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EPPS 7386 (501) Spring 2011 (3 hrs) Professor Simon Fass

R: 7:00-9:45 p.m. SLC: 3.102 Office: WSTC 1.220


Office hours: T 5:30-6:45; W 5:30-6:30; R 5:30-6:30 and by appointment tel: 972 883 2938
e-mail: e-learning for course purposes or…
… when e-learning is down: fass@utdallas.edu

Survey Research
preliminary

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of producing useful information in the social
sciences through survey research. Knowledge of this subject matter is important. Modern society
bombards its citizens with requests that they respond to survey questions. Communication media
assault and often reshape citizen senses with constant reporting on their responses. Expanding
research literatures use the responses to try to make sense of and perhaps improve the quality of
societal life. In this circumstance, it is essential that surveys, interviews and other methods yield
meaningful and accurate data that can help to maintain an informed citizenry and generate social
science and policy research work that is useful.

With this in mind, the course addresses several vital themes beyond the fundamental one of
simply understanding the meaning of a datum. These include coverage properties of sampling
frames; sample design and measurement error; alternative methods of data production (e.g.
telephone versus face-to-face, paper versus computer-assisted, interviewer administered versus
self-administered, etc.); impact of non-response on information quality; reduction of non-
response; survey project administration; post-survey processing; and survey research morality.

Because it is so crucial to the enterprise, the course puts particular emphasis on design of
questions and questionnaires. Explorations here include cognitive guidelines to assure
respondent understanding; approaches to determining valid recollection of past behaviors and
events; effects of question wording, answer formats and question sequence on responses;
combining individual questions into meaningful questionnaire structures; guidelines for
developing self-completion surveys relative to interview surveys; and strategies for acquiring
sensitive information; and the arts of face-to-face interviewing.

A. Learning Outcomes: Through readings and assignments, students will learn how to:
™ develop samples and sampling strategies to minimize error
™ design, evaluate and ask survey and interview questions
™ measure survey reliability and validity
™ implement self-administered and mail surveys
™ decrease non-response
™ undertake post-collection survey data processing, and
™ conduct survey research with integrity
B. Pre-requisite: None in particular, but completion of a social research methods course would
be nice, statistics too.

C. Required Texts:
Asking Questions: The Definitive Guide to Questionnaire Design - For Market Research,
Political Polls, and Social and Health Questionnaires (2004)
Bradburn, N.M., Sudman, S., and Wansik, B. Jossey-Bass [Bradburn et al]

Internet, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method, 3e (2009)
Dillman, D.A., Smyth, J.D. and Christian, L.M. Wiley [Dillman et al]

Survey Methodology, 2e. (2009).


Groves, R.M., Fowler Jr., F.J., Couper, M.P., Lepkowski, J.M., Singer, E. and
Tourangeau, R. Wiley. [Groves et al]

The Psychology of Survey Response (2000)


Tourangeau, R., Rips, L.J. and Rasinski, K. Cambridge Univ. Press. [Tourangeau et al]

D. Grades: Structure is: A(4.0), A-(3.67), B+(3.33), B(3.00), B-(2.67), C+(2.33), C(2.00), F(0)
Grading is based on performance in three class project assignments, a mid-term examination
and a final examination, as follows:
Class assignments (3 assignments at 20% each): 60 %
Mid-term examination: 20 %
Final examination: 20 %
Total: 100 %

