Effective Repair in Survey Interviews

In standardized survey interviews with closed-ended questions it quite often occurs that respondents do something else than mentioning their choice from the set of response categories presented together with the question. In these cases their initial response is inadequate and interviewers have to initiate repair activities. By analyzing 804 question–answer sequences, stemming from parts of a survey with elderly people (N=201), we found that 322 (41%) of the initial responses were inadequate. In 74% of these 332 sequences the interviewers made an attempt at repair. Of all repair attempts, 75% were performed correctly, that is, in a nondirective way. Most of the repair attempts (86%) result in an adequate final response of the respondent. The result of the repair activities by the interviewers is that the number of sequences with an adequate response increased from 472 to 688, thus an increase of about 45%. There does not exist ‘one best way’ of repairing. The most important thing is that some repair initiative has to be taken by the interviewer and that the repair is done in a nondirective way.     

Interviewers,Interviewer Continuity,and Panel Survey Nonresponse

It is widely known that in practice, different interviewers have different response rates, though there has been no systematic examination of whether this is because of differences among interviewers or differences among those areas allocated to the interviewers (area effects), or both. Furthermore, the conventional wisdom in survey research suggests that it is advisable to have the same interviewers return to the same respondents in order to maintain good response rates in longitudinal surveys, though once again there has been very little documented experimental research to support this. This paper makes use of the interpenetrated sample design experiment in Wave 2 of the British Household Panel Study (BHPS) (i) to explore the effects of interviewers' background characteristics and years of experience on response rates, (ii) to identify and estimate the differential effects of interviewers on response rates and compare the magnitudes of area and interviewer effects, and (iii) to investigate the impact of interviewer continuity. The analysis is facilitated by the use of cross-classified multilevel modelling. The paper also looks at the issue of interviewer continuity qualitatively, through the impressions of the interviewers themselves.     

Question-Answer Sequences in Survey-Interviews

Interaction analysis was used to analyze a total of 14,265 question–answer sequences of (Q-A Sequences) 80 questions that originated from two face-to-face and three telephone surveys. The analysis was directed towards the causes and effects of particular interactional problems. Our results showed that problematic respondent behavior is affected by the questionnaire design, whereas inadequate interviewer behavior is affected by respondent behavior, rather than directly by the questionnaire design. Two surveys used questions for which validating information was available. It appeared that the occurrence of such irregularities of interviewer and respondent behavior was related to the validity of the eventual responses. Explanations for the occurrence of problematic respondent behavior were proposed, concerning both cognitive and conversational factors, related to the wording of questions and response alternatives. Part of this paper was presented at the International Conference on Questionnaire Development, Evaluation and Testing Methods, 14–17 November 2002, Charleston, South Carolina.     

中国邮政培训认证信息化实践

中国邮政在教育培训和认证等方面较为成功地进行了信息化。从培训内容信息化、培训管理信息化、认证考试管理信息化和认证管理信息化四个方面,介绍了中国邮政培训和认证所引进的信息化系统。     

Preventing mismatch answers in standardized survey interviews

Interaction analysis of question–answer sequences from a telephone survey shows that so-called mismatch answers, i.e. answers that do not correspond to the required answering format, are the most frequently occurring problematic verbal behavior. They also are likely to trigger suggestive interviewer probing. Explanations for the occurrence of mismatch answers concern cognitive and conversational factors. In both a non-experimental and an experimental study it was found that questions with formal response alternatives yield more mismatch answers than questions with colloquial response alternatives (i.e., words that are frequently used in ordinary conversations). Effects of the wording of questions were only found in the non-experimental study, indicating that formal question wording yields fewer mismatch answers than colloquial question wording. The findings suggest that, especially in case of questions that are formulated as agree–disagree opinion assertions, the chance of mismatch answers is highly reduced when colloquial response alternatives are used.     

A Multilevel Multinomial Analysis of Interviewer Effects on Various Components of Unit Nonresponse

This note demonstrates an application of a multilevel multinomial model. We use that model to analyse interviewer effects on various components of unit nonresponse to a face-to-face survey: refusals and noncontacts. The model allows for an analysis of these two interviewer effects and a possible connection between both at the same time. Our results show that both the chances for refusals as for noncontacts are subject to interviewer effects. We also find some evidence for a relation between both interviewer effects: interviewers who obtain more refusals are also more likely to report noncontacts. That result is however at least partly dependent on an outlier, an interviewer with a high number of refusals and noncontacts.     

Trust and Understanding,Two Psychological Aspects of Randomized Response

This study examines two different Randomized Response methods to see whether they evoke sufficient understanding and trust, and ensure fewer evasive answers to socially sensitive questions. Two Randomized Response methods were employed by trained interviewers to study fraud: the Forced Response method, using dice, and Kuk's method, using playing cards. Respondents were selected from the files of the social security offices of three Dutch cities. A total of 334 respondents participated voluntarily in this study of two Randomized Response methods. Most respondents were known to have committed some form of fraud, and their answer on the Randomized Response question is validated with this information. The results indicate that subjects who have a better understanding of the Forced Response technique give more socially undesirable answers. The interviewer has a most important role establishing trust and understanding. Respondents who are less able to understand the instructions, e.g., have limited language abilities, develop less trust in the method.     

