Item non‐response rates: a comparison of online and paper questionnaires

Abstract

This study is a comparison of 2 versions of an internet-based tutorial that teaches the behavior-analysis concept of positive reinforcement. A fixed-item group of students studied a version of the tutorial that included 14 interactive examples and nonexamples of the concept. A response-sensitive group of students studied a different version of the tutorial in which, after an initial round of 10 example and nonexample items, the computer readministered item types the students had answered incorrectly until the students responded correctly to each of 5 example and 5 nonexample item subtypes. A control group studied an online tutorial in biological psychology. Students in all 3 groups took a 10-item pretest and posttest over positive reinforcement. An analysis of the students' change scores indicated that the students learned more using the response-sensitive tutorial than the fixed-item tutorial. Scores of students using both versions of the tutorial were superior to those of the control group. Students using the response-sensitive and fixed-item tutorials required the same amount of study time. Students rated both versions of the positive reinforcement tutorial favorably on several dimensions.

Bookselling Online: An Examination of Consumer Behaviour Patterns

“…The online questionnaire was designed to probe consumer responses to various aspects of online bookselling, ranging from frequency and duration of visits, to responses to online recommendations and customer reviews. It was delivered online, in order to focus upon consumers with online access as well as having the additional advantages of ease of administration, excising fieldwork, travel and paper costs and enhancing the speed of data gathering [22]. While this paper focuses on the findings from the online questionnaires, the broad scope of research undertaken serves to triangulate the information gathered from the online survey as well as underpinning the findings.…”

Pitfalls, Potentials, and Ethics of Online Survey Research: LGBTQ and Other Marginalized and Hard-to-Access Youths

“…This is an important consideration when working with underresearched populations. Other research suggests that whereas paper and online surveys have relatively similar response rates on individual items for closed-ended questions, responses to open-ended questions may be negatively affected by online formats ( Bartell & Spyridakis, 2012;Denscombe, 2009;Gunter et al, 2002). This issue of response rates is contentious, and may be influenced by contextual elements such as question type and sample composition ( Denscombe, 2009).…”

“…In addition to the simultaneous collection of quantitative and qualitative data ( Riggle et al, 2005), potential conveniences of online surveys, compared with paper (that is, offline) surveys, include the following: (a) easier and faster construction and administration using surveybuilding programs; (b) numerous approaches to sampling and recruitment, including potential random assignment; (c) easier and faster recruitment of larger samples; (d) potentially improved response rates; (e) abundant design options, including strategies tailoring surveys to individual participants and reducing participant burden (for example, skip patterns for nonpertinent questions); and (f ) automated deployment of the survey and capture of responses, permitting improved accuracy and speed of survey completion and data entry. The ability to integrate audiovisual content, including different content for various completion conditions, is also unique ( Alessi & Martin, 2010;Andrews et al, 2003;Bartell & Spyridakis, 2012;Best et al, 2001;Denissen et al, 2010;Denscombe, 2009;Hoonakker & Carayon, 2009;Mustanski, 2001;Wang & Doong, 2010;Wright, 2005).…”

“…Online survey methodologies generally permit convenient, timely, and cost-effective research ( Bartell & Spyridakis, 2012;Denissen et al, 2010;Denscombe, 2009;Gunter et al, 2002;Wang & Doong, 2010). This is particularly relevant for marginalized, geographically dispersed, hard-to-access, or "socially distant groups" ( Davis, Bolding, Hart, Sherr, & Elford, 2004) that may otherwise be difficult or costly to access ( Andrews et al, 2003).…”

Mode effects in mixed-mode economic surveys: Insights from a randomized experiment

“…Some studies find little difference in item nonresponse between mail and web surveys, particularly for fixed-choice questions (Denscombe, 2009;and McCabe et al, 2002). Other studies, however, find that web surveys have lower item nonresponse than mail surveys, both in experiments (Messer, et al, 2012) and nonrandom mode assignment (Shin, et al, 2012;and Kwak and Radler, 2002).…”