Chapter 5
Module 2Questionnaire
While watching the scene I felt:
| No | Yes, very much | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powerless | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Distrust | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Irritation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anger | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fear | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Balance. What we see here is a misbalanced scale: “No” is not the opposite of “Yes, very much.” For respondents this can be confusing. For them the difference between a score 1 (that is, the first bullet) and 2 does not “feel” the same as the difference between the fifth and sixth bullet. However, remember that in some cases it is advisable to choose a misbalanced scale. For instance, when you fear a ceiling effect.
Neutral. We see that the students provided their respondents with a six-point scale. What if respondents seek the middle between the two options “No” and “Yes, very much”? Also, because you do not offer a middle position, your data may show more extreme averages, and maybe this does not represent the true feelings of the respondents. However, remember that sometimes you want to force respondents to make a choice and therefore you do not offer them the opportunity to be neutral – for instance when you are sure that they will nearly always have an outspoken opinion. But in most cases, it seems reasonable to offer a middle position.