What is Questionnaire.

What is Questionnaire.

Questionnaire is the most popularly and widely used tool for collecting the primary data. It suits to any kind of research problem. In today’s marketing research activities, the questionnaire has become indispensable tool. It is not used only in marketing field, but also all types of social research projects.

Term ‘questionnaire’ can be defined as:

1. Dictionary meaning. Questionnaire consists of the formulated series of questions.

2. Questionnaire is a set of questions systematically and deliberately prepared to investigate into the problem.

3. Questionnaire is a list of various types of questions related to specific area or problem, expressed in some logical patterns and order, which can be used for data collection purpose.

Questionnaire provides the most speedy and simple technique of gathering data about groups of individuals scattered in a wide and extended field. In this method, a questionnaire form is sent usually by post to the persons concerned, with a request to answer the questions and return the questionnaire.

According to Goode and Hatt “It is a device for securing answers to questions by using a form which the respondent fills in himself. According to GA. Lundberg “Fundamentally the questionnaire is a set of stimuli to which illiterate people are exposed in order to observe their verbal behaviour under these stimuli”.

Often the term “questionnaire” and “schedule” are considered as synonyms. Technically, however, there is a difference between these two terms. A questionnaire consists of a set of questions printed or typed in a systematic order on a form or set of forms. These form or forms are usually sent by the post to the respondents who are expected to read and understand the questions and reply to them in writing in the spaces given for the purposes on the said form or forms. Here the respondents have to answer the questions on their own.

On the other hand schedule is also a form or set of forms containing a number of questions. But here the researcher or field worker puts the question to the respondent in a face to face situation, clarifies their doubts, offers the necessary explanation and most significantly fills their answers in the relevant spaces provided for the purpose.

Since the questionnaire is sent to a selected number of individuals, its scope is rather limited but within its limited scope it can prove to be the most effective means of eliciting information, provided that it is well formulated and the respondent fills it properly.

A properly constructed and administered questionnaire may serve as a most appropriate and useful data gathering device.