Do
college student surveys have any validity? (2009 ASHE
Conference) Using
standards established for validation
research, I review the theory and evidence underlying the validity
argument of
the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) . I use the NSSE
because it is
the preeminent survey of college students, arguing that if it lacks
validity,
then so do almost all other college student surveys. I find that is
fails to
meet basic standards for validity and reliability, and recommend that
higher
education researchers initiate a new research agenda to develop valid
college student
surveys.
Non-response in student surveys: The role
of demographics, engagement and personality (ResHE 2005) What causes a student to
participate in a survey? This paper looks at participation across
multiple surveys to understand survey non-response; by using multiple
surveys we minimize the impact of survey salience. Students at a
selective liberal arts college were administered four different surveys
throughout the 2002--2003 academic year, and we use the number of
surveys participated in to understand how student characteristics such
as demographics, engagement and Holland personality type affect
cooperation. We find that survey respondents are more likely to be
female and socially engaged, less likely to be on financial aid, more
likely to be an investigative personality type and less likely to be an
enterprising personality type.
Student survey
response rates across institutions: Why do they vary? (ResHE 2006) While many studies have examined
nonresponse in student surveys, little research investigates why some
schools achieve higher student survey response rates than other
schools. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we analyze survey data
from 321 institutions that participated in the 2003 National Survey of
Student Engagement to understand how characteristics of colleges and
universities relate to student survey response rates. We find that the
makeup of the student body, as well as institutional characteristics
such public/private status and urban location affects response rates,
and that the number of computers per undergraduate has a strong
positive effect for web survey response rates.
The impact of lottery incentives on student
survey response rates (ResHE 2003)
Lottery incentives are widely used by institutional researchers despite
a lack of research documenting the effectiveness of postpaid incentives
in general and lottery incentives in particular. A controlled
experiment tested the effects of lottery incentives using a prospective
college applicant Web survey, with e-mails sent to more than 9,000 high
school students. The impact of the level of lottery incentive on
response rates and response bias is discussed.