Constructing Questions for Interviews and Questionnaires: Theory and Practice in Social Research

Front Cover
Cambridge University Press, 1993 - Biography & Autobiography - 228 pages
The success of any interview or questionnaire depends upon good question design, yet most of the available literature has been devoted to interview techniques, rather than question formulation. This practical book provides a coherent, theoretical basis for the construction of valid and reliable questions for interviews and questionnaires. The theoretical framework used in the book provides a set of principles that, when followed, will increase the validity and reliability of verbal data collected for social research. Dr Foddy outlines the problems which can arise when framing questions with clarity and commonsense. He has written a wide ranging, useful book for survey practitioners working in the social sciences.
 

Contents

An initial statement of the problem
1
A theoretical framework
12
Defining topics properly
25
Formulating intelligible requests for information
38
Contextual influences on respondents interpretations of questions
52
The need to provide response frameworks
76
The limitations of human memory
90
Filters establishing the relevance of questions to respondents
101
The open vs closed questions debate
126
Measuring attitudes
153
Checks to ensure that questions work as intended
181
Concluding comments
189
The tap paradigm
193
References
195
Index
214
Acknowledgements

Reducing question threat
112

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