Web-based surveys have become more prevalent in areas such as evaluation, research, and marketing research to name a few. The proliferation of these online surveys raises the question, how do response rates compare with traditional surveys and at what cost? This research explored response rates and costs for Web-based surveys, paper surveys, and…

Longitudinal research designs involve data collection at multiple time points to measure change over time. Therefore, identification of the same respondents is essential at each time point so that data from the same respondents can be matched for comparison over time. Subject-generated identification codes permit an anonymous means to track…

This article describes rates of missing item responses in personal digital assistant (PDA) assessments as compared to paper assessments. Data come from the evaluation of a classroom-based leisure, life skills, and sexuality education program delivered to high school students in Cape Town, South Africa. Analyses show that the paper assessments had…

Risks of life on the street caused by inclement weather, harassment, and assault threaten the unsheltered homeless population. We address some challenges of enumerating the street homeless population by testing a novel capture-recapture (CR) estimation approach that models individuals' intermittent daytime visibility. We tested walking and…

Compared data collected through paper survey forms to data collected with handheld computer-based forms in a field study of alcohol purchase attempts at 47 community festivals. Agreement between the two methods was greater than 95%. Findings show handheld computers to be a feasible alternative to paper forms for field data collection. (SLD)

Collected substance use survey data from 69 of 105 targeted school districts in 12 states. Results indicate that the availability and quality of extant data currently limit their usefulness. Recommendations are made to assisting schools to improve the value of their substance use surveys. (SLD)

Compared face-to-face interviews with self-administered questionnaires as methods of data collection in a study of smoking attitudes and behavior conducted with 601 young Latina and African American women. Results show neither mode to provide superior results and indicate that cost effectiveness and convenience may be greater for the…

Methods for recording information derived from focus groups are described as follows: (1) transcribe the entire discussion from a tape; (2) expand reporter's notes by using a tape; and (3) work from reporter's notes only. Three approaches are also suggested for synthesizing the discussion into an accurate text. (SLD)

The Children's Health Awareness Project is presented as a case study in using focus groups for gathering sensitive information from children. General focus group techniques and advantages and limitations of the method are described. Recommendations are offered for use of the technique with children when sensitive topics are addressed. (SLD)

This methodological study examines an original data collection model designed to incorporate human factors and enhance data richness in qualitative and evaluation research. Evidence supporting this model is drawn from in-depth youth and adult interviews in one of the largest policy/program evaluations undertaken in the United States, the Drug,…

Two methods for dividing an interrupted time-series study between baseline and experimental phases when study resources are limited are compared. In fixed designs, the baseline duration is predetermined. In flexible designs the baseline duration is contingent on remaining resources and the match of results to prior expectations of the evaluator.…

Compared self-administered diaries and telephone interviews as ways of collecting data from 100 adults and adolescents in a survey of drinking, drug use, and sexual activity. Outlines advantages of each method and the higher personnel costs of telephone interviews. (SLD)

A methodology for developing clinical/research assessment tools, training interviewers, and continuously assessing interrater reliability is discussed. Data from a multisite national evaluation of long-term health care programs (i.e., the Social/Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) for elderly clients) are used. Focus is on providing research…

Using data from the evaluation of the Fast Track intervention, this article illustrates three methods for handling attrition. Multiple imputation and ignorable maximum likelihood estimation produce estimates that are similar to those based on listwise-deleted data. A panel selection model that allows for selective dropout reveals that highly…

The histories of five multisite, qualitative policy studies were examined to see how much variation in formalization reflected the technical requirements of the research problem, the demands of the federal client, and the preferences of the project team and its professional network. (Author/PN)