Induction Day at University - Research Paper Example

Induction Day at University Introduction The purpose of this paper is to present detailed questionnaire required to solicit opinions from university students. The target audience is first year university students who are fresh in campus. The questionnaire intends to collect data about their experience during the induction day at university. The responses are analyzed in tabular form in order to get an overview of the exact experiences. The results are also presented graphically in form of a pie chart. Discussion A questionnaire is a list of written questions answered by a respondent for the purpose of research. They are used to collect statistical data from a large number of people. The questions are structured the same way and in the same order, to collect similar data from the large group (Wellington and Szczerbinski, 2007, p.45). They may be postal questionnaires, where they are answered in absence of the research for anonymity or be a structured interview where the researcher is present. Questionnaires may be also open ended, where the respondents use their own words or closed, where the researcher provides answers to choose from. Open-ended questionnaires provide qualitative data while closed questionnaires provide quantitative data (Popper, 2009, p.18). Questionnaires are used as the most practical method of collecting data from a large group of people. This is because a large amount of data may be collected from a large group of people, cheaply, effectively and fast (Sudman & Bradburn, 2005, p.16). The number of people doing research-using questionnaires has no influence whatsoever on their effectiveness and reliability. The results of a questionnaire are quantified easily and quickly by a researcher or by using a software package. In addition, they can be analyzed more scientifically and objectively than other research methods. Data from questionnaires can be used to compare and contrast with other research methods and also can be used to measure change (Ackroyd & Hughes, 2001, p.32). When designing a questionnaire several key aspects must be considered. The research must be familiar with the population being surveyed. This is in order to use language familiar with the respondents. The questions must be clear to avoid ambiguity and confuse the respondents. One must avoid using emotional language, leading questions and language that exhibits bias in any way. Avoid negative questions, unnecessary queries and unrealistic questions when phrasing a questionnaire (Holland and Rees, 2010, p.34). To ensure that the respondents are able to understand the questionnaire and answer the questions, the format of the questionnaire is crucial. Begin with an introduction that specifies the questionnaire’s purpose, source, and how the data collected will be used. The first questions should be easy, topic relevant, and from there, the following questions should flow naturally. Format the questions in a similar way through out to maintain uniformity (Dillman, 2008, p.11). Maximizing response rates means ensuring that one gets optimum feedback from their questionnaires. This is done by increasing the probability of respondents completing their questionnaires, which is voluntary. The overall design and flow of the questionnaire plays a nominal role in the response rate (Socialresearchmethods.net, 2014). By keeping the questionnaire simple, the respondents have an easy time answering the questions. A short, less wordy design will also encourage the respondent to finish it. Arrange interconnected questions in order for them to flow from start to the end of the questionnaire (Babbitt & Nystrom, 2006, p.27). Ethical issues that arise in the administration of questionnaires are but a few. The principle of voluntary participation ensures that people are not coerced into research, rather should fill the questionnaires voluntarily (Mersdorf, 2014). The respondents must be informed fully on the implications of their input, before answering questionnaires. One of the far more essential ethical issues to consider with questionnaires is respondent confidentiality. This is involves ensuring people outside the research do not access the respondents’ information. The respondents may choose anonymity to preserve their confidentiality (Analytictech.com, 2014). This questionnaire could be improved by increasing the number of questions. This would help reduce ambiguity of some sections and increase the amount of data collected from the questionnaire (Robson, 2011, p.34). This would also result in shorter but more straightforward questions, which would also serve to maximize response rate. The questioned could however be shortened without increasing their number. This is by structuring open-ended questions. This would serve to increase the amount of data collected, on the expense of the time taken to analyze the questionnaires (Babbie, 2003, p.56). The use of questionnaires has some disadvantages in itself. First, it lacks validity, because it is difficult to determine if the respondent is telling the truth, sincere or they are just filling the questionnaire haphazardly (Peterson, 2009, p.8). The respondent may not give full thought to the questionnaire and may be even out of context when filling it. In addition, there is lack of standardization when answering the questions, since everyone uses their viewpoint. The researcher may miss out important bits when setting the questions due to improper assumptions (University of Surrey, 2014b). Questionnaire: Experiences on the first day in university and orientation This information will be used to improve future experiences for new students (Salant & Dillman, 2004, p.5). 1. How was your first day at this institution? Select two responses from the list. a) Educating b) Entertaining c) Memorable d) Confusing e) Scary 2. How did you find the orientation around the institution? a) Satisfactory b) Interesting c) Could do better d) Inadequate (If your answer for question 2 is (a) or (b) skip question 3) 3. Briefly give your opinion in areas the orientation program could be improved to cater for full student satisfaction (University of Surrey, 2014a). 4. From your experience on the first day in university, do you look forward to starting classes? Yes/No Table 1: Student’s responses Pie Chart representing student’s responses List of References Ackroyd, S. and J. A. Hughes., 2011. Data Collection in Context. New York, NY: Longman Analytictech.com., 2014. Principles of Questionnaire Design. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 20 Nov. 2014]. Babbie, E., 2003. Survey research methods. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub. Co. Babbitt, B. and Nystrom, C., 2006. Questionnaire construction manual. Alexandria, VA: Fort Hood Field Unit, Systems Research Laboratory. Dillman, D., 2008. Mail and telephone surveys - the total design method. New York, N.Y: Wiley-Interscience, Inc. Mersdorf, S., 2014. 10 Tips to Maximize Survey Response Rates | Cvent Survey. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 20 Nov. 2014]. Peterson, R., 2009. Real-world Research: Sources and Strategies for Composition. New York: Houghton Mifflin. Popper, K., 2009, The Logic of Scientific Discovery. New York, NY: Routledge. Robson, C., 2011. Real World Research 3e. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Holland, K. and Rees, C., 2010. Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Skills (Prepare for Practice). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Salant, P. and Dillman, D. (2004). How to conduct your own survey. New York: Wiley. Socialresearchmethods.net., 2014. Ethics in Research. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 20 Nov. 2014]. Sudman, S. and Bradburn, N., 2005. Asking questions. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. University of Surrey., 2014. 7. Developing a Questionnaire. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 20 Nov. 2014]. …. 9. The advantages and disadvantages of questionnaires. [Online]. Available at: [Accessed 20 Nov. 2014]. Wellington, J. and Szczerbinski, M., 2007. Research Methods for the Social Sciences. Edinburgh: A&C Black Read More