Final answer:
The open-ended questionnaire is the survey instrument that provides employees the means to express themselves freely, yielding qualitative data.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of survey instrument that best allows employees to answer in their own words is a) Open-ended questionnaire. This format provides respondents with the opportunity to express their thoughts, opinions, and feelings without the constraints of predetermined choices. Unlike a closed-ended questionnaire, which collects quantitative data through yes-or-no or multiple-choice questions, open-ended questions elicit qualitative data. This data can provide deep insights into employees' religious beliefs, political views, goals, or morals as the answers are subjective and can reveal personal information that might not be captured through more structured questionnaires.
The type of survey instrument that best allows employees to answer in their own words is the open-ended questionnaire. Open-ended questions require short essay responses and allow participants to provide subjective answers that vary from person to person. These types of questions enable employees to convey personal beliefs, views, and goals. The answers collected through open-ended questionnaires provide qualitative data, which is subjective and harder to organize and tabulate compared to quantitative data.