Survey Research Methods (56:830:638 sec.40)
(graduate course: permission of instructor required for undergraduates)
 
 

Notes: (1) Required readings are shown below in boldface type. 
(2) Other reference sources are given for some topics, but are not required. 
(3) More required readings and references may be added during the semester).
(4) Please make sure you purchase the Singleton and Straits text. The other required readings will be available via Electronic Reserve at Robeson Library (search for 56:830:638 and click on Course Number. Required readings and other references  may also be purchased at your discretion (e.g., on line through the publisher, or through Amazon.com, or in person at the University District Bookstore--allow several days to several weeks for the books to arrive).

Text for Basic Concepts:

Singleton,  R. A., & Straits, B. C. (2005). Approaches to social research 
(4th edition). New York: Oxford University Press. (available at University District bookstore; do not get older edition)
 

Jan. 16  Introduction to Surveys as Research Methodology

         Reading: 

              Singleton & Straits: chapter 1

         References (not required reading):

              Weisberg, H. F., Krosnick, J. A., & Bowen, B. D. (1996). An 
              introduction to survey research, polling, and data analysis 
              (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (read chapter 15: Writing
              survey reports).

              Groves, R. M., Fowler, F. J., Couper, M. P., Lepkowski, J. M.,
              Singer, E., & Tourangeau, R. (2004). Survey methodology.
              that work.  Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. 
  

Jan. 23  Research Questions, Research Designs, & Hypothesis Generation

        Reading: 

                Singleton & Straits: chapter 3

         References (not required reading):

                McGuire, W. G. (1997). Creative hypothesis generating in psychology:
                Some useful heuristics. Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 1-30.
 
 

Jan. 30  Conceptualizing, Operationalizing, and Measuring Variables

        Reading: 

                Singleton & Straits: chapter 4, and pp. 384-392
 

Feb. 6  Sampling 

        Readings: 

                Singleton & Straits: chapter 5

                Groves, R. M., Fowler, F. J., Couper, M. P., Lepkowski, J. M.,
                Singer, E., & Tourangeau, R. (2004). Survey methodology.
                Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. (read chapter 3: Target 
                populations, sampling frames, and coverage error) 

                Rizzo, L., Brick, J.M., and Park, I. (2004). A minimally intrusive 
                method for sampling persons in random digit dial surveys. 
                Public Opinion Quarterly, 68, 267-274.

         References (not required reading):

               Henry, G. T. (1990). Practical sampling. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
 

Feb. 13  Survey Research Features, Designs, Approaches & Ethics

        Readings: 

               Singleton & Straits: chapter 8

               American Association for Public Opinon Research (2005).
               Code of Professional Ethics & Practices
               www.aapor.org/pdfs/AAPPOR_Code_2005.pdf

               (Complete Rutgers' Human Subjects Certification Program)
 

Feb. 20  Survey Participation and Nonresponse

        Readings: 

                Groves, R. M., & Couper, M. P. (1998). Nonresponse in
                household interview surveys. New York: Wiley. (read pp. 15-46).

               Beatty, P., & Hermann, D. (2002). To answer or not to answer:
               Decision processes related to survey item nonresponse. In D. A.
               Dillman, J. L. Eltinge, R. M. Groves, & R. J. A. Little (Eds.).
               (2002). Survey nonresponse (pp. 71-86). New York: Wiley.

                Fowler, F. J. (2002). Survey research methods (3rd ed.).
                Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. (read chapter 3)

                Dillman, D. A. (2000). Mail and internet surveys: The tailored
                design method (2nd ed.) New York: Wiley.(read pp. 14-29,
                149-193).

        References (not required reading):
 
               American Association for Public Opinon Research (2006).
               Standard Definitions: Final dispositions of case codes and outcome 
               rates for surveys (4th ed.)
               www.aapor.org/pdfs/standarddefs_4.pdf

               Dillman, D. A., Eltinge, J. L., Groves, R. M., & Little, R. J. A. (Eds.).
               (2002). Survey nonresponse. New York: Wiley.
 

Feb. 27  Survey Instrumentation

        Readings: 

               Singleton & Straits: chapter 9

               Tourangeau, R., Rips, L. J., & Rasinski, K. (2000). The psychology
               of survey response. New York: Cambridge University Press. (read
               chapters 1 and 2)

                Bradburn, N. M., Sudman, S., & Wansink, B. (2004). Asking 
                questions: The definitive guide to questionnaire design
                (revised edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (read chapter 3:
               Asking threatening questions about behavior)
 

        References (not required reading):

=              Bradburn, N. M., Sudman, S., & Wansink, B. (2004). Asking 
                questions: The definitive guide to questionnaire design
                (revised edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 
 

Mar. 6  Constructing Better Questionnaires and Questions

        Readings: 

               Frey, J. H., & Oishi, S. M. (1995). How to conduct interviews
               by telephone and in person.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (read
               chapter 2: questionnaire construction.

