This paper presents results of a review of mail survey response literature and provides recommendations for the application of some response-enhancing techniques to the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) of the National Center for Education Statistics. The SASS is an integrated set of surveys sponsored by the NCES and conducted by the Bureau of…

The advent of the World Wide Web as a platform for the dissemination of survey instruments to diverse populations and the electronic recording of response data has changed the timeliness and cost effectiveness of survey administration. The implications of the new ability to track response behavior patterns will have a major impact on the field of…

A survey of academic reference librarians in North Carolina provided data for an examination of differences in survey administration on paper and the World Wide Web. Research via the Internet is becoming more attractive for many researchers, but the effects of this medium upon research outcomes have been little explored. This study examined in…

High School and Beyond (HS&B), is the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES's) national longitudinal study of the high school sophomores and seniors of 1980. As one component of the base year data collection, teachers were asked to fill out a short questionnaire concerning those HS&B students whom they had taught during the…

This chapter reviews the literature on survey fatigue and summarizes a research project that indicates that administering multiple surveys in one academic year can significantly suppress response rates in later surveys. (Contains 4 tables.)

This study was designed to determine the extent to which the results of an employment survey of graduates of a teacher preparation program would have been affected by changes in response rate. At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a followup of teacher education program graduates is conducted annually. A total of 284 graduates of the 1992…

A study at the United States Air Force Academy examined reasons for "survey saturation" among students. Despite relatively high return rates, anecdotal student data suggested that students felt burdened by frequent administration of surveys; and administrators expressed concerns about the general validity of survey data. Information was…

The cost-effectiveness and impact on response rate of variations in mailing procedures involved in a mail survey of teacher education graduates were assessed. Variables studied were use of a preliminary or advance letter, postcard versus letter reminders as the first follow-up mailing, timing of the reminder (1 versus 2 weeks after the first…

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a data collection system of the National Center for Education Statistics. It focuses on educational issues that are best addressed by contacting individual households rather than institutions. The primary purpose of the NHES is to conduct repeated measurements of the same phenomena at different…

Approaches to the practical problems of finding former offenders and making them want to participate in a study are described for a study of desistance from crime. In the example, a success rate of 78% was achieved for a sample of 50 former offenders. Attention to individual circumstances is critical. (SLD)

In recent years, college administrators have become concerned with survey fatigue among students and declining response rates. Some campuses have responded by implementing policies about who can conduct surveys and which topics are permitted. This chapter describes the development of such policies and provides valuable suggestions to campus…

This study examined the extent that pulmonary function is related to perceived health status and global quality of life in adults suffering from cystic fibrosis, and the extent that self-efficacy modifies these relationships. Our sample comprised 86 adults (48% female; mean age, 29 years; age range, 18-54 years) with cystic fibrosis, recruited…

This manual explains how to construct a questionnaire. It is intended for the novice researcher who has little experience in questionnaire construction. The first seven chapters discuss the following seven stages in questionnaire development: (1) establishing the guiding questions; (2) operationalizing and clarifying the guiding questions; (3)…

The effectiveness of five methods used to estimate the population parameters of a variable of interest from a random sample in the presence of non-response to mail surveys was tested in conditions that vary the return rate and the relationship of the variable of interest to the likelihood of response. Data from 125,092 adult Alabama residents in…

Much of the literature on random-digit-dial (RDD) response rates focuses on the benefits and drawbacks of various screening and sampling procedures. The common assumption is that enumeration is more invasive, leading to lower response rates, but there are concerns about population coverage and self-selection with other methods. When the target…