Interviewer effects in multicultural, multinational and multiregional surveys
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-06-2017-0032 |
| Date | 03 April 2018 |
| Pages | 278-289 |
| Published date | 03 April 2018 |
| Author | Kristen Cibelli Hibben,Beth-Ellen Pennell,Lesli Scott |
| Subject Matter | Education,Curriculum, instruction & assessment,Educational evaluation/assessment |
Interviewer effects in
multicultural, multinational and
multiregional surveys
Kristen Cibelli Hibben
Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Beth-Ellen Pennell
Institute for Social Research, Chelsea, Michigan, USA, and
Lesli Scott
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Abstract
Purpose –At the invitation of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies
(PIAAC), this paperaims to examine advances in survey interviewer monitoringand make recommendations
on minimizingthe effect of interviewers on survey results.
Design/methodology/approach –The authors first provide an overview of the most recent literature
on interviewer effects, quality assurance and quality control. Here, the y draw upon recent pub lications
such as the cross-cultural survey guidelines (www.ccsg.isr.umich.edu) and newly published or in-press
material specifically addressing these issues in multicultural, multinational and multiregional (3MC)
contexts.
Findings –The authors discuss trends and innovations in quality assurance and quality control in 3MC
studies and draw upon examples from international surveys that are using cutting-edge and innovative
approachesto monitor interviewer behavior and minimizeinterviewer effects.
Originality/value –With a view to continuous quality improvement,the authors conclude with concrete
recommendations for PIAAC to consider for the next cycle. Many of the recommendations have general
relevancefor other large-scale cross-national surveys.
Keywords Quality control, Quality assurance, Interviewer effects, Cross-national survey,
Interviewers, Survey data quality
Paper type Research paper
Background
Interviewers play a number of essential roles in survey research[1]. Among others, they
include implementing the rules to select a respondent within a sampled unit, eliciting
cooperation from respondents, managing the question-and-answer process, offering
clarification or asking follow-up questions as needed, and recording the answers that are
provided (Groves et al.,2009). Interviewers can therefore affect many aspects of the survey
process positively (e.g. improving response rates) or negatively (e.g. introducing
measurement error), affecting four of the seven sources of survey error in the total survey
error (TSE) framework, including coverage, nonresponse, measurement, and processing
errors (West and Blom, 2016). TSE is widely accepted as the organizing framework in the
design and evaluation of one-country surveys and is increasingly being applied to
multicultural, multinational and multiregional (3MC) surveys (Lyberg et al., this issue;
Pennell et al.,2017;Smith,2011, for discussions).
QAE
26,2
278
Received30 June 2017
Revised26 October 2017
Accepted15 December 2017
QualityAssurance in Education
Vol.26 No. 2, 2018
pp. 278-289
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0968-4883
DOI 10.1108/QAE-06-2017-0032
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