This course focuses on theoretical and practical tools for developing and writing survey questions and constructing questionnaires. The major emphasis is on how to construct individual survey questions and then put them together into a questionnaire. Topics include sources of survey error, response theories, visual design, open-ended questions, nominal and ordinal closed ended questions, mode issues, pretesting, and implementation. The course will consist of lectures, readings, discussion, and assignments. Throughout the course, students will apply what they are learning to the development of a questionnaire and implementation materials and will have opportunities to receive feedback on their questionnaire.
Aims
The primary objective of this course is for each student to obtain and be able to demonstrate a full working knowledge of the science (concepts, theory, and empirical research) of questionnaire design.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical basis of survey measurement and measurement error;
- Identify appropriate survey design strategies for a range of measurement challenges;
- Understand the stages of completing a useful and appropriate survey
- Design a questionnaire
Syllabus
- The impact of mode on questionnaire design
- Developing new questions
- Cognitive processes in survey response
- Developing behavioural and events questions
- Developing questions about attitudes and beliefs
- Writing questions about knowledge
- In-depth pretesting a survey
- Sensitive topics and social desirability bias
- Visual design and layout for surveys
- Module Supervisor: Pablo Cabrera Alvarez