E. Class Schedule and Readings (tentative):

1. January 13: Course Overview

2. January 20: Introduction to Survey Methods


Groves et al :
Chapter 1. An Introduction to Survey Methodology.
Charter 2. Inference and Error in Surveys.
Dillman et al:
Chapter 1. Turbulent Times for Survey Research.
Chapter 2. The Tailored Design Method
Miller, P.V. 1995. They Said it Couldn’t be Done: The National Health and Social Life
Survey. Public Opinion Quarterly, 59(3), 404-419.
Squire, P. 1988. Why the 1936 Literary Digest Poll Failed. Public Opinion Quarterly, 52(1),
125-133.
3. January 27: Coverage and Sampling
Groves et al:
Chapter 3. Target Populations, Sampling Frames, and Coverage Error.
Dillman et al:
Chapter 3. Coverage and Sampling.
Kaple, D., Ziggy Rivkin-Fish, Hugh Louch, Lori Morris, and Paul DiMaggio. 1998.
Comparing Sample Frames for Research on Arts Organizations: Results of a Study in Three
Metropolitan Areas. Journal of Arts Management, Law & Society, 28(1): 41-67.
Keeter, S. 2006. The Impact of Cell Phone Noncoverage Bias on Polling in the 2004
Presidential Election. Public Opinion Quarterly, (70), 1, 88-89.

4. February 3: Sample Design


Groves et al:
Chapter 4. Sample Design and Sampling Error.
Stueve, A., O’Donnell, L. N., Duran, R., San Doval, A., and Blome, J. 2001. Time-Space
Sampling in Minority Communities: Results With Young Latino Men Who Have Sex With
Men. American Journal of Public Health, 91(6), 922-926.
Urdan, T.C. 2001. Statistics in Plain English. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Chapter 5: Standardization and Z scores pp. 33-44
5. February 10: Data Production
Groves et al:
Chapter 5. Methods of Data Collection.
Dillman et al:
Chapter 7. Implementation Procedures
Tourangeau et al:
Chapter 10. Mode of Data Collection
6. February 17: Mixed Methods and Web Surveys
Dillman et al:
Chapter 8. When More Than One Survey Mode is Needed
Chapter 10. Customer Feedback Surveys and Alternative Delivery Technologies.
De Leeuw, E.D. 2005. To Mix or Not To Mix Data Collection Modes in Surveys. Journal of
Official Statistics, 21(2): 233-255.
Heerwegh, D. and Loosveldt. 2006. An Experimental Study on The Effects of
Personalization, Survey Length Statement, Progress Indicators, and Survey Sponsor Logos
in Web Surveys. Journal of Official Statistics, 22(2), 191-210.
Christian, L.M., Dillman, D.A., and Smyth, J.D. 2007. Helping Respondents Get It Right
The First Time: The Influence of Words, Symbols, and Graphics in Web Surveys. Public
Opinion Quarterly, 71(1), 113-125.
Recommended
Porter, S. R. and Whitcomb, M.E. 2007. Mixed-Mode Contacts in Web Surveys: Paper is
Not Necessarily Better. Public Opinion Quarterly, 71(4), 635-648
Best, S. J., and Krueger, B. S. 2004. Internet Data Collection. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications.
Chapter 4: Administering Instruments on the Internet, pp. 36-74
7. February 24: Survey Nonresponse
Groves et al:
Chapter 6. Nonresponse in Sample Surveys.
Johnson, T., O’Rourke, D., Burris, J., & Owens, L. 2002. Culture and Survey Nonresponse.
In Groves et al. (eds.). Survey Nonresponse. New York: Wiley-Interscience. pp. 55-69
Porter, S.R. and Whitcomb, M.E. 2005. Nonresponse in Student Surveys: The Role of
Demographics, Engagement and Personality. Research in Higher Education, 46(2) 127-151.
8. March 3: Asking and Answering Questions
Groves et al:
Chapter 7. Questions and Answers in Surveys.
Dillman et al:
Chapter 4. The Basics of Crafting Good Questions
Bradburn et al:
Chapter 1. The Social Context of Question Asking.
Tourangeau et al:
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Respondents' Understanding of Survey Questions
Chapter 11. Impact of Cognitive Models on Survey Measurement
9. March 10: Questions on Fact
Tourangeau et al:
Chapter 3. The role of memory in survey responding
Chapter 4. Answering questions about date and durations
Chapter 5. Factual judgments and numerical estimates
Chapter 8. Selecting a Response: Mapping Judgements to Survey Answers
Bradburn et al:
Chapter 2. Asking Nonthreatening Questions About Behavior.
Chapter 6. Asking Questions that Measure Knowledge.
Chapter 7. Asking Questions that Evaluate Performance.
Chapter 9. Asking Standard Demographic Questions

