Pub Date : 2022-08-01DOI: 10.1177/1525822X221077398
Sela R Harcey, Robin Gauthier, Kelly L Markowski, Jeffrey A Smith
Conducting field research with a vulnerable population is difficult under the most auspicious conditions, and these difficulties only increase during a pandemic. Here, we describe the practical challenges and ethical considerations surrounding a recent data collection effort with a high-risk population during the COVID-19 pandemic. We detail our strategies related to research design, site selection, and ethical review.
{"title":"Short Take: Collecting Data from a Vulnerable Population during the COVID-19 Pandemic.","authors":"Sela R Harcey, Robin Gauthier, Kelly L Markowski, Jeffrey A Smith","doi":"10.1177/1525822X221077398","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X221077398","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Conducting field research with a vulnerable population is difficult under the most auspicious conditions, and these difficulties only increase during a pandemic. Here, we describe the practical challenges and ethical considerations surrounding a recent data collection effort with a high-risk population during the COVID-19 pandemic. We detail our strategies related to research design, site selection, and ethical review.</p>","PeriodicalId":48060,"journal":{"name":"Field Methods","volume":"34 3","pages":"265-271"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8968433/pdf/10.1177_1525822X221077398.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9730306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-08-01DOI: 10.1177/1525822X221105940
Ádám Stefkovics
A number of previous studies have shown that the direction of rating scales may affect the distribution of responses. There is also considerable evidence that the cognitive process of answering a survey question differ by survey mode, which suggests that scale direction effects may interact with mode effects. The aim of this study was to explore scale direction effect differences between experimental data collected by face-to-face, phone, and online interviews. Three different scales were used in the survey. Few signs of scale direction effects were found in the interviewer-administered surveys, while in the online survey, in the case of the 0–10 scale, responses were affected by the direction of the scale. The anchoring-and-adjustment heuristic may explain these mode differences and the results suggest that the theory provides a better theoretical ground than satisficing theory in the case of scalar questions.
{"title":"Are Scale Direction Effects the Same in Different Survey Modes? Comparison of a Face-to-Face, a Telephone, and an Online Survey Experiment","authors":"Ádám Stefkovics","doi":"10.1177/1525822X221105940","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X221105940","url":null,"abstract":"A number of previous studies have shown that the direction of rating scales may affect the distribution of responses. There is also considerable evidence that the cognitive process of answering a survey question differ by survey mode, which suggests that scale direction effects may interact with mode effects. The aim of this study was to explore scale direction effect differences between experimental data collected by face-to-face, phone, and online interviews. Three different scales were used in the survey. Few signs of scale direction effects were found in the interviewer-administered surveys, while in the online survey, in the case of the 0–10 scale, responses were affected by the direction of the scale. The anchoring-and-adjustment heuristic may explain these mode differences and the results suggest that the theory provides a better theoretical ground than satisficing theory in the case of scalar questions.","PeriodicalId":48060,"journal":{"name":"Field Methods","volume":"34 1","pages":"206 - 222"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47463988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-21DOI: 10.1177/1525822X221107053
Catherine Billington, Gonzalo Rivero, Andrew Jannett, Jiating Chen
During data collection, field interviewers often append notes or comments to a case in open text fields to request updates to case-level data. Processing these comments can improve data quality, but many are non-actionable, and processing remains a costly manual task. This article presents a case study using a novel application of machine learning tools to assist in the evaluation of these comments. Using over 5,000 comments from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we built features that were fed to a machine learning model to predict a grouping category for each comment as previously assigned by data technicians to expedite processing. The model achieved high top-3 accuracy and was incorporated into a production tool for editing. A qualitative evaluation of the tool also provided encouraging results. This application of machine learning tools allowed a small but worthwhile increase in processing efficiency, while maintaining exacting standards for data quality.
