Cuestionarios

The Handbook
for Economics Lecturers

Questionnaires
Dr Nigel J. Miller, University of York Edited by David Newlands, University of Aberdeen

1

Introduction
1.1 1.2 1.3 Summary of the chapter: objectives and key results Top Tips: key ideas as to good practice What is the purpose of questionnaires?

2 2 3 4 5 5 11 12 14 15 15 19 21 21 21 21 22 27

2

The process of designing andimplementing questionnaires
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Designing questionnaires Administering questionnaires Analysing the results of questionnaires So what? Using the results of questionnaires to improve teaching and learning

3

Questionnaires in evaluating teaching and learning in economics
3.1 3.2 A review of questionnaires and their use in economics Better practice in questionnaire design and usein economics

4

Other issues
4.1 4.2 4.3 Electronic questionnaires and computer-aided evaluation Frequency Confidentiality

5

Case studies – some examples of questionnaires in higher education References

The Handbook for Economics Lecturers

1 Introduction
1.1 Summary of the chapter: objectives and key results
The aim of this chapter is to provide some practical advice on thedesign and implementation of questionnaires to evaluate teaching and learning in economics. The structure of the chapter is as follows: • The next section, 1.2, offers some Top Tips: key ideas as to good practice in the administration and analysis of questionnaires and their use in evaluation. • Section 1.3 discusses in a general way the role and purpose of questionnaires, identifying theparticular strengths of questionnaires in comparison to other means of evaluation. • Section 2 identifies the key stages in implementation of questionnaires from the initial design stage to the process of using questionnaire results to improve teaching practice. Each stage is discussed in turn. This section draws largely although not entirely from generic literature. • Section 3 reviews the practice ofquestionnaire implementation in a random sample of (anonymous) economics departments in the UK, in light of the good practice guidelines discussed in section 2. As stated, the aim of the chapter is to provide practical advice that can support departments in the design and refinement of their evaluation procedures. Where there are potentially useful questions or procedures, these are identified andreproduced in detail. • Section 4 discusses the use of electronic questionnaires, the frequency of questionnaires and issues related to confidentiality of questionnaire responses. • Section 5 reproduces substantial parts of three questionnaires that have interesting features. Key ideas and tips on good practice are concisely summarised, sometimes in note form, using bullet points.

Summaryresults – some thoughts on questionnaires and staff morale Questionnaires and their use in academic departments are a controversial issue. Questionnaires typically contain ranked questions that are used to measure the perceived quality of specific aspects of a module and its teaching staff. Where the scores are low, this has potential to be extremely damaging to the morale (and possibly to the careers)of staff. In addition, most questionnaires contain ‘open’ questions that allow students some freedom to express their opinions about a module or tutorial programme. In a minority of cases, this is used irresponsibly and lecturers have been subjected to personal abuse. More generally, in their comments, students tend to focus on negative aspects of a module or its staff and do not necessarilyevaluate the module according to the appropriate criteria, i.e. the extent to which it supports and facilitates learning. In the way that we design and particularly in the ways that we use questionnaire results, we need to be aware of these issues. This is discussed fully in the subsequent sections, but a number of key points emerge. First, staff and students need to be clear as to the purpose of...