Using questionnaires: A cautionary tale and some recommendations

Questionnaires are a widely (mis)used method of data collection across the social sciences. This presentation will use the analysis of 110,014 responses to a safety climate survey, to identify specific issues that researchers should consider, and pitfalls that should be avoided, prior to carrying out a questionnaire survey.

Paul O’Connor is a psychologist and a lecturer in Primary Care at NUI Galway. Previously he held the post of Senior Research Methodologist at the Whitaker Institute where he is an Associate Director. He is leading a project to develop an wiki-based database of social science research tools called the Measurement Instrument Database for the Social Sciences (MIDSS; more information is at www.midss.org).His research is concerned with improving human performance and safety in high risk work environments. He has carried out research in a wide range of high risk industries (e.g. civil aviation, nuclear power generation, offshore oil production), and the military (e.g. aviation, special forces). More recently he has been carrying out research in healthcare with the aim of improving patient safety and quality of care through addressing the human factors that contribute to poor performance.

Part of the Research Methodology Seminar Series