Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
4. If the survey is comprehensive in nature and
requires much time, the method may not be a
suitable one.
5. For a telephonic interview, questions must be
short and to the point; this may prove some-
times difficult to handle.
6. Time provided to answer the question is com-
paratively limited.
data collection. In this method, a questionnaire is
prepared befitting to the objective of the study
and sent generally by post to the respondents
with a request to answer the questionnaires.
Nowadays, questions are also sent via an email
attachment using Internet facilities. The
respondents are expected to read the questions
and answer them. During the framing of the
questionnaire, the questions may be set in a
sequential order. The researcher sets the
questions in such a way that the respondent can
have an idea about the logical sequences and
chronology of the questions. This is known as
structured questionnaire. The questionnaire can
also be nonstructured, that is, following no
sequence. This may lead to problems in under-
standing the questions by the respondent.
Questionnaires may be disguised or nondisguised
in nature. In a disguised questionnaire method,
the objective of the questionnaire is not clearly
spelt out, whereas in a nondisguised question-
naire method, the objective of the study is made
clear to the respondent. Like other methods of
collecting information, a questionnaire method
has also certain advantages and disadvantages.
The success of this method, though, depends on
the ability of a researcher to frame the
questionnaires and the cooperation from the
respondent. The following are some of the merits
and demerits of questionnaire method:
7.1.2.3 Chatting
With the increasing use of Internet facilities,
chatting has become the most popular way of
communicating among people. Various common
interest groups have come into existence, taking
advantage of the facilities. Simply chatting or
video chatting helps more than one person, sit-
ting at distant places all over the world, to com-
municate their ideas, thoughts, and beliefs
instantly. This type of interviewing, particularly
the video chatting, is as good as personal
interviewing method of data collection. As
such, the competence of an interviewer not only
over the subject under study but also the commu-
nication technology plays a great role on the
successful completion of a process. This type of
interviewing is very fast and has almost all the
merits of telephonic methods of data collection.
One of the most demerits of this method is that
each and every respondent is required to be a
member of the group for which an interview is
to be conducted. The disturbances during the
conversations or chatting may cause additional
problems in this method. However, with the
advancement of technology, this type of
interviewing is bound to gain momentum day
by day. In business and corporate sectors, this
type of interviewing is highly appreciated. In
many corporate sectors, employers recruit their
employees
Merits
1. Most useful in comprehensive study.
2. Interviewer's biases are reduced.
3. In the absence of an interviewer, the answers
of the respondents are free in nature.
4. Sufficient
times
are
provided
to
the
respondent.
5. Questionnaire can be sent to any phone num-
ber of respondents in any part of the world.
through
telephonic
or
chatting
interviewing methods.
Demerits
1. This method of data collection does not apply
to uneducated or illiterate respondents.
2. It is time consuming.
3. Lengthy questionnaires may bore the respon-
dent and thereby reducing the number of
responses.
7.1.3 Questionnaire Method
One of the most conventional methods of data
collection, particularly in wider areas having big
inquiries, is the questionnaire method of primary
