QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN AND

VALIDATION
BONY WIEM LESTARI
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND BIOSTATISTICS DEPARTMENT
2012

Learning Objectives:
1. Distinguish between various stages in
questionnaire design.

2. Demonstrate appropriate techniques for

wording questions
3. Validity and Reliability of measurement tool
4. Identify appropriate delivery format of
certain questionnaire

What is
Questionnaire
?

A
TOOL
FOR
COLLECTING
INFORMATION
TO
DESCRIBE,
COMPARE, EXPLAIN, KNOWLEDGE,
ATTITUDES, BEHAVIORS, AND/OR
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS ON
A PARTICULAR TARGET GROUP

Questionnaire General Format:

1. Self administered (mailed or personal contact)

2. In person (face-to-face) interviews

3. Telephone interviews

Types of Questions:
1. Open-ended questions
Permit free response which should be
recorded in the respondents own
words.
2. Closed questions
Have a list of possible options or
answers from which the respondents
must choose.

Identify: (Self learning)

1. Advantages & disadvantages of open-ended
questions
2. Advantages & disadvantages of closed
questions

Steps in Designing A Questionnaire

1. Content Take your objectives and variables as
a starting point
2. Formulating questions
Formulate one or more questions that will provide
the information needed for each variable
Check whether each question measures one thing at
a time
Avoid leading questions
Avoid words with double or vaguely defined
meanings or that emotionally laden
Ask sensitive questions in a socially acceptable way

Steps in Designing A Questionnaire

3. Sequencing the questions
Design your interview schedule or questionnaire to
be informant friendly
Use simple, everyday language

4. Formatting the questionnaire

5. Translation
If interviews will be conducted in one or more local
languages, the questionnaire should be translated
in order to standardise the way questions will be
asked.

Steps in Questionnaire Development:

(Cohen)
Conceptualization:
abstract construct conceptual definition operasionalization - indicator

Constructing
Testing
Analysis
Revising

Questionnaire is a tool:
The quality of a measurement: validity and
reliability
Validity:
the extent to which a test measures what it is
intended to measure
Free of systematic error
Accuracy

Questionnaire is a tool:
Reliability:
The degree to which a variable has nearly the same
value when measured several times
Free of random error (chance)
Precision
Also called reproducibility, consistency
Assessing precision (reproducibility of repeated
measurement):
Within between observer
Within between instruments

Reliability:
Reliability coefficient ~ correlation
coefficient (0 1)
A questionnaire is reliable when the
minimum reliability coefficient is 0.7

Assessing Validity:
Criterion validity (predictive and concurrent)
depending on whether the criterion refers to a
current or future assessment
Construct validity
assembly evidence to support or refute a
complex scientific theory and to show under
what circumstances it holds true

Assesing Validity:
Content validity
refers to comprehensiveness
how adequate the sampling of questions reflects
the aims of the index that were specified in the
conceptual definition of its scope

FINAL REMARKS:
prior to using a questionnaire it has to be established
that the instrument is valid and reproducible in the
context (i.e. population, setting and study design) in
which it is going to be employed.
conceptually comparable (conceptual equivalence)
developing a new questionnaire is very timeconsuming
burden on respondents
practical aspects of the study

REFERENCES:
1. Measuring Health: A Guide to Rating
Scales and Questionnaire. Ian McDowell
and Claire Newell. 1996.
2. Psychological Testing: Design, Analysis
and Use. Lisa Friedenberg. 1995.
3. Designing and Conducting Health System
Research Projects. KIT Publishers. WHO.
2003

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Your
Message?
THANK
YOU