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Table 3.3.1 Difference between Questionnaire and Interview Schedule

Questionnaire Interview Schedule

Filled by the respondents Filled by research worker or enumerator

Relatively cheap and economical since it Relatively more expensive due to
can be sent through mail to the informants enumerators and training

Low non-response, but there is risk of
High non-response bias
interviewer bias and cheating

Identity of respondent not always clear Identity of respondent is known

Information collected well in time by
Slow due to delayed returns
enumerators

No personal contact Direct personal contact with respondents

Requires literate and cooperative Can gather information from illiterate
respondents respondents

Wider and more representative distribution Difficulty in sending enumerators to wider
possible areas
Information collected is generally complete
Risk of incomplete and wrong information
and accurate

Success depends on quality of Success depends on honesty and
questionnaire competence of enumerators

Attractive physical appearance of Filled in by enumerators, appearance less
questionnaire relevant
Observation method not possible with Observation method can be used with
questionnaires schedules

3.3.5 Pre-testing

Testing of the tool used for data collection such as a questionnaire
or interview schedule, on a small sample of respondents is
essential to identify and eliminate potential problems. A data
collection instrument should not be used in the field survey
without adequate pre-testing. To ensure the effectiveness of the
instrument, it is important to conduct thorough testing before
implementing it in the actual survey. The respondents selected
for the pre-test should be drawn from the same population as
those who will participate in the main survey. Pre-tests are ideally

SGOU - SLM - MCom Research Methodology 135