ERIC Number: EJ1289728
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1364-5579
EISSN: N/A
Clarifying Question Meaning in Standardized Interviews Can Improve Data Quality Even though Wording May Change: A Review of the Evidence
Conrad, Frederick G.; Schober, Michael F.
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, v24 n2 p203-226 2021
Survey interviews are conducted to produce objective, accurate information in which interviewers ask questions as worded and their discretionary speech is carefully managed. To limit interviewer influence over answers and reduce between-interviewer variance, Standardized Interviewing (SI) requires interviewers to administer "nondirective probes" -- scripted utterances designed to elicit acceptable answers without leading respondents. To promote the intended interpretation of questions, and thus response accuracy, Conversational Interviewing (CI) authorizes interviewers to clarify questions when they suspect respondents have misunderstood. This article reviews evidence from 12 studies about the effectiveness of these two approaches. Findings consistently show that CI leads to considerably more accurate question interpretation and response accuracy than SI across different samples, modes, and languages, and does not increase interviewer variance. CI generally leads to longer interviews than SI, requiring practitioners to weigh increased response accuracy against longer interview duration. Several online implementations of CI have produced initially promising results.
Descriptors: Interviews, Language Usage, Questioning Techniques, Structured Interviews, Accuracy, Surveys, Responses
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF); National Cancer Institute (NCI) (NIH); Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: IIS0081550; SES0551294; SES1025645; SES1324689; SES1323636; SBR9730140; R01CA172283