Programme Performance Assessment in Results-based Management
Session 3 - Collecting Data by Method: Interviews
Step 1 involves deciding to whom they should be sent. Because questionnaires involve requesting persons outside the institution or organization to devote time to replying, it is essential that only the right persons be approached and that the questionnaire be kept short as possible. Defining the “correct” respondents is an essential step.
First, define the respondents. Determine to whom the questionnaires should be sent from the performance indicators of the respective outcomes. If, for example, the indicator is the use of recommended data collection techniques, the target audience would be officials who do this in research stations.
In interviews, an option exists to send the questionnaire to a random sample of persons in the population from which information is to be requested. Whether this should be used depends on: (a) the size of the population and (b) the likelihood that there will be a high rate of return. If there is a low rate of return (a large percentage of questionnaires are not returned) – as is usually the case ? the reliability of the sample cannot be determined. To avoid this problem it might be useful to make the decision about the means of transmission at this point . If the questionnaire is to be sent to everyone who should be requested for information, you can skip the material on sampling. If not, you should review the material on sampling under the material on surveys.
The remaining steps, which will be dealt with in detail, are:
How will they be sent?
What will they ask?
How can the responses be interpreted?
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