Using questionnaires in research on universities: analysis of experiences from a situated perspective

INTRODUCTION. This paper addresses the use of questionnaires in research on universities from a critical and methodological perspective. METHOD. After a discussion of the main concepts from the literature, four studies that used questionnaires are presented: a) international research, b) a quasi-experimental study, c) a study of a sensitive topic, and d) a study based on an online questionnaire. The studies are analyzed in relation to the methodological approach, the aims of the instrument in each case, the digital or printed format of the questionnaire, and the advantages, limitations and difficulties encountered in the research task. RESULTS and DISCUSSION. The main conclusions refer to the ambiguity of concepts and methodological approaches, the importance of interpreting data in the production context, the collaboration of respondents and bias in survey construction and data analysis.