Maximise the impact and engagement of questionnaires

Overview
The more we write questionnaires, the more we realise how little correlation there often is between participants’ answers and reality. The way in which questions are asked contributes significantly to this problem.

This course takes you through the more advanced principles of questionnaire design and how to maximise the impact, engagement and usefulness of questionnaires. We’ll look at some of the many issues we encounter and find ways in which we can edge a little closer to measuring reality.

Learning outcomes:

  • Identify and deal with social desirability bias – people telling you what they think you want to hear
  • Reliability of recall – improving the accuracy of what participants tell you
  • Why different data collection modes give different responses, and how to deal with the differences
  • The advantages and disadvantages of different scale types
  • How graphics can change what you are measuring
  • Using indirect and projective questions to get closer to the truth
  • Tools to keep participants engaged and improve the quality of the data
  • Why translations mean you may not be measuring what you think you are
  • How cultural response bias can make comparing responses between countries very difficult

Who will benefit
Researchers who have mastered the main techniques of questionnaire writing but find that the more they know, the more that reliability of responses becomes an issue.

Testimonials
“Exactly what I needed to learn.”

James Aspinall, TRP Research Ltd
28 September 2016

“Traditional, classroom theory based learning.”

Chris Rainsford, BMG Research
28 September 2016

“Overview of issues in questionnaire design with advice on solutions.”

Kate Roche, Datamoniter
22 April 2016

“Getting the best data from questionnaires.”

Nick Weston, Rainmakers CSI Ltd
22 April 2016

Venue

MRS
The Old Trading House, 15 Northburgh Street,London,EC1V 0JR

Laura has plentiful experience of designing, managing and delivering both quantitative and qualitative research projects. She started her career at Research International working on both national and international FMCG projects before moving on to NHS Choices, the ‘front door’ to the NHS and the country’s biggest health website, where she delivered a wide range of projects as part of the Customer Insight Team. Most recently Laura managed patient and public engagement and social research projects at Dr Foster Intelligence, a public/private partnership that aims to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare and social care through better use of information. She is currently a freelance researcher.
Banos has over 17 years experience of designing and delivering market and social policy research across the public and private sectors. He started his career undertaking criminological research at the home office after completing a Masters in Research Methods and Statistics.
From here he moved into the commercial sector and has worked for a number of niche research agencies as well as for Research International UK delivering quantitative and qualitative research for major players in the financial, automotive, utility, government, independent and ICT sectors.He most recently has been involved in leading the customer insight function for NHS Choices and headed the research arm of Doctor Foster Intelligence delivering patient and public engagement and social marketing insight for PCTs across the UK.
He has an abiding interest in the development of research skills both in and out of the workplace and currently operates as a freelance consultant.

Additional Information

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