DATA COLLECTION: FIELD PROCEDURES

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DATA COLLECTION FIELD PROCEDURES

• Lu Ann Aday, Ph.D.
• The University of Texas
• School of Public Health

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GENERAL PRINCIPLES

• I. Conducting pilot studies and pretesting the
  survey
• A. Types of testing
• 1. Pilot study preliminary stage
• 2. Pretest final stage
• B. Components and criteria of testing
• 1. Questions
• a. Variation and/or distribution
  in variables or subgroups
  of interest
• b. Respondents' interpretation
  of the meaning of the questions
• c. Identification of problem
  (loaded, double-barreled, ambiguous)
  questions
• d. Magnitude of refusal or don't
  know responses

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GENERAL PRINCIPLES

• 2. Questionnaire
• a. Skip patterns
• b. Transitions
• c. Response sets
• d. Respondent burden
• e. Break-offs
• f. Translations
• 3. Sampling procedures
• a. Complex sampling procedures
• b. Probable yield of cases

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GENERAL PRINCIPLES

• 4. Data collection procedures
• a. Handling extremely sensitive topics
• b. Maximizing response rate
• 5. Data preparation procedures
• a. Feasibility of coding and
  computerizing procedures
• b. Development of closed-end codes
• 6. Estimating survey costs

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GENERAL PRINCIPLES

• II. Specifying the field procedures
• A. Schedule for contacts
• 1. Best times weekday evenings
  weekends
• 2. Best seasons spring fall

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GENERAL PRINCIPLES

• II. Specifying the field procedures
• B. Procedures for follow-up contacts
• 1. Personal
• 2. Telephone

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GENERAL PRINCIPLES

• II. Specifying the field procedures
• 3. Mail (Dillman) Revised
• a. First mail-out brief prenotice letter
• b. Second mail-out questionnaire, cover
  letter
• explaining why a response is
  important
• c. Third mail-out thank you postcard
  reminder to all
• sample members a few days to a
  week after
• questionnaire
• d. Fourth mail-out replacement
  questionnaire, sent 2-
• 4 weeks after the previous
  questionnaire mailing
• e. Final contact may be made by telephone (a
  week or
• so after the fourth contact),
  FedEx, priority U.S. mail
• or special delivery. Different
  mode distinguishes
• each type of final contact.

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GENERAL PRINCIPLES

• C. Incentives to respondents
• 1. Monetary incentives, especially when
  transmitted with
• initial mailing or offered before
  conducting the
• interview, do increase response rates.
• 2. Foot-in-the-door technique has yielded
  mixed results.
• D. Use of proxy respondents
• 1. Proxy does not necessarily underreport
  behaviors.
• 2. Proxies should not be asked to answer
  attitudinal,
• knowledge or perception-oriented
  questions for others.

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GENERAL PRINCIPLES

• E. Documentation of field procedures
• 1. Interviewer manuals
• (See Resources A and B, Aday
  Cornelius,
• 2006.)
• 2. Data collection/disposition forms

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GENERAL PRINCIPLES

• III. Hiring interviewers
• A. Physical characteristics age, sex,
  race,
• appearance, voice quality
• B. Social, personal, and behavioral
• characteristics previous
  experience,
• education, intelligence,
  interpersonal skills,
• personal motivation

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GENERAL PRINCIPLES

• IV. Training interviewers
• A. Training agenda
• B. Training schedules
• C. Resources and techniques written
• resources, lectures and
  demonstrations, home
• study, written exercises, role
  playing, practice
• interviews

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SURVEY ERRORS Monitoring and Carrying Out the
Survey
Systematic Errors Systematic Errors Variable Errors
Questionnaire effects item nonresponse bias Questionnaire administration effects unit nonresponse bias Interviewer effects interviewer variability
Solutions to errors Employ the general and specific principles of question questionnaire design (Chapters Eight thru Twelve). Develop and employ comprehensive and systematic follow-up procedures with nonrespondents. Develop and employ comprehensive and systematic interviewer training and monitoring procedures.
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REFERENCES

• Dillman, Don A. (2000). Mail and Internet
  Surveys The Tailored Design Method. Second
  Edition. New York John Wiley Sons, Inc.