                Fowler, F. J. (1995). Improving survey questions: Design
                and evaluation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (read chapter 4:
                Some general rules for designing good survey instruments).

                Dillman, D. A. (2000). Mail and internet surveys: The tailored
                design method (2nd ed.) New York: Wiley.(read pp. 79-148,
                Constructing the questionnaire; & pp. 352-401, Internet surveys).

        References (not required reading):

                Litwin, M. S. (1995). How to measure survey reliability and validity.
                Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

                Harkness, J. A., van de Vijver, F. J. R., & Mohler, P. P. (2003).
                Cross-cultural survey methods. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
                

Mar. 20  Interviewing 

        Readings: 

               Fowler, F. J., & Mangioine, T. W. (1990). Standardized survey 
               interviewing. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (read chapters 1, 3, & 9)

               Suchman, L., & Jordan, B. (1991). Validity and the collaborative
               construction of meaning in face-to-face surveys. In J. Tanur (Ed.),
               Questions about questions: Inquiries into the cognitive bases
               of surveys (pp. 241-267). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

               Conrad, F. G., & Schober, M. F. (2000). Clarifying question
               meaning in a household telephone survey. Public Opinioin 
               Quarterly, 64, 1-28.

         References (not required reading):

               Maynard, D., Houtkoop-Steenstra, H., & van der Zouwen, J. (2002).
               Standardization and tacit knowledge: Interaction and practice
               in the survey interview. New York: Wiley.

               Couper, M. P., Baker, R. P., Bethlehem, J., Clark, C. Z. F., Martin, J.,
               Nicholls, William J. II, O'Reilly, J. M. (1998). Computer assisted 
               survey information collection.  New York: Wiley.
 

Mar. 27  Evaluating Survey Questions

        Readings: 

               Presser, S., Couper, M. P., Lessler, J. T., Martin, E., Rothgeb, J. 
               M., & Singer, E. (2004). Methods for testing and evaluating survey
               questions. . Public Opinioin Quarterly, 68, 109-130.
 
               Lessler, J. T., & Forsyth, B. H. (1996). A coding system for 
               appraising questionnaires. In N. Schwarz & S. Sudman (Eds.)
               Answsering questions: Methodology for determining cognitive
               and communicative processes in survey research (pp. 259-291). 
               San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

          References (not required reading): 

               Presser, S., Rothgeb, J. M., Couper, M. P., Lessler, J.T., 
               Martin, E., Martin, J., & Singer, E. (2004). Methods for testing and
               evaluating susrvey questionnaires. New York: Wiley. (chapters
               providing extended discussion on the various methods in Presser et al.
               2004 POQ article, and special populations such as children and 
               adolescents and cross-national samples)
 

Apr.  3   Qualitative Methods: Unstructured & Semistructured 
              Interviewing; Coding Responses to Open-Ended Questions

        Reading: 

              Bernard, R. (2000). Social research methods: Qualitative and
              Quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
              (read chapter 6: Interviewing: Unstructured and semistructured; & 
              chapter 12, Qualitative data analysis I: Text analysis).
 

         References (not required reading): 

              Miles, M. B., & Huberman, M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis:
               An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
 

Apr. 10  Survey Data Processing and Basic Data Analysis 

        Readings: 

              Singleton & Straits: chapter 14: Data processing and elementary 
              data analysis

              Allison, P. (2002). Missing data. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.(read
              pp. 1-12: Introduction; Assumptions; Conventional methods)

          References (not required reading): 

              Singleton & Straits: chapter 15: Multivariate analysis.

              Babbie, E. R., Halley, F. S., & Zaino, J. (2007). Adventures in social
              research with SPSS Student Version: Data analysis using SPSS 
              14.0 and 15.0 for Windows (6th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
 

Apr. 17  Writing Up Survey Findings

        Readings: 

         References (not required reading): 

              Bem, D. J. (2003). Writing the empirical journal article. In J. M. Darley,
              M. P. Zanna, & H. L. Roediger III (Eds.), The compleat academic
              2nd ed). Washington, DC: APA books.

               Tufte, E. R. (2001). The visual display of quantitative information
               (2nd ed.). Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press.

Apr. 24  Presentations   

May 3 (Thursday) 6pm-9pm  Final Exam