics of the form should
also be considered in the design of a schedule/
questionnaire.

 The mechanics of the form has several aspects:

Items of the Form Instructions
Pre-coding Sectionalization
Spacing Paper
Printing Margins
Indentation Note of Thanks
Characteristics a Good Questionnaire / Schedule
 Asks for and Obtains all the Information
Required for Achieving the Research
Objectives
 Contain Questions Relevant to the Study
 Contain no Questions that are Unclear,
Ambiguous, Leading, Loaded and Long
 Contain Questions that can be Answered as
Quickly and Easily as Possible
 Filter Questions are Used Wherever Necessary
 Topics and Questions are Arranged in a
Logical and Psychological Sequence
 Transition between One Section and Another
should be is Smooth
 Design Requirements like Margin, Spacing,
Alignment, etc. are to be taken care of
 Appropriate Introduction and Instructions are
Included
 The Instruments have been Adequately Pre-
tested, Modified and/or Revised
 Differences between the
Questionnaire and Schedule
Person Who Fills Up Person Who Replies
Non-response Rate Money
Time Personal contact
Level of Literacy Co-operation
Coverage Representation
Risk of Collecting and Wrong information
Quality of the Questionnaire
Honesty and Competence of Enumerators
Physical Appearance of Instrument