Explaining interviewer effects and respondent behavior: Theoretical models and empirical analysis

The behavior of respondents in interview situations has been dealt on the one hand with respect to many empirical studies and on the other hand in connection with different theoretical approaches (Hyman 1954; Cannell & Kahn 1968). In this paper the most relevant theoretical explanations are discussed and systematized from the point of view of the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen & Fishbein 1980). Whereas this theory program has been used in many substantive fields, it has rarely been applied to the problem of interviewer effects and response sets. In this approach one assumes that the actors in interview situations decide according to cost-benefit calculations. The theory of reasoned action is viewed as an operationalized theory, discussed in more detail and formalized via structural equation models. These models are empirically tested with the data of a survey specifically designed to perform such a method study. The reported contact rates of German with foreigners is the dependent variable under study. First, a model without interviewer variables is tested to explain respondent behavior in terms of norms, attitudes and some other determinants. Then the status and the age of interviewers are introduced as situational determinants of the respondents' behavior. For subgroup analyses the respondents are divided into three groups varying in the amount of the need for social approval. The models are tested according to two subgroups (low and high need for social approval) with the technique of multiple group comparison in LISREL (Jöreskog/Sörbom 1988). All models and results are interpreted in terms of the theory of reasoned action. At the end some conclusions for modelling interviewer effects and respondent behavior are discussed.     

A Collective Effort to Understand Formalized Program Review

In response to the growing field of Leadership Studies, the International Leadership Association appointed a task force to explore questions concerning formalized program review systems, such as a peer review process, accreditation, and/or certification. The inquiry involved questions regarding the value of a formalized program review process to advance the field of leadership studies and discover important patterns emerging in areas such as content, teaching, outcomes, and assessment. This article provides a summary of the work completed by the International Leadership Association's Formalized Program Review task force from 2011–2012 to explore and recommend options related to formalized program review for curricular based leadership studies programs.     

Measuring Interviewer Performance in Telephone Surveys

In this research paper, the definition of interviewer performance is restricted to mean the capacity of an interviewer to convince a respondent to cooperate. Furthermore, it is restricted to performance in telephone surveys. To measure this aspect of performance, researchers have until now used the cooperation rate, calculated as the number of completed interviews divided by the sum of completes plus refusals, generally retaining only the first contacts made to a given phone number in order to avoid contaminating the measure with the performance of a previous interviewer. In this paper, we argue that this measure is biased because it does not allow for the measurement of performance when interviewers, usually the best ones, work on refusal conversion or on appointments. We propose a new measure of the net contribution of interviewers to the overall cooperation rate – the Net Contribution to Performance Index (NCPI) – that measures interviewer performance irrespective of the task they perform. The properties of the index are compared with the cooperation rate at first contact using a number of criteria: reliability, variability and relationship with the overall response rate, and internal and external validity. Appendix A explains how to calculate the new index.     

Student performance in business and economics statistics: Does exam structure matter?

We investigate whether exam structure really matters in an economics and business statistics course by (1) determining how well performance on multiple choice questions alone expalins overall performance on exams composed of both multiple choice questions and problems, and (2) discovering whether various student characteristics have significantly different impacts on student performance on multiple choice questions versus problems. Our findings suggest that student scores on multiple-choice portions of exams do not adequately determine overall student performance, and that some students are predisposed to do better on multiple choice or problems depending on the characteristics they possess.(JEl A22, A29)     

Core processes and applicant reactions to the employment interview: an exploratory study in Greece

This research explores the employment interview in Greece with two aims: first, to look at the practice of the employment interview from the interviewer perspective, exploring a number of issues, which have been identified as important for increasing interview's effectiveness and second, to look at the role of interviewers' characteristics on applicant reactions and their behavioral intentions to the actual interview, using two independent samples of interviewers (N = 131) and actual job applicants (N = 122), respectively. The results of the first study were quite supportive regarding the effective use of the employment interview in Greece. In the second study, interviewers' personal characteristics were related to applicants' post-interview attitudes and intentions, although this relationship was fully mediated by the overall perception of the interview held by the job applicant. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Selective Response to Questions on Delinquency*

In the German General Survey 2000 (ALLBUS), the so-called ‘Sealed Envelope Technique’ (SET), was utilized to obtain data on an individuals’ self-admitted delinquency. The focus of this article is to discover, particularly, the reason respondents refused to fill in this confidential questionnaire in spite of the guaranteed anonymity. From a theoretical perspective of subjective expected utility, the assumption is that respondents are interested in maximizing benefits and avoiding social costs in the interview situation. Consequently, responses provided are optimal realizations of the respondents’ interest. Furthermore, the respondents’ intellectual capacity in understanding the questions, the SET applied, the interviewer characteristics, and aspects of the interview situation, were presumably responsible for refusals on sensitive questions. The ALLBUS 2000 data confirm these hypotheses. The selectivity of self-reported delinquency on matters concerning fare avoidance and tax evasion also resulted in biased model estimators of determinants regarding anticipated future delinquency. Mail survey is one supported view on improving data quality in self-admitted acts of delinquency. However, before firm conclusions can be drawn, more empirical data is needed on the processes and mechanisms involved in a respondents refusal to answer questions on delinquency. * An empirical assessment on the effectiveness of the ‘Sealed Envelope Technique’ for self-admitted delinquency through the utilization of the German General Social Survey 2000 data.     

