Developing Questionnaire Items: How to Do It Well.

Questionnaires are prepared by many people who have not had specialized training and experience in survey techniques. This booklet was prepared to assist such nonspecialists in the preparation of efficient and useful questionnaires by providing a brief, readable guide for the development of questions for management decisions. This discussion is concerned primarily with kinds of questions that elicit information about attitudes and opinions. The first step in developing a good questionnaire is to examine the context in which the data derived from the questionnaire will be used. The kinds of decisions to be made, the characteristics of the respondents, and the needs of those requesting the information are important contextual aspects. Secondly, item formats such as open-ended questions, two-way questions, and multiple choice questions must be considered along with some of the problems inherent in using the various item types. The items designed and selected for inclusion in the questionnaire should be unambiguous, appropriate for the respondents, and not misleading. Pretesting the questionnaire affords a situation in which ineffective or poorly worded items can be discarded or modified. Suggestions are presented for accomplishing each phase of questionnaire design. (EH)