Articles and resources tagged “Scales”

Can someone neither agree nor disagree?: One of the recurring debates in the research community is about using "even" or "odd" scales. This refers to scales such as: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree Where the labels go from one extreme to...; Read Article; BY: Ann Ray on July 2, 2006 | Last updated April 25, 2008; COMMENTS: 0; CATEGORIES: Questionnaires; TAGS: Scales
Consistency is never foolish in a survey: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do." Apart from the common misquote which drops "foolish," most people are unaware of...; Read Article; BY: Ann Ray on October 24, 2008 | Last updated October 24, 2008; COMMENTS: 0; CATEGORIES: Questionnaires | Respondents; TAGS: Scales
Questions and Answers in Attitude Surveys: Experiments on Question Form, Wording, and Context: by Howard Schuman & Stanley Presser

Despite being in a quantitative industry, surveyors rarely conduct tