Questionnaire design

How to raise investigative questions for your questionnaire

If you are preparing for your dissertation and you are wondering where to draw questions from, then this guide will help you. In addition, you are advised to also read the documents in your learning page and materials recommended by your lecturers. The tips below will help you in knowing areas you can pull out questions from; however, you must read documents in your library and learning page to understand the rules that guard framing of questions for your questionnaire or any other instrument.

Tips for drawing out your investigative questions for your research instrument

➤ Understand your research topic: Carry out research to understand the keywords, their definitions, descriptions and how they relate with other keywords in the topic.

➤ Understand what or who is to be researched: This would enable you frame relevant research questions and know the type of research design and data collection instrument to use.

➤ Understand the needs or challenges encountered by the research participants: This would help you get more ideas about the questions relevant for your questionnaire.

➤ Observation and experience:  You can also raise questions from your observation and experience if it relates to your research questions and objectives. Hence taking time to think critically and ask yourself pertinent  questions would bring up ideas you can frame into investigative questions for your questionnaire.

➤ Write your research questions and objectives: This would guide you in formulating further relevant questions for your instrument, as you carry out more in-depth research. It would also guide you in formulating equal investigative questions from each research question and objectives.

➤ Carry out a literature review: This would give you more understanding about the issues around your topic and the gap in knowledge.  At this point, you would have a lot of questions seeking for answers; and you can make assumptions that would be reflected in your hypotheses. You can formulate more questions for your questionnaire and have more ideas about your research problem. At this stage, some of your research questions might change as you have more understanding about the issues and arguments around your topic. 

➤ Bring up your conceptual framework and their attributes: This would further provide you with ideas on important investigative questions for your study.

➤ Carry out a theoretical review: This would help in understanding the theories surrounding your topic; the theory that is more appropriate to your study and so you can raise further investigative questions. More so, it will justify your research questions and objectives by showing that they are valid.

➤ Look at sample research instrument: This would help you in knowing the relevant questions that have been asked and if they can be adapted in your questionnaire or research instrument. 

Bibliography

Carol, C. 2020. Doing work-based research: approaches to enquiry for insider-researchers. Sage publications. Ebook

Fisher, C. 2010. Researching and writing a dissertation: an essential guide for business students. 3rd ed.  Pearson Prentice Hall. https://www.vlebooks.com/Product/Index/419854

Saunder, M.N.K. 2019. Research methods for business students. Pearson Education. Pp 91-1149. Ebook

White, P., 2017. Developing research questions. Bloomsbury Publishing. DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-49048-3_1