Free tool · Chapter 3
Research questionnaire builder
Enter your project topic and get a ready-to-print questionnaire: a cover letter, a demographic section, and Likert-scale statements for each research question. Download it as a Word file.
What a project questionnaire contains
- Cover letter. One page introducing you and the study, promising confidentiality and thanking the respondent.
- Instructions. How to answer, and the key to the scale (SA = Strongly Agree, and so on).
- Section A: demographic information. Sex, age, level, qualification, experience: whatever you will describe in Chapter 4.
- Section B onwards: one section per research question. Short statements the respondent agrees or disagrees with. Their means answer your research questions in Chapter 4.
Writing good questionnaire statements
| Avoid | Write instead |
|---|---|
| Two ideas in one statementSocial media helps my studies and my social life. | Social media helps me with my studies. |
| Leading wordingDon't you agree that loan interest rates are too high? | The interest rate on my loan is affordable. |
| Double negativeI do not think the library is not useful. | The library is useful for my research. |
| Vague or jargonICT infrastructure utilisation is optimal. | I can use the school's computers when I need them. |
After your questionnaire
- Work out how many copies to give out with the sample size calculator.
- Pilot-test it and check reliability with the Cronbach's alpha calculator.
- Analyse the responses with the simple percentage calculator and the Likert scale mean calculator.
Want Chapter 3 written around your questionnaire?
MonoEd writes your methodology, including the research instrument, validity, reliability and method of data analysis, from your topic and answers. Chapters 1–2 are free; ₦6,500 once for the whole project.
Start your project freeMore free tools for your project
- Chapter 1Research objectives generatorEnter your topic and get the aim, objectives, research questions and hypotheses for Chapter 1.
- Chapter 3Sample size calculatorTaro Yamane or Cochran, with the full working and a paragraph for your sampling section.
- Chapter 3Cronbach's alpha calculatorPaste your pilot-test responses and get the reliability coefficient and what it means.
- Chapter 4Simple percentage calculatorFrequency and percentage tables that add up to 100%, plus your questionnaire response rate.
- Chapter 4Likert scale mean calculatorMean, standard deviation and accept/reject decision for each statement, as a ready table.
- Chapter 4Chi-square test calculatorχ², degrees of freedom, p-value and the decision on your hypothesis.
- DefenceDefence questions generatorEnter your topic and get the questions your panel is likely to ask, with tips on answering each.
- Preliminary pagesAcknowledgement and dedication writerFill in who to thank and get your acknowledgement or dedication page, ready for Word.
Common questions
How many questions should a project questionnaire have?
Most Nigerian project questionnaires have 4 to 6 demographic questions and 5 to 10 statements for each research question, so 25 to 45 items in all. Long questionnaires get careless answers, so keep each statement to one short idea.
Should I use a 4-point or 5-point Likert scale?
Both are accepted. The 5-point scale (SA, A, U, D, SD) is common in the social sciences and management. The 4-point scale drops 'Undecided' so every respondent takes a side, and is common in education. Use what your department and supervisor prefer. The criterion mean is 2.50 on a 4-point scale and 3.00 on a 5-point scale.
What goes in a questionnaire cover letter?
Your department and institution, the date, a greeting ('Dear Respondent'), who you are, your project title, what the questionnaire is for, a promise of confidentiality, a thank-you, and your name. It should fit on one page. The builder writes it for you.
Do respondents need to see my research questions?
No. Each section of the questionnaire answers one research question, but the questionnaire itself only shows a section heading and the statements. The builder shows which research question each section answers so you can explain it in Chapter 3, but that line is not printed.
How do I show my questionnaire is valid and reliable?
For validity, give it to your supervisor and one or two other lecturers to check that the statements measure what your research questions ask (face and content validity). For reliability, pilot-test it on 20 to 30 people like your respondents and calculate Cronbach's alpha. 0.70 or above is usually acceptable.
Can I edit the questionnaire after downloading it?
Yes. The Word file is fully editable. Change any statement, add items your supervisor asks for, and fill the highlighted blanks in the cover letter before printing.