Questionnaires in Second Language Research : Construction, Administration, and Processing

Questionnaires in Second Language Research: Construction, Administration, and Processing is the first guide in the second language field devoted to the question of how to produce and use questionnaires as reliable and valid research instruments. Even though questionnaires are widely used in second language research, there is insufficient awareness in the field of the theory of questionnaire design and processing. It is all too common to see studies involving exciting research questions become spoiled by the application of poorly designed questionnaires, or by unreliable results due to faulty processing. This volume aims to help researchers avoid these pitfalls. It offers a thorough overview of the theory of questionnaire design, administration, and processing, made accessible by concrete, real-life second language research applications. This Second Edition features a new chapter on how an actual scientific instrument was developed using the theoretical guidelines in the book, and new sections on translating questionnaires and collecting survey data on the Internet. Researchers and students in second language studies, applied linguistics, and TESOL programs will find this book invaluable, and it can also be used as a textbook for courses in quantitative research methodology and survey research in linguistics, psychology, and education departments.