After determining the method of gathering information, the researcher must decide if the survey will contain questions that are closed-choice questions, open-ended questions, or some combination of the two.
This type of question limits the kinds of answers the subject gives, requiring a choice of one or more of the answers provided by the questionnaire.
An example of a closed-choice question is as follows:
There has been a great deal of concern about the rising cost of food. How do you handle the problem of rising food costs? (Check all that apply.)
______ purchase cheaper types of food
______ substitute other types of food in your daily diet
______ purchase large amounts of an item that is on sale
______ eat at restaurants less often
______ invite fewer people over to eat a meal at your home
______ don't know
An example of a closed-choice scale for opinions about a proposed policy is as follows:
_____ Strongly Disagree _____ Disagree _____ Neutral _____ Agree _____ Strongly Agree
Internet applications such as OpinionPower.com can furnish quantitative analyses of this type of question. OpinionPower.com will give you the number of people who selected each response and a bar graph with percentages for each question. You can then code the choices with values ranging from one to five; strongly disagree counts as one and strongly agree counts as five. You can then come determine the average score for each question.The major advantage of closed-choice questions is that the answers given by the subjects are comparable and limited in number. This makes coding and analyzing the data much easier. In addition, this type of question requires less skill and effort on the part of the interviewer and is easier for the subject to answer. The most serious drawback is that the closed-choice question may put words in the subjects' mouths by supplying answers they may not have thought of themselves. Most subjects do not want to admit that they have not heard of an issue, and they can conceal this fact by choosing one of the answers provided.
Closed-choice questions may introduce bias, so construct them carefully. The wording and the ordering of questions, and the limiting of the choice of answers can all influence the respondents' replies. For example, consider the question:
How much do you support clean air?
______ Slightly ______ Moderately ______ Strongly
The question introduces bias in two ways: (1) it ignores the aspect of cost or priorities such as higher taxes or clear air vs. higher fuel and energy costs, and (2) the choices given allow only positive responses, excluding neutrality or opposition.Closed-choice questions must allow for an equal number of responses on both sides of any issue. A better question would be:
This state is presently spending $1 million dollars a year on improving air quality. How much money do you think the government should spend?
___ Much More ___ More ___ Same ___ Less ___ Much Less
Open-ended questions are those that allow subjects to answer the questions without restrictions imposed by the questionnaire. However, responses to open-ended questions may be extremely difficult to classify. Open-ended questions, therefore, should only be used when they are clearly appropriate. An appropriate example of an open-ended question is: What do you think are the main causes for the poor academic performance in our school?
The most important advantage of the open-ended question is that the respondents can answer using their own reasoning and thinking patterns. In doing so, they may suggest new ideas. Another advantage is that open-ended questions do not select answers for respondents, which may be a problem with closed-choice questions.
Finally, this type of question can provide a chance for subjects to "warm up" at the beginning of the interview.
The major limitation to open-ended questions lies in the difficulty of making meaningful comparisons among respondents. Another problem is that interviewers require training to make sure that they conduct interviews properly. Finally, analyzing open-ended responses is more time-consuming than closed-choice responses. Whenever you decide to include open-ended questions, you must also include the specific procedures for coding the answers. Then you can make generalizations about the responses.
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