Question Development Module 3 November 2015

Learning Objectives Understand the goals of question development 1.Tracks laws through a question and answer format 2.Create questions that measure the law, not interpret the law Learn how to draft coding questions 1.Review law and secondary sources 2.Identify constructs (features of the law) Set standard constructs 3.Develop response sets 4.Convert constructs into questions 5.Capture unexpected responses through iterative coding

Goals of question development 1.Show the state of the law through a question and answer format –This generates empirical data that can be used for evaluation –Asking the right questions can yield the information you are interested in obtaining for your study

Goals of question development 2.Create questions that call for measurement, not interpretation –The structure and wording of your questions yields clear responses, which can be collected consistently by different researchers who are unfamiliar with the topic –Well-crafted questions make coding easy and efficient

How to draft coding questions 1 Review law and secondary sources 2 Identify constructs in the law Identify standard constructs for your project 3 Develop response set 4 Convert constructs into questions 5 Add unexpected responses through iterative coding

Review law and secondary sources Reviewing the research you did in Module 2 will provide you with the context needed to draft coding questions –Revisit your five state memorandum –Review your sample of laws –Refer to secondary sources 2

Set standard constructs Standard ConstructsExamples Jurisdictions Countries, states, cities, counties, organizations, etc. United States, Maryland, Baltimore, Montgomery Effective Date Generally month, day, year January 1, 2015 October 1, 2009 FIPS Code Federal Information Processing Standard Alabama-01 Alaska-02 Coder Name Researcher who coded the current project John Doe Jane Doe 2

Identify constructs in the law Initial constructs observed in the law Constructs after narrowing the scope Device Prohibited Prohibited Behavior Age for Prohibition Emergency Use Driving Record Type of Driver Use exceptions Device Prohibited Prohibited Behavior Emergency Use Type of Driver 2

Developing response sets Prohibited Behavior Texting Calling Hands-free Texting Hands-free calling 3 CONSTRUCT RESPONSES

Converting constructs into questions Prohibited behavior What behaviors are restricted? Type of driver, all drivers Does the state have a law restricting all drivers from using cellphones while driving? 4 CONSTRUCTS QUESTIONS Parent Child

Converting constructs into questions DefinitionExample Observation Things we measure (facts) Is texting while driving illegal in this state? Interpretation Conclusions we derive from those observations (opinions) Does this state have a strict texting while driving ban? 4

Add unexpected responses while coding Prohibited behavior TextingPhone callsOther 5 Prohibited behavior TextingPhone callsHands-free texting Hands-free phone calls

Summary Drafting questions achieves several goals, including –Converting a project into a question and answer format –Generating robust data which can be replicated by researchers Steps in question development: 1.Review law and secondary sources 2.Set standard constructs Jurisdictions to be covered, effective date for that iteration, FIPS code, and the name of the coder 3.Identify constructs Each project should develop an initial list of constructs, which must then be narrowed or broadened to meet the goals of the project 4.Develop response sets Researchers should identify responses to the constructs in the law 5.Convert constructs into questions The selected constructs should be converted and organized into questions The organization of the questions can have a large impact on the information which can be yielded from the project Craft questions that call for observation rather than interpretation 6.Capture unexpected responses As researchers find new responses in the law, they can flag them so that the supervisor can add them to the potential answers for the questions being studied 7.Modify questions as necessary As researchers identify new states with a unique legal structure, or additional layers of detail in the law that can be valuable to a study, questions can be modified