The Flashlight Project

Other Survey Tips

Some examples of closed-ended questions are the following. 

1. Which subject do you like least?
  1. Social studies
  2. English
  3. Science
  4. Mathematics
  5. Other (specify) ____________________

2. Rate each of the following parts of your master’s degree program by circling the number under the phrase that describes how you feel.

  Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied Very Satisfied
a. Coursework 1 2 3 4
b. Professors 1 2 3 4
c. Advising 1 2 3 4
d. Requirements 1 2 3 4
e. Cost 1 2 3 4
f. Other (Specify)
_______________		 1 2 3 4
Open-ended questions allow for more individualized responses, but they are sometimes difficult to interpret. They are also often hard to score, since so many different kinds of responses are received. Furthermore, respondents sometimes do not like them. Some examples of open-ended questions are as follows. 
  1. What characteristics of a person would lead you to rate him or her as a good administrator?
  2. What do you consider to be the most important problem facing classroom teachers in high schools today?
  3. What were the three things about this class you found most useful during the past semester?
Generally, therefore, closed-ended or short-answer questions are preferable, although sometimes researchers find it useful to combine both formats in a single questions, as shown in the following example of a question using both open and closed-ended formats.

Please rate and comment on each of the following aspects of this course:

Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied Very Satisfied
a. Coursework 1 2 3 4
Comment
b. Professor 1 2 3 4
Comment
This table presents a brief comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of closed-ended and open-ended questions.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Closed-Ended versus Open-Ended Questions

Closed-Ended  Open-Ended
Advantages
Enhances consistency of response across respondents Allows more freedom of response
Easier and faster to tabulate Easier to construct
More popular with respondents  Permits follow-up by interviewer
Disadvantages
May limit breadth of responses  Responses tend to be inconsistent in length and content across respondents
Takes more time to construct  Both questions and responses subject to misinterpretation
Requires more questions to cover the research topic  Harder to tabulate and synthesize

Some Suggestions for Improving Closed-Ended Questions

There are a number of relatively simple tips that researchers have found to be of value in writing good survey questions. A few of the most frequently mentioned ones are as follows.

Source:  Frankel, J.R. & Wallen, N.E.  How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education.  2nd ed.  New York:  McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1993.

 

1. Be sure the question is unambiguous.

Poor:  

Do you spend a lot of time studying?
Better:  

How much time do you spend each day studying?

  1. More than 2 hours
  2. One to 2 hours
  3. Thirty minutes to 1 hour
  4. Less than 30 minutes
  5. Other (specify). _________________

2. Keep the focus as simple as possible.

Poor:   

Who do you think are more satisfied with teaching in elementary and secondary schools, men or women?

  1. Men are more satisfied
  2. Women are more satisfied
  3. Men and women are about equally satisfied
  4. Don’t know
Better:  

Who do you think are more satisfied with teaching in elementary schools, men or women?

  1. Men are more satisfied
  2. Women are more satisfied
  3. Men and women are about equally satisfied
  4. Don’t know

3. Keep the questions short.

Poor:  

What part of the district’s English curriculum, in your opinion, is of the most importance in terms of the overall development of the students in the program?
Better:  

What part of the district’s English curriculum is the most important?

4. Use common language.

Poor:  

What do you think is the principal reason schools are experiencing increase student absenteeism today?

  1. Problems at home
  2. Lack of interest in school
  3. Illness
  4. Don’t know
Better:  

What do you think is the main reason students are absent more this year than previously?

  1. Problems at home
  2. Lack of interest in school
  3. Illness
  4. Don’t know

5. Avoid the use of terms that might "bias" responses.

Poor:  

Do you support the superintendent’s "no smoking" policy on campus grounds while school is in session?

  1. I support the policy
  2. I am opposed to the policy
  3. I don’t care one way or the other about the policy
  4. I am undecided about the policy.
Better:  

Do you support a policy of "no smoking" on campus grounds while school is in session?

  1. I support the policy
  2. I am opposed to the policy
  3. I don’t care one way or the other about the policy
  4. I am undecided about the policy.

 6. Avoid leading questions.

Poor:  

Why do you favor standards in your classes?
Better:  

Circle each of the following that describes a standard you set in your classes.

  1. All homework must be turned in on the date due
  2. Students are not to interrupt other students during class discussions
  3. Late homework is not accepted
  4. Students are counted tardy if they are more than 5 minutes late to class
  5. Other (specify) _________________

7. Avoid double negatives.

Poor:  

Would you not be opposed to supervising students outside of your classroom?

  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Undecided
Better:  

Would you be willing to supervise students outside of your classroom?

  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Undecided

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