March 17, 2011 Spring Break


10. March 24: Questions on Quasi-Fact
Tourangeau et al:
Chapter 6. Attitude questions
Chapter 7. Attitude judgments and context effects
Chapter 9. Editing of Responses: Reporting About Sensitive Topics
Bradburn et al:
Chapter 3. Asking Threatening Questions About Behavior.
Chapter 4. Asking Questions About Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions.
Chapter 8. Asking Psychographic Questions.

11. March 31: Questionnaire Design I


Dillman et al:
Chapter 5. Constructing Open and Closed Ended Questions
Chapter 6. From Questions to a Questionnaire
Bradburn et al:
Chapter 5. Asking and Recording Open-Ended and Closed-Ended Questions.
Chapter 10. Organizing and Designing Questionnaires.
Bernard, H.R. 2006. Research Methods in Anthropology: Quantitative and Qualitative
Approaches, 4e. AltaMira Press.
Chapter 12. Scales and Scaling. pp. 318-341
DeVellis, R.F. 2003. Scale Development: Theory and Applications. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage Publications.
Chapter 5. Guidelines in Scale Development. pp. 61-100

12. April 7: Questionnaire Design II


Groves et al:
Chapter 8. Evaluating Survey Questions.
Christian, L.M. and Dillman, D.A. 2004. The Influence of Graphical and Symbolic
Language Manipulations on Responses to Self-Administered Questions. Public Opinion
Quarterly, 68(1): 57-80.
Tourangeau, R., Couper, M.P., and Conrad, F. 2004. Spacing, Position, and Order:
Interpretive Heuristics for Visual Features of Survey Questions. Public Opinion Quarterly,
68: 368-393.
Recommended
Peytchev, A., Couper, M.P., McCabe, S.E., and Crawford, S.D. 2006. Web Survey Design:
Paging Versus Scrolling. Public Opinion Quarterly, 70(4), 596-607.
13. April 14: Arts of Interviewing
Groves et al : Chapter 9. Survey Interviewing.
Beatty, P.C. and Willis, G.B. 2007. Research Synthesis: The Practice of Cognitive
Interviewing. Public Opinion Quarterly, 71(2), 287-311.
Bernard, H.R. 2006. Research Methods in Anthropology: Quantitative and Qualitative
Approaches, 4e. AltaMira Press.
Chapter 9 : Interviewing : Structured and Unstructured
Chapter 10: Structured Interviewing I : Questionnaires
Chapter 11: Structured Interviewing II: Cultural Domain Analysis

14. April 21: Implementation and Data Processing


Dillman et al:
Chapter 7 Implementation Procedures.
Groves et al:
Chapter 10. Postcollection Processing of Survey Data.
Croninger, R.G and Douglas, K.M. 2005. Missing Data and Institutional Research. In
Umbach, P.D. (ed.) Survey Research: Emerging Issues, New Directions For Institutional
Research No. 127, Jossey-Bass, pp 33-49.
Pike, G.R. 2007. Adjusting for nonresponse in surveys. In J.C. Smart (ed.), Higher
Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, Vol. XIX, Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
pp. 175-195.

15. April 28: Virtuous Practice


Groves et al:
Chapter 11. Principles and Practices Related to Ethical Research
Carpenter, D. 2007. Institutional Review Boards, Regulatory Incentives, and Some Modest
Proposals for Reform. Northwestern University Law Review, 101(2), 687-706.
Fischman, M.W. 2000. Informed Consent. In Sales, B.D. and Folkman, S (eds.), Ethics in
Research with Human Participants. American Psychological Association APA: Washington,
DC. pp 35-48

To be continued…

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