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Unit-13: Questionnaire Construction, Mailed Questionnaire

questionnaire has mentioned structured or unstructured questionnaire. other scholars have mentioned notes
pictorial or mixed questionnaire. We have mentioned various types of questionnaires in short.
1. factual Questionnaire: This questionnaire is used for compiling facts related the social-financial
conditions of any group. When we want to compile information related to income, age, religion, caste,
education, marriage, occupation, family structure indebtedness etc, then such type of questionnaires
are used.
2. Questionnaire of Opinion and Attitude: When we want to know the interest, opinion, view,
ideology, faith, and point of view of the informant about any subject, then we use such questionnaire.
such type of questionnaires is used for market survey, compiling public opinion, advertising and
knowing the view of people about television and radio programmes.
3. structured Questionnaire: such types of questionnaires are developed before starting the research
itself. in it language of questions, words, statements etc are decided beforehand itself. in it researcher
or interviewer does not have the liberty to make changes during the research. in it, order of questions is
also predetermined. Main objective of such type of questionnaire is to obtain answers in determined and
homogenous form. Defining structured questionnaire P.V. Young writes, “Structured questionnaire is
that in which other than definite, solid and pre-determined questions, such essential limited questions
are also there which are important for clarification of insufficient answers or for obtaining more detailed
response. type of question, whether it is closed or open, important point is that those questions are
beforehand, and not like an interview, given in written form.” when answers given by respondents
are insufficient, vague, and incomplete interviewer is given the liberty to ask other questions. Such
kind of questionnaires are used in fields where formal investigation has to be conducted, imaginations
has to be created on their basis, primary facts have to be compiled, or compiled facts are retested.
such types of questionnaires are also used when study areas are very wide so that uniform answers
may be obtained of the questions. Through such kind of questionnaires, social–financial incidents
may be studied. structured questionnaires are also used for knowing the opinions of people on any
subject, for study of administrative policy or change, social health, public welfare policies, conditions
of people’s lifestyles and collecting information about income–expenditure etc.

self assessment
fill in the blanks:
1. This questionnaire is used for compiling facts related the social-financial ______ of any
group.
2. When we want to know the interest, opinion, view, ideology, faith, and point of view of the
informant on any _______, then we use such questionnaire.
3. When answers given by respondents are ___________interviewer is given the liberty to ask
other questions.
4. unstructured Questionnaire: in unstructured questionnaire, questions are not built beforehand,
but only those topics and subjects are mentioned about which information has to be compiled. in this
way, unstructured questionnaire is similar to interview guide. Clarifying this P.V. Young has written,
“unstructured questionnaires are often targeted as interview guides whose objective may be to keep
the definite subject-matter areas and accuracy which is needed to be included during the interview.
interviewer is free, remaining in his limits, to organise the size and determining the time of inquiry.”
in questionnaire, interview does not happen because they are sent through post. Hence, unstructured
questionnaire is a form of schedule only. such kind of questionnaire is used for psychoanalytical
interviews, and for informal and intense studies. the main attribute of unstructured questionnaire is
its flexibility i.e. in it researcher may bring changes in methods of research.

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