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Web Survey Bibliography

Title Predictors and Barriers to Collecting Data from Early Childhood Educators Using the Web
Source The American Association for (AAPOR) 63rd Annual Conference, 2008 & WAPOR 61th Annual Conference, 2008
Year 2008
Access date 22.05.2009
Abstract

Over the past decade, the use of web-based questionnaires in survey research has become increasingly common as an effective and efficient way to collect data. Despite this trend, surveys of preschool teachers are frequently administered through self-administered paper questionnaires or by trained interviewers (in person or by phone), with the assumption that early childhood teachers either do not have access to the internet or do not have sufficient experience with this technology. Using two large-scale surveys of preschool teachers, this paper will (1) describe the extent to which preschool teachers, when given a choice, complete a short 15-minute child report on the web versus a paper questionnaire, and (2) explore common predictors of and barriers to preschool teachers’ web-based survey completion patterns. About 500 preschool teachers were invited to complete reports on nearly 5000 children’s behavior using the web or paper. Teachers were part of either the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), a national study focusing on Head Start children and families, or the Universal Preschool Child Outcomes Study (UPCOS), a study of preschool services in Los Angeles County, California. Both studies are conducted by the same social policy research company. Preliminary findings indicate that with a 90 percent response rate, 80 percent of teachers completed the survey on the web, suggesting that web-based surveys are, in fact, a viable method of data collection from preschool teachers. Surprisingly, the presence of a computer in the classroom or early childhood center was not predictive of whether teachers completed their surveys on the web. Further analyses will examine sets (fall and spring) of demographic predictors of web-based or paper completion, and look at barriers preventing teachers from completing web-based questionnaires. Implications will be discussed in terms of techniques and strategies to increase preschool teachers’ web-based survey completion rates.

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Year of publication2008
Bibliographic typeConferences, workshops, tutorials, presentations
Full text availabilityAvailable on request
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