{"title":"A Machine Learning Model Helps Process Interviewer Comments in Computer-assisted Personal Interview Instruments: A Case Study","authors":"Catherine Billington, Gonzalo Rivero, Andrew Jannett, Jiating Chen","doi":"10.1177/1525822X221107053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X221107053","url":null,"abstract":"During data collection, field interviewers often append notes or comments to a case in open text fields to request updates to case-level data. Processing these comments can improve data quality, but many are non-actionable, and processing remains a costly manual task. This article presents a case study using a novel application of machine learning tools to assist in the evaluation of these comments. Using over 5,000 comments from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we built features that were fed to a machine learning model to predict a grouping category for each comment as previously assigned by data technicians to expedite processing. The model achieved high top-3 accuracy and was incorporated into a production tool for editing. A qualitative evaluation of the tool also provided encouraging results. This application of machine learning tools allowed a small but worthwhile increase in processing efficiency, while maintaining exacting standards for data quality.","PeriodicalId":48060,"journal":{"name":"Field Methods","volume":"34 1","pages":"275 - 287"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41918066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-10DOI: 10.1177/1525822X221105917
Vidal Díaz de Rada
This article presents the results of a general population study that used three different modes of data collection administered sequentially. The study began with a letter that contained the link to an online survey. Those who did not respond were interviewed by phone or face-to-face. The article focuses on the cost of the study related to response quality, and hypothesizes that the sequential use of various modes, first using the most economical ones, yields significant cost savings that do not affect the quality of the information obtained. The results indicate that the online survey was nine times cheaper than interviewer-administered modes of data collection. The face-to-face survey was the one with the highest rate of item nonresponse, whereas the telephone survey had the lowest item nonresponse rate.
{"title":"Concurrent Mixed Modes: Response Quality, Speed, and Cost","authors":"Vidal Díaz de Rada","doi":"10.1177/1525822X221105917","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X221105917","url":null,"abstract":"This article presents the results of a general population study that used three different modes of data collection administered sequentially. The study began with a letter that contained the link to an online survey. Those who did not respond were interviewed by phone or face-to-face. The article focuses on the cost of the study related to response quality, and hypothesizes that the sequential use of various modes, first using the most economical ones, yields significant cost savings that do not affect the quality of the information obtained. The results indicate that the online survey was nine times cheaper than interviewer-administered modes of data collection. The face-to-face survey was the one with the highest rate of item nonresponse, whereas the telephone survey had the lowest item nonresponse rate.","PeriodicalId":48060,"journal":{"name":"Field Methods","volume":"34 1","pages":"191 - 205"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48166307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-07DOI: 10.1177/1525822X221103736
Daniel Jacobson López, Antonio Garcia, R. Engel, J. L. Jackson
There is a paucity of empirical literature examining the experiences of gay Latino sexual assault survivors in the United States, due in part because there is little research focused on how to effectively recruit and engage Latino sexual assault survivors as participants in the research process. While researchers have utilized various recruitment methods to engage with gay Latino men, they have not focused specifically on sexual assault survivors. To address this gap, this study examined effective strategies for recruiting and engaging with gay Latino sexual assault survivors. Various recruitment methods were used, and social media-based recruitment methods proved to be the most effective. Researchers need to develop rapport and trust during the screening interview and avoid the risk of re-traumatization.
{"title":"Challenges and Opportunities to Recruiting and Engaging with Gay Male Latino Sexual Assault Survivors","authors":"Daniel Jacobson López, Antonio Garcia, R. Engel, J. L. Jackson","doi":"10.1177/1525822X221103736","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X221103736","url":null,"abstract":"There is a paucity of empirical literature examining the experiences of gay Latino sexual assault survivors in the United States, due in part because there is little research focused on how to effectively recruit and engage Latino sexual assault survivors as participants in the research process. While researchers have utilized various recruitment methods to engage with gay Latino men, they have not focused specifically on sexual assault survivors. To address this gap, this study examined effective strategies for recruiting and engaging with gay Latino sexual assault survivors. Various recruitment methods were used, and social media-based recruitment methods proved to be the most effective. Researchers need to develop rapport and trust during the screening interview and avoid the risk of re-traumatization.","PeriodicalId":48060,"journal":{"name":"Field Methods","volume":"35 1","pages":"48 - 63"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41412446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-03DOI: 10.1177/1525822X221105920
J. Molina, M. Lubbers, Marian-Gabriel Hâncean, Ignacio Fradejas‐García
Thanks to the latest developments in network-oriented sampling, it is now possible to measure “transnational social fields,” or emergent social structures that connect places or regions in different countries. These structures are instrumental in explaining sociocultural phenomena like the emergence of ethnic or demographic enclaves, social and economic remittances, and ethnic identifications. Nevertheless, they have only been mentioned metaphorically so far.
