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Effectiveness of mixed-mode survey designs for teachers using mail and web-based surveys

Borkan, Bengu

Abstract Details

2006, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Educational Policy and Leadership.
This study investigated whether there are mode effects between traditional-mail and web-based survey methods using an experimental survey research design. The target population for the study consists of all middle and high school classroom teachers currently teaching in 21 similar Ohio school districts during the 2005-2006 school year. A random sample of 2000 teachers was selected and randomly assigned to two treatment groups. The treatment is consisted of two phases. In Phase 1, one group received the traditional-mail survey and the other group received the web-based survey. In Phase 2, non-respondents from Phase 1 in each group were followed-up with the opposite survey mode. The response rate for groups varied from 21.70 to 44.47 percent with the overall response rate of 40.20 percent. Inferential statistics show that there is no significant difference between two survey methods based on teachers’ responses and item completion rate. However, this study shows that the traditional-mail survey in both Phases has higher response rates than the web-based survey. The mixed-mode surveys were able to accomplish one of the purposes - to increase response rate. From the cost perspective, however, when the two mixed modes are compared, Treatment 1 (mail followed by web) seems less reasonable given the size of this study. Although the overall response rate is higher for this first treatment method, the follow-up using the web approach for non-respondents is not cost effective. We increased the response rate by only 17 percent. For a 17 percent increase in response rate, one must consider whether the burden of programming the web-based survey and obtaining e-mail address is justified. Therefore mixed-modes approaches are not cost effective for small studies. The other purpose of using mixed-mode survey techniques is to reach a more representative set of respondents (higher data quality) compared with a single-method approach. But, both mixed-mode approaches failed to accomplish this. Respondents from the mixed modes did not represent the population better than either of the single survey modes used in Phase 1.
Ayres D'Costa (Advisor)
189 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Borkan, B. (2006). Effectiveness of mixed-mode survey designs for teachers using mail and web-based surveys [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1158597296

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Borkan, Bengu. Effectiveness of mixed-mode survey designs for teachers using mail and web-based surveys. 2006. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1158597296.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Borkan, Bengu. "Effectiveness of mixed-mode survey designs for teachers using mail and web-based surveys." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1158597296

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)