WHAT IS SURVEY?
    o  A  survey  is  a  data  collection  tool  used  to  gather  information  about 
    individuals  or  any  area  of  interest  to  the  researcher.  A  general  view, 
    examination, or description of someone or something.
    Types of Survey
    oThere are various types of surveys you can choose from. Basically, the types 
    of surveys are broadly categorized into three: 
    according to instrumentation 
    according to the span of time involved. 
    according to their focus and scope (census and sample surveys
      TYPES OF SURVEY CONT’D
     o
      The  types  of  surveys  according  to  instrumentation  include  the  questionnaire  and  the 
      interview. On the other hand, the types of surveys according to the span of time used to 
      conduct the survey are comprised of cross-sectional surveys and longitudinal surveys. While 
      surveys that is influenced by focus and scope include census and sample surveys.
     o
      A survey that covers the entire population of interest is referred to as a census. In research, 
      however the population is used to refer to the entire  group of  individuals  to  whom  the 
      findings of a study apply. The researcher defines the specific population of interest.
     SURVEYS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE TIME DIMENSION
     
    Longitudinal surveys: gather information at different points in time in order 
    to study changes over extended periods of time.
     
    Panel  study:  the  same  subjects  are  surveyed  at  different  times  over  an 
    extended period. Because the same subjects are studied over time, researchers 
    can see the changes in the individuals’ behavior and investigate the reasons 
    for the changes.
     
    Trend  study:  different  people  from  the  same  population  are  surveyed  at 
    different times.
     
    Cohort  study:  a  specific  population  whose  members  changed  over  the 
    duration of the study is followed over a length of time.
     
    Cross-sectional surveys: Researcher collects data at a particular time from a 
    sample of respondents across a population.
    STEPS PRECEDING QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN
     
    The first of these is to articulate the questions that research is intended to address. 
    The second step is to determine the hypotheses around which the questionnaire is to 
    be designed.
     
    It is possible for the piloting exercise to be used to make necessary adjustments to 
    administrative aspects of the study. This would include, for example, an assessment 
    of the length of time an interview actually takes, in comparison to the planned length 
    of the interview; or, in the same way, the time needed to complete questionnaires. 
     
    Moreover, checks can be made on the appropriateness of the timing of the study in 
    relation to contemporary events such as avoiding farm visits during busy harvesting 
    periods.