{"title":"Short Take: Sampling from Transnational Social Fields","authors":"J. Molina, M. Lubbers, Marian-Gabriel Hâncean, Ignacio Fradejas‐García","doi":"10.1177/1525822X221105920","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X221105920","url":null,"abstract":"Thanks to the latest developments in network-oriented sampling, it is now possible to measure “transnational social fields,” or emergent social structures that connect places or regions in different countries. These structures are instrumental in explaining sociocultural phenomena like the emergence of ethnic or demographic enclaves, social and economic remittances, and ethnic identifications. Nevertheless, they have only been mentioned metaphorically so far.","PeriodicalId":48060,"journal":{"name":"Field Methods","volume":"34 1","pages":"256 - 264"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43092574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-05-12DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2022.2062760
Mehar N Singh, Omar G Gudiño
Black and Latinx youth are more likely to be placed into foster care compared to non-Latinx white youth. Foster care placement can facilitate mental health service use, yet youth from marginalized and oppressed racial and ethnic groups in foster care are still less likely to receive mental health services compared to non-Latinx white youth. This study aims to examine this discrepancy Black and Latinx youth face by testing (a) whether mental health need moderates the relationship between race or ethnicity and foster care placement and (b) whether race or ethnicity moderates the relationship between foster care placement and mental health service use. Data come from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II), a longitudinal national probability study of youth in contact with the child welfare system. Internalizing need was associated with a decreased likelihood of foster care placement for non-Latinx white youth compared to those with no need; findings showed the opposite for Latinx youth. Race and ethnicity did not significantly moderate the relationship between foster care placement and mental health service use, although predicted probabilities suggest that differences in mental health service use were more pronounced for Black and Latinx youth in in-home and kinship care compared to non-kinship foster care. Results suggest that despite main effects of race and ethnicity on foster care placement and mental health service use, discrepancies across these outcomes are not explained by race and ethnicity alone. Findings highlight the need to comprehensively examine predictors together, rather than separately, when assessing foster care care placement and mental health service use. A multi-pronged approach is outlined for child welfare reform.
{"title":"Discrepancies between Foster Care Entry and Mental Health Service Use for Black and Latinx Youth.","authors":"Mehar N Singh, Omar G Gudiño","doi":"10.1080/15374416.2022.2062760","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15374416.2022.2062760","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Black and Latinx youth are more likely to be placed into foster care compared to non-Latinx white youth. Foster care placement can facilitate mental health service use, yet youth from marginalized and oppressed racial and ethnic groups in foster care are still less likely to receive mental health services compared to non-Latinx white youth. This study aims to examine this discrepancy Black and Latinx youth face by testing (a) whether mental health need moderates the relationship between race or ethnicity and foster care placement and (b) whether race or ethnicity moderates the relationship between foster care placement and mental health service use. Data come from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II), a longitudinal national probability study of youth in contact with the child welfare system. Internalizing need was associated with a decreased likelihood of foster care placement for non-Latinx white youth compared to those with no need; findings showed the opposite for Latinx youth. Race and ethnicity did not significantly moderate the relationship between foster care placement and mental health service use, although predicted probabilities suggest that differences in mental health service use were more pronounced for Black and Latinx youth in in-home and kinship care compared to non-kinship foster care. Results suggest that despite main effects of race and ethnicity on foster care placement and mental health service use, discrepancies across these outcomes are not explained by race and ethnicity alone. Findings highlight the need to comprehensively examine predictors together, rather than separately, when assessing foster care care placement and mental health service use. A multi-pronged approach is outlined for child welfare reform.</p>","PeriodicalId":48060,"journal":{"name":"Field Methods","volume":"21 1","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2022-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87474859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-04-24DOI: 10.1177/1525822X221093824
Charlayne Mitchell, Ersula J. Ore, A. Wutich, Cindi Sturtzsreetharan, A. Brewis, O. Davis
Leveraging ground-breaking work of Black feminist scholars alongside established techniques of focus group and community-based participatory research, we explain sister-girl talk as a novel method for collecting and analyzing group interview data with Black women. We outline the procedures for consultation, facilitation and preliminary analysis of the sister-girl talk method.
