PA 582 Survey Data Collection Methods Semester Spring 2005 Instructor Allyson L Holbrook Contact Information Phone 312 996 0471 E mail allyson uic edu Office CUPPAH 627 Office Hours By appointment Course Credits 2 hours Course Overview and Objectives In this course the impact of survey data collection techniques on data quality and survey costs will be reviewed Major data collection methods used in surveys will be reviewed e g face to face interviewing telephone survey and mail questionnaires and studies comparing these modes will be discussed New advances in data collection including computer assisted telephone interviewing CATI computer assisted personal interviewing CAPI and other methods will also be reviewed Finally the role of interviewers their impact on survey data and the literature on interviewer effects will be reviewed and discussed Required Texts None readings will be made available or provided to students during the semester Course Policies Class Discussion Each class will be divided so that approximately half of the class is lecture and half is discussion Each student will be responsible for generating 2 or more discussion questions about the readings from each week Questions should be e mailed to the instructor allyson uic edu no later than noon the day of class Written Assignments There will be three exercises handed out for homework during the course of the semester These exercises are designed for you to 1 practice the concepts covered in the block of lessons to which it pertains 2 demonstrate your understanding and mastery of these concepts 3 apply these concepts and 4 prompt your discussion and questions The exercises will be distributed one week before the due date Note Due dates are annotated in the course schedule On the day the exercise is due each student will be asked to give a brief summary 3 5 minutes of his or her completed assignment Deadlines All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day they are due Students will lose 10 credit for each day that an assignment is late In addition do the assigned readings before they are discussed in class 1 Extensions for assignments Extensions for assignments are at the discretion of the instructors and should be requested before the deadline Emergencies will be considered on a case by case basis If you have a question about an extension please talk to the instructor Plagiarism or cheating Don t do it It s not worth it Guidelines regarding academic integrity at UIC are available online http www uic edu depts sja integrit htm and sanctions for academic dishonesty are also available http www uic edu depts sja chpt3 htm 3 Please don t put us in a position where we need to learn more about these policies Attendance Ten points will be assigned based on attendance If you must miss a class please let the instructors know in advance Class attendance is strongly encouraged Active involvement in class is also expected If your final grade is on the border a subjective assessment of your class participation may be used to make final adjustments Grades Points Percent of Total Grade 15 15 15 20 15 0 15 0 15 0 20 0 25 10 25 0 10 0 100 points 100 Assignment Exercise 1 Due Week 3 Exercise 2 Due Week 4 Exercise 3 Due Week 5 Discussion Questions Participation in Class Discussion Final Exam Class Attendance Total Outline January 11 Week 1 Part I Introduction and Overview of course Part II Strengths and Weaknesses of Three Primary Modes of Data Collection January 18 Week 2 Mode combinations comparisons Exercise 1 Distributed January 25 Week 3 Technology and survey interviewing 2 Exercise 1 Due Part I Student reports on Exercise 1 Part II Computer assisted interviewing Part III New Modes of Data Collection February 1 Week 4 The Role of the Interviewer Exercise 2 Distributed Part I Interviewer training and supervision Part II Interviewer Effects February 8 Week 5 Exercise 2 Due Part I Student reports on Exercise 2 Part II Respondent Selection Part III The Impact of Incentives February 15 Week 6 Exercise 3 Distributed Part I Standardization and control versus the role of conversation Part II Establishment and Elite Surveys February 22 Week 7 Exercise 3 Due Part I Student reports on Exercise 3 Part II Longitudinal Panel surveys March 1 Week 8 Part I Final Exam Part II Summing up and instructor evaluations 3 Schedule and Reading Assignments Week 1 Part I Introduction and Overview of course Readings Required Chapter 1 from Groves Robert M 1989 Survey Errors and Survey Costs New York John Wiley and Sons Optional Biemer P 1988 Measuring Data Quality In Groves R M Biemer P P Lyberg L E Massey J T Nicholls W L and Waksberg J eds Telephone Survey Methodology New York Wiley Turner Charles F 1985 Why Do Surveys Disagree Some Preliminary Hypotheses and Some Disagreeable Examples In Charles F Turner and Elizabeth Martin eds Surveying Subjective Phenomena Volume 2 Russell Sage Foundation 1985 Part II Strengths and Weaknesses of Three Primary Modes of Data Collection Readings Required Chapter 5 Weisberg H F Krosnick J A Bowen B D 1996 An Introduction to Survey Research Polling and Data Analysis Thousand Oaks CA Sage Publications Chapter 10 Tourangeau R Rips L J Rasinski K 2000 The Psychology of Survey Response New York Cambridge University Press Chapter 11 from Groves Robert M 1989 Survey Errors and Survey Costs New York John Wiley and Sons Dillman D A 1991 The Design and Administration of Mail Surveys Annual Review of Sociology 17 225 249 4 Optional Groves R M 1990 Theories and Methods of Telephone Surveys Annual Review of Sociology 16 221 240 Chapter 1 of Lavrakas P J 1993 Telephone Survey Methods Sampling Selection and Supervision Thousand Oaks CA Sage Publications Lyberg L E and Kasprzyk D 1991 Data Collection Methods and Measurement Error An Overview In Biemer P P Groves R M Lyberg L E Mathiowetz N A and Sudman S eds Measurement Errors in Surveys New York Wiley Massey J 1988 An Overview of Telephone Coverage In Groves R M Biemer P P Lyberg L E Massey J T Nicholls W L and Waksberg J eds Telephone Survey Methodology New York Wiley Trewin D and Lee G 1988 International Comparisons of Telephone Coverage In Groves R M Biemer P P Lyberg L E Massey J T Nicholls W L and Waksberg J eds Telephone Survey Methodology New York Wiley Thornberry O and Massey J 1988 Trends in the United States Telephone Coverage Across Time and Subgroups In Groves R M Biemer P P Lyberg L E Massey J T Nicholls W L and Waksberg J eds Telephone Survey Methodology