How can you design a questionnaire for children and adolescents?

1 Know your purpose and audience

Before you start writing your questions, you need to define the goal and scope of your research. What do you want to learn from the children and adolescents? How will you use the data? Who are they, and how can you reach them? You also need to consider ethical and legal issues, such as parental consent, privacy, and confidentiality. Depending on your topic and target group, you may need to adapt your language, tone, and format to suit their level of understanding and attention span.

2 Choose the right format and mode

The format and mode of your questionnaire can affect the response rate and quality. You can use paper, online, or mobile surveys, or a combination of them. You can also choose between self-administered or interviewer-administered surveys, or a mix of both. The advantages and disadvantages of each option depend on your resources, objectives, and audience. For example, online and mobile surveys can be more convenient, interactive, and fun, but they may also require more technical support and access. Interviewer-administered surveys can provide more guidance, feedback, and rapport, but they may also introduce bias and social desirability.

4 Use appropriate scales and response options

The scales and response options you use should match the type and level of information you want to collect. You should also consider the cognitive and emotional abilities of the children and adolescents. For example, younger children may have difficulty with abstract concepts, such as frequency, intensity, or satisfaction. They may also have limited memory and attention span. Therefore, you should use simple and concrete scales and response options, such as yes/no, agree/disagree, or smiley faces. You should also avoid using too many or too few options, as this may confuse or frustrate the respondents.

5 Keep it short and engaging

The length and design of your questionnaire can affect the response rate and quality. You should aim to keep it as short and engaging as possible, without compromising the validity and reliability of your data. You should prioritize the most important questions, and avoid asking unnecessary or redundant questions. You should also use a variety of question types, such as multiple choice, rating, ranking, or open-ended, to keep the respondents interested and motivated. You can also use gamification elements, such as rewards, feedback, or challenges, to enhance the survey experience and encourage completion.

6 Test and refine your questionnaire

The final step in designing your questionnaire is to test and refine it. You should conduct a pilot test with a representative sample of your target group, and collect feedback on the content, format, and mode of your questionnaire. You should also analyze the data quality, such as the response rate, completion rate, missing values, and outliers. Based on the results, you should make any necessary adjustments to improve your questionnaire before launching it to the full population.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?