{"title":"Sister-girl Talk: A Community-based Method for Group Interviewing and Analysis","authors":"Charlayne Mitchell, Ersula J. Ore, A. Wutich, Cindi Sturtzsreetharan, A. Brewis, O. Davis","doi":"10.1177/1525822X221093824","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X221093824","url":null,"abstract":"Leveraging ground-breaking work of Black feminist scholars alongside established techniques of focus group and community-based participatory research, we explain sister-girl talk as a novel method for collecting and analyzing group interview data with Black women. We outline the procedures for consultation, facilitation and preliminary analysis of the sister-girl talk method.","PeriodicalId":48060,"journal":{"name":"Field Methods","volume":"34 1","pages":"181 - 188"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45457853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-03-25DOI: 10.1177/1525822X211072326
Patrícia Hadler, C. Neuert, Verena Ortmanns, Angelika Stiegler
A question asking for respondents’ sex is one of the standard sociodemographic characteristics collected in a survey. Until now, it typically consisted of a simple question (e.g., “Are you…?”) with two answer categories (“male” and “female”). In 2019, Germany implemented the additional sex designation divers for intersex people. In survey methodology, this has led to an ongoing discussion how to include a third category in questionnaires. We investigate respondents’ understanding of the third category, and whether introducing it affects data quality. Moreover, we investigate the understanding of the German term Geschlecht for sex and gender. To answer our research questions, we implemented different question wordings asking for sex/gender in a non-probability-based online panel in Germany and combined them with open-ended questions. Findings and implications for surveys are discussed.
{"title":"Are You…? Asking Questions on Sex with a Third Category in Germany","authors":"Patrícia Hadler, C. Neuert, Verena Ortmanns, Angelika Stiegler","doi":"10.1177/1525822X211072326","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X211072326","url":null,"abstract":"A question asking for respondents’ sex is one of the standard sociodemographic characteristics collected in a survey. Until now, it typically consisted of a simple question (e.g., “Are you…?”) with two answer categories (“male” and “female”). In 2019, Germany implemented the additional sex designation divers for intersex people. In survey methodology, this has led to an ongoing discussion how to include a third category in questionnaires. We investigate respondents’ understanding of the third category, and whether introducing it affects data quality. Moreover, we investigate the understanding of the German term Geschlecht for sex and gender. To answer our research questions, we implemented different question wordings asking for sex/gender in a non-probability-based online panel in Germany and combined them with open-ended questions. Findings and implications for surveys are discussed.","PeriodicalId":48060,"journal":{"name":"Field Methods","volume":"34 1","pages":"91 - 107"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44105627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-03-02DOI: 10.1177/1525822X221074768
Marlies Sas, Thom Snaphaan, L. Pauwels, Koen Ponnet, Wim Hardyns
This study focuses on the use of systematic social observations (SSO) to measure crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) and disorder. To improve knowledge about measurement issues in small area research, SSO is conducted by means of three different methods: in-situ, photographs, and Google Street View (GSV) imagery. By evaluating the methodological quality of the observation methods, the results of our study suggest that virtual SSO approaches have considerable promise for the reliable assessment of physical properties of small areas. We discuss challenges and provide avenues for future research to encourage the evolution of a more reliable approach to measure the physical environment.
{"title":"Using Systematic Social Observations to Measure Crime Prevention through Environmental Design and Disorder: In-situ Observations, Photographs, and Google Street View Imagery","authors":"Marlies Sas, Thom Snaphaan, L. Pauwels, Koen Ponnet, Wim Hardyns","doi":"10.1177/1525822X221074768","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X221074768","url":null,"abstract":"This study focuses on the use of systematic social observations (SSO) to measure crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) and disorder. To improve knowledge about measurement issues in small area research, SSO is conducted by means of three different methods: in-situ, photographs, and Google Street View (GSV) imagery. By evaluating the methodological quality of the observation methods, the results of our study suggest that virtual SSO approaches have considerable promise for the reliable assessment of physical properties of small areas. We discuss challenges and provide avenues for future research to encourage the evolution of a more reliable approach to measure the physical environment.","PeriodicalId":48060,"journal":{"name":"Field Methods","volume":"35 1","pages":"117 - 136"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46916165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}