Consensus on Desirable Characteristics of Mail Questionnaires [electronic resource] : Illusion or Reality? / Judith A. Boser and Sheldon B. Clark.

This study of survey research experts was conducted to determine desirable characteristics of mail questionnaires. The 82-item Likert-scale instrument used in the study covered general appearance, instructions, choice of items, choice of response options, wording, order of items, and item format. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Online Access: Full Text (via ERIC)
Main Author: Boser, Judith A.
Other Authors: Clark, Sheldon B.
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: [S.l.] : Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 1990.
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Summary:This study of survey research experts was conducted to determine desirable characteristics of mail questionnaires. The 82-item Likert-scale instrument used in the study covered general appearance, instructions, choice of items, choice of response options, wording, order of items, and item format. The instrument was administered to: 8 subjects who participated in a study in which the instrument was developed, and 12 other experts (10 of whom functioned as a validation panel). For the eight early participants, reasons were elicited regarding circumstances under which they would use certain types of items that they indicated would only be used "sometimes". Frequency distributions were prepared for all items for the original group of participants and for the validation panel. Results indicate that while there are some mail questionnaire recommendations that could usually be made with some degree of confidence, there are other aspects of questionnaire design that are less commonly accepted and, hence, dependent upon researcher knowledge and experience, information sought, population characteristics, and circumstances. The survey questionnaire used is included. (TJH)
Item Description:ERIC Document Number: ED319804.
ERIC Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Boston, MA, April 16-20, 1990).
Physical Description:23 p.