1. The A-B-Cs of Survey Research: Administration & Planning, Best Practices, and College Impact
Ellen Bara Stolzenberg, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, CIRP
UCLA Higher Education Research Institute
The A-B-Cs of Survey Research: Administration & Planning, Best Practices, and College Impact

2. Survey Administration
Before
During
After
ADMINISTRATION & PLANNING
BEST PRACTICES
COLLEGE IMPACT

3. ADMINISTRATION & PLANNING: FIVE Ws and an H
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How
*Not necessarily in this order

4. WHAT & WHY Overall purpose of survey/study Research questions
Goals for data use, policy, & practice
Longitudinal or cross-sectional

5. WHAT & WHY (continued) Audience? Stakeholders?
Is a survey the best option?
Existing instrument vs. Design your own

6. Existing instrument vs. Design your own
Existing instruments?
Existing literature?
Pilot
Focus groups to help design/redesign
Types of Questions
Validity & Reliability

7. Validity & Reliability
Does it measure what it is designed to measure?
Reliability
Does the measurement give consistent results?

8. WHO Population vs. Sample Population of interest
Freshmen
Faculty
Graduate Students
STEM Undergraduates
Etc.
Survey all or sub-sample?

9. WHO (continued) Personal Identifiers Confidentiality vs. Anonymity
Merging data

10. 3 Dreaded Letters

11. WHEN, WHERE, & HOW Time of year Time of term Time of week Time of day
Mode of administration
Proctored setting
Pre-notification
Incentives

12. BEST PRACTICES Administration Paper vs. Web
Follow-up (reminders, communication)
Advertising
Survey length

13. COLLEGE IMPACT Reports & Deliverables Disseminating Data Merging Data
Format
Audience
Mode
Merging Data
Analysis & Interpretation

14. Analysis & Interpretation
Descriptives
Frequency distributions
Crosstabs
Factor Analysis/Constructs
Group Comparisons
T-tests/ANOVA & Post-hoc tests
Longitudinal Studies
Regression

15. Discussion & Questions
Campus-specific concerns?
Examples with varying levels of success?
General questions?

16. Contact Information
Ellen Stolzenberg