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Surveys

Surveys. Cynthia J. Miller, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Dept. of Physiology & Biophysics University of Louisville. Why should you use surveys?. Time-efficient, convenient, and familiar. To gather demographics. To reach a large number of participants.

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Surveys

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  1. Surveys Cynthia J. Miller, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Dept. of Physiology & Biophysics University of Louisville

  2. Why should you use surveys? Time-efficient, convenient, and familiar To gather demographics To reach a large number of participants To evaluate the effectiveness of teaching practices To examine alignment between faculty and students To gauge motivations, beliefs, and attitudes To obtain baseline data and monitor changes

  3. Developing Surveys • Search for established and/or validated instruments • Consult the literature in your field • Verify that the instrument is beneficial for your use • Example: SALG (Student Assessment of their Learning Gains) Survey • If an appropriate instrument does not exist: • AKA “back to square one” • Example: CREATE Survey • Define your objectives • Work backwards-determine the data that you need to gather

  4. Question Development • Forced vs. open-response items • Forced, Likert-scale most commonly used • Forced responses can be easier to analyze • Open responses can be useful due to multiple definitions/perceptions of questions, but also increases difficulty of analysis • Try to ensure anonymity if possible, guarantee confidentiality • Use simple terminology and unambiguous language • Check for bias-ensure you are not asking leading questions

  5. Question Development • Ask questions from multiple perspectives and in different parts of the survey to ensure validity • Hoskins Paper • “The scientific literature is difficult to understand” • “I am confident in my ability to critically review scientific literature” • Negative statements are reverse-scored when quantifying data

  6. Question Development • Revisit original goals/hypotheses and ensure alignment • Pilot questions with your research team, peers, a sample of target respondents, and a statistician

  7. Survey Distribution Pen-and-Paper Online Programs such as SurveyMonkey, SurveyGizmo, Qualtrics Most institutions have programs available for free or reduced prices Benefits: Compile data, Produce graphs or charts, Statistical analysis, Larger potential sample sizes Limitations: May lower response rates • Benefits: Can ensure completion by respondents • Limitations: Must compile data by hand, lower perception of anonymity (particularly with open-response questions)

  8. Effective Distribution Challenges Suggestions Consider providing incentives for participation Emphasize importance of results Complete during class time or scheduled meetings Endorsement by respected authorities • Low Response Rates • “Survey Fatigue” • Poor timing • Respondents not carefully completing survey

  9. Potential Limitations • Samples may not be representative of entire population • Self-reported data is often biased • Past events • Behaviors that may be negatively perceived • Respondents may feel the need to “tell you what you want to hear”

  10. Triangulation • Use multiple methods of data collection to analyze the same research question Student Focus Groups Faculty Surveys Classroom Observations Exam Scores Faculty Surveys Student Surveys

  11. CREATE Method Papers Student Surveys Student Surveys (Pre/Post) Student Article Critiques Mentioned past studies on critical-thinking skills, interviews, and validated surveys Student Exams (Pre/Post) Hoskins, Lopatto, and Stevens Segura-Totten and Dalman

  12. Resources • Survey Design • www.statpac.com/surveys • Describing & Measuring Undergraduate Stem Teaching Practices • http://ccliconference.org/files/2013/11/Measuring-STEM-Teaching-Practices.pdf • Duke Initiative on Survey Methodology • http://dism.ssri.duke.edu/question_design.php • General Introduction • Fink AG. How to Conduct Surveys: A Step-by-Step Guide. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, 2008. • Question Development and Distribution Methods • DeVellis RF. Scale Development Theory and Application, 3rd Edition. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, 2012. • DillmanDA. Mail and Internet Surveys: The Tailored Design Method, 2nd Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, NJ, 2007. • Triangulation • Creswell N, Clark V. Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, 2007.

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