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

QUESTIONNAIRES IN SECOND LANGUAGE RESEARCH: CONSTRUCTION, ADMINISTRATION, AND PROCESSING. Zoltán Dörnyei. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2003. Pp. viii + 156. 37. 50 cloth, 22. 50 paper. In the introduction to this volume, Dörnyei suggests that, although questionnaires are frequently employed by second language researchers, “there does not seem to be sufficient awareness in the profession about the theory of questionnaire design and processing” (p. 1). Looking to the various branches of research in the social sciences, such as psychometrics, social psychology, and sociology, Dörnyei notes that many of the questionnaires in second language research fail to meet the standards for reliability and validity because the researchers are apparently unfamiliar with the principles of questionnaire construction, administration, and processing. This book is intended to be a practical, easily understood guide for researchers to use when working with self-administered pencil-and-paper questionnaires. It achieves this aim.