Interviewer-related measurement error in attitudinal research: a nonexperimental study

Prior research efforts have attempted to identify the extent to which interviewers bias survey data. Interviewer characteristics such as age, sex, race and social class have been widely studied, as have the effects of certain interviewer attitudes. These previous works, however, have examined the effect of only one or two of these variables upon responses. The current research incorporates interviewer demographic variables, social distance measures, and interviewer attitudinal indicators into the analysis to ascertain their relative impact upon respondent attitudes. Findings include: (1) interviewer demographic characteristics and social distance measures have no significant effects upon responses; and (2) interviewer attitudes exert a statistically significant but small influence upon respondent attitudes.     

Transfer of training: Written self‐guidance to increase self‐efficacy and interviewing performance of job seekers

Subsequent to training IT professionals ( n = 35) in skills for performing effectively in a selection interview, 16 were randomly assigned to a transfer of training intervention, written self‐guidance (WSG). This methodology is based on social cognitive and self‐persuasion theories. The results showed that WSG resulted in significantly higher ratings from an interviewer than did those in the control group. Self‐efficacy for interviewing skill mediated the relationship between WSG and performance. A content analysis of the WSG letters showed that the use of self‐affirming and self‐relevant statements was positively related to performance in the selection interview. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Using screen video capture software to aide and inform cognitive interviewing

Web-based surveys are a salient tool in the repertoire of social and behavioral scientists. The increase in web-based surveys is understandable considering the distinct advantages offered, including: (a) lower costs and reduced labor time, (b) ability to directly transfer data into statistical packages (reducing coding errors), (c) customization options enabling more attractive presentation, (d) ability to reduce respondent burden by embedding skip patterns, and (e) access to larger sample sizes in different geographic regions. It is important to note, however, that administering web-based surveys also introduces distinct sources of error (e.g., coverage, sampling and non-response). Regardless of format (e.g., paper-and-pencil or web-based), specific, prescribed steps must be followed when constructing an instrument in order to reduce survey error and lend credence to the data collected before subsequent analysis is performed. One of those crucial stages integral to the pretesting process is cognitive interviewing. Cognitive interviewing is a qualitative process, encompassing two main techniques: think aloud interviewing and verbal probing. Collectively, these two methods seek to (a) produce information on what the respondent is thinking while answering the questions, (b) the cognitive processes used to answer the questions, and (c) how the respondent answers the questions. The purpose of this article is to provide a practical guide outlining how Camtasia, a screen video capture software, can aide and inform the cognitive interview process.     

Probing: A dangerous practice in social surveys?

It is widely accepted among survey researchers that the use of probes by their interviewers can lead to more intelligible, more complete, and more easily coded answers from respondents. Yet it is not hard to find examples of the use of probes in the survey research literature that have failed to produce demonstrably better data. Since the poor codability of respondents' answers is the product of a number of factors, merely training interviewers to be more skilful in their use of probes is unlikely to significantly improve the quality of survey data. If probes are to be used, they should be both standardized and used systematically. It would be better, however, to try to eliminate the need for interviewers to have to use probes. Two positive steps the researcher can take in this direction are: to define key terms properly, and to specify the response frameworks that respondents should adopt when formulating replies to particular questions.     

2010影响未来管理那些事儿

2011年,将会发生什么?答案恐怕要从2010年来寻找。——刚刚过去的2010年真可谓多事之秋。国内国际,各个层面的商业事件层出不穷,且常常红黑两面交集,引发出远远超越商业层面的多方反思。它们发生于2010,影响的却将是2011。在征集各方意见之后,我们筛选出14个事件,提炼成14个关键词,力求勾画出2011年的管理图谱。     

矿井通风三位一体式教学模式研究

随着国家对煤矿安全的重视,对矿井通风专业人才提出了更高的要求,传统的矿井通风教学模式已不能满足通风专业的人才培养,因此本论文提出了矿井通风三位一体式教学模式。矿井通风三位一体式教学模式采用课堂教学、工程实践教学和实验教学有机结合的方式。同时采用考试成绩、实验成绩、课程设计成绩和答辩提问成绩四合一的成绩评定方式,使三位一体式教学考核方式更全面合理。矿井通风三位一体式教学模式能够充分发挥学生主体作用,注重学生独立解决问题能力和创新能力培养,为煤炭行业培养高层次的安全专业人才创造条件。