Fisheries Extension Education (2+1)

Construction of an interview schedule and mailed questionnaire

Interview schedule and questionnaire are the most common instruments of data collection. They have several things in common. Both of them contain a set of questions related to the problem under study and are logically arranged in a sequence. Both types aim at eliciting responses from the respondents (i.e) the sample of the population.

The process of construction of the tool starts with the determination of data to be collected, decision on data gathering method and then proper drafting of the tool under different categories or sections. The ordering of section and questions in each section should follow a logical sequence. Make the questions as simple as possible with fewer and simpler words. The words should be simple, appropriate, and accurate without any ambiguity. The types of questions may either be (i) Open ended questions ii) close ended questions. Close ended questions may be dichotomous, multiple choice or declarative ones.

After construction of the tool, it should be presented in the field to identify the shortcomings in the instrument. This process is called as pre testing of the tool. Based on pre testing, the tool needs to be altered if necessity arises.