THE AMERICAN TIME USE SURVEY: Activity Coding in Dress Rehearsal

1
THE AMERICAN TIME USE SURVEY Activity Coding in
Dress Rehearsal

• Kristina Shelley
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• International Association for Time Use Research
• October 17, 2002

2
ATUS Coding Background

• FY 2001 3 Census Bureau coding tests 1 Westat
  coding test
• --tests evaluated coding lexicon, coding
  instrument, coding rules

3
ATUS Dress Rehearsal interviewing training

• How to use conversational interviewing techniques
• How and when to probe
• How to use collection instrument
• Conducted practice interviews

4
ATUS Dress Rehearsal coding training

• Familiarized interviewers/coders with lexicon and
  coding rules
• How to use coding instrument
• Conducted mock coding exercises
• Coding operations used Census Bureau
  interviewers, live interviews
• Coding of interviews (not their own) began
  shortly after time diary collection

5
ATUS Dress Rehearsal verification and
adjudication process

• Interviewer (coder) coded a case
• 2nd interviewer (verifier) coded same case
• If difference in activity codes, supervisor
  (adjudicator) assigned correct code and assigned
  error to coder, verifier, or both

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Coding training results

• Conversational interviewing and probing concepts
  still not clear
• Exposed inconsistencies/problems with lexicon and
  coding rules
• Confirmed usability of coding instrument
• Coding efficiency increased over the survey period

7
Verification and adjudication results

• Cumulative difference rate (April-August)
  12.81
• Rate improved from 14.25 in April to 12.54 in
  July (very few cases coded in August)
• Individual rates ranged from 23 to 10
• Major flaw in the process lack of interviewing
  feedback

8
BLS review of adjudication reports

• Interviewer errors
• Lexicon problems
• Additional coding rules
• Adjudicators as inexperienced as coders/verifiers

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BLS solutions

• Developed interviewer error codes
• Corrected errors in lexicon
• Restructured lexicon categories

10
BLS solutions

• Added lexicon categories and examples
• Clarified and added to coding rules
• Developed new desk aids and coding exercises

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Desk aid example
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Whats Next?

• Refine conceptual definitions
• --adult care
• --recreation vs. entertainment
• --hobbies vs. unpaid work
• --work activities vs. income-generating
  activities

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whats next

• Change lexicon to maximize international
  comparability
• --volunteer activities
• organization vs. activity-based
• type of organization (for children,
  religion-based)
• --religious spiritual activities
• religious services and practices
• weddings, funerals, wakes
• --helping and caring for adults
• break out types of help and assistance

14
whats next

• Revise coding rules
• --accompanying someone
• --doing favors
• --pet and animal care
• --lawn and garden care
• --travel as one of two simultaneous activities