A questionnaire is a document that, through questions, allows the collection of information.
A questionnaire is a set of questions that is made to obtain information for a specific objective. There are numerous styles and formats of questionnaires, according to the specific purpose of each one.
In the field of education , questionnaires are usually the mechanism chosen by teachers to evaluate their students. A questionnaire can appear in writing, instructing the student to answer each of the questions on a sheet of paper. According to their answers, the teacher will be able to judge whether or not the student learned what was taught in class.
Exam-like questionnaires can also be completed orally . In this case, the student must respond to the teacher's questioning, who will be in charge of asking questions related to the topic of study.
Characteristics of questionnaires as an evaluation method
Depending on the subject, the way in which the student answers and the teacher corrects a questionnaire can vary considerably. For example, if the questions deal with mathematics or some other exact science, very precise results will be expected, since a slight error can lead to big differences; However, if the questionnaire is about the history of a country or psychology, the teacher is likely to respect the student's opinion to a certain extent, as long as it does not include false information and provides at least the requested data.
On the other hand, the written and oral questionnaires used to evaluate foreign language learners are very different. Firstly, unlike those mentioned in the previous paragraph, these are made for students with a limited vocabulary and with many fewer linguistic tools, unless, of course, they are very advanced exams. Therefore, when correcting a questionnaire of this type, great depth is not expected but, for example, a good level of spelling and grammar.
Surveys are based on questionnaires to find out people's opinions.
Surveys and guidance guides
Surveys , on the other hand, are also developed through questionnaires. If a company that produces candy wants to know consumer preferences before launching a new product, it can survey buyers through questionnaires that ask what their favorite flavors are, what type of packaging attracts them the most, how much money they are spending. willing to pay for candy, etc.
Many magazines and websites publish questionnaires of various types to guide their readers on topics related to love, health , money and friendship, among many others. For example, it is common to find some that offer answers about "why a romantic relationship is not working" or "how to improve work performance." It is important to note that these are not very reliable sources, especially when they deal with health issues, but rather they can act as guides for later making important decisions, such as visiting a doctor.
Uses of questionnaires in censuses
The censuses organized by a State are other procedures that include questionnaires. Thanks to a census, the authorities of a country can obtain very important data to develop statistics that, in turn, serve to develop state policies.
Census questionnaires usually ask the population about the family nucleus, housing characteristics, household finances and other questions.
The notion in psychology
Psychology uses the questionnaire to study and analyze many diverse topics, including personality, emotional stability, intelligence, social skills, mental agility and depressive tendencies.
Some questionnaires contain several versions of the same questions located at a certain distance from each other, so that the person evaluated does not notice the repetition, which can lead to answering different things in each case, and a lack of sincerity is detected.