This paper reports the strategies used to track and follow 3,828 Alaska Native and American Indian study participants in the city of Anchorage and more rural areas of Alaska and provides characteristics of respondents and non-respondents. Over 88% were successfully followed-up, with 49% of respondents completed in three or fewer attempts.…

Identified 40 studies published in "Journal of Counseling Psychology" from January 1980 through October 1989 that used mail survey procedures. Sent questionnaires inquiring about use of procedures to authors. Responses from 31 primary researchers, representing 34 of the studies, revealed that many studies did not follow empirically…

A monetary gratuity's effect on the return rate (RR) of a mail survey was studied. Half of the surveys mailed to 507 librarians in Arizona included a 1.00 dollar gratuity. The RR was 80% among those receiving the gratuity and 59% among controls. A survey's RR and consequent validity may be improved by including a gratuity. (SLD)

Multiple matrix sampling (MMS) as a data collection strategy was examined, and rates of response from 307 public school principals in Virginia were compared when subgroups of items were administered versus an entire instrument. MMS was demonstrated as a viable and reasonable procedure when the mail questionnaire consists of a large number of pages…

Increasingly, government, foundations, and others are asking community-based organizations for more evaluation information. Although the demand for this information may be increasing, the field knows very little about the way organizations are responding to this demand. Using data collected from interviews and a mail survey of community-based…

An ex post facto study involving a survey of exceptionally good and exceptionally problematic principals of Ohio secondary schools was undertaken to assess a method of obtaining a high response rate. The sample included 50 subjects (31 principals of good schools and 19 principals of problem schools), representing 7% of the 720 secondary schools in…

Details 10 years of experience with telephone survey methodology utilized at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) to collect data from business and industry, former students, and individuals residing in JCCC's service area. Compares results between mail survey respondents and nonrespondents who were later telephoned for an interview. (VWC)

Results of a study surveying 300 households suggest that mail survey researchers should consider using a "reasons for not responding" form because it increases responses to about the same degree as traditional followup procedures and it allows the collection of demographic information from nonrespondents. (SLD)

The effects of several variables and incentives on response rates for surveys were studied in a population of instructors at state-supported colleges in New Mexico and employees at a national laboratory. A survey instrument was developed on the subject of response to surveys. Short and long versions were mailed under cover letters signed by…

This study addresses the issues of response rates, nonresponse bias, and response bias in the context of comparing online surveys and traditional paper instruments. Key questions include: (1) Do online surveys yield higher rates of response than do paper surveys? (2) Is the nonresponse bias characteristic of online surveys similar to or different…

A mail survey of 125 former teacher education students was conducted to examine subjects' perceptions of and responses to the survey. The effects of techniques thought to motivate mail survey participation on responses and potential respondent bias were examined. (TJH)

Three major methods of survey research, face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, and mail questionnaires, are compared with respect to the quality of the data. The literature on experimental comparisons of these methods is reviewed, and the effects of the mode of data collection on aspects of data quality are examined. The effects of the…

This paper provides an overview of telephone survey research by colleges and universities and reports on comparisons between mail survey respondents and non-respondents who were later contacted by telephone. After an introduction, the paper discusses the various steps of a telephone survey project. These include: (1) identifying the population to…

In survey research, nonresponse has been one of the major concerns about survey accuracy and validity. A case in point is the increasing use of surveys in mass communications research; much previous research has dealt with nonresponse among the general public, but little is known about nonresponse in special subgroups in the population where any…

The Private School Universe Survey (PSS) is a mail survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census under the sponsorship of the National Center for Education Statistics. The survey is designed to provide data relating to all private schools in the United States, but the private schools' list frame remains incomplete despite the best efforts to…