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Course: Collecting Data
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Collecting Data

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Interviews and questionnaires

What is an interview?

An interview is a type of conversation (usually between two people) where questions are asked and responses are given. The person who asks the questions is called the interviewer. The person who responds to the questions is called the interviewee.

An interview is a good way of gathering data. The interviewer speaks directly with people who are able to provide the data he or she needs. For example, if you wanted to gather data on the behavior of students at your school, it would be a good idea to have an interview with your principal.

However interviews can take a lot of time. Interviewing one person can easily take half an hour or more. Therefore, interviews can be used for gathering data from small groups of people. If you wanted to interview a large number of people it would take a very long time to do so. Imagine how much time it would take to interview 200 people if each interview lasted about half an hour.

 

Tips for conducting an interview

  • You must prepare in advance. You should know the information you want to gather and prepare a list questions that will help you to get that information from the interviewees. Contact the people you want to interview and seek permission to interview them. Arrange a date and time to conduct the interview with each interviewee.
  • When you arrive for the interview, introduce yourself and be polite. Be pleasant throughout the interview. Ask your questions and write down the responses given by the interviewee.
  • Ask the interviewee to explain anything you do not understand. You may want to ask additional questions to get a better understanding or to gather more information.
  • Thank the interviewee at the end of the interview.

 

What is a questionnaire?

A questionnaire is a list of questions which is used to gather data from people. The people who fill out the questionnaires are called respondents. Questionnaires are useful for gathering data from large numbers of people. Hundreds of questionnaires can be printed and distributed to people. Questionnaires can also be distributed online through applications like email or WhatsApp.

 

Types of questions

Questionnaires often have different types of questions. They may include:

Closed-ended questions: These are questions that have options for respondents to choose from. These questions are usually easier for respondents to answer. An example of a closed-ended question is:

How long have you been using this service?

  • less than 6 months
  • 6 months to 1 year
  • more than 1 year

Open-ended questions: These are questions that require respondents to write an answer. Respondents have to think and come up with a response. An example of an open-ended question is:

What features of our service do you enjoy the most?

 

Tips for creating a good questionnaire

  • Make sure your questions are designed to gather the data you need.
  • Your questions should be clear and easy to understand.
  • Include more closed-ended questions and fewer open-ended ones. This makes the questionnaire easier for the respondents and they are more likely to complete it.
  • DO NOT include any unnecessary questions. Questions which do not help gather the information you need should not be included in your questionnaire.