The analysis of a questionnaire/survey project

This chapter examines the analysis of questionnaire and/or survey projects. A lot of research planned by students adopts this style. The key feature is the number of variables involved; this type of research tempts researchers to write lengthy questionnaires with numerous items. It takes little effort to write a question, even less to write a poor question. Still less time is required to answer the questions if they are in a closed-ended format in which just one alternative is circled. An exploratory or pilot study will not always identify faulty questions and, more often than not, the pressures on students’ time are such that pilot studies are rudimentary and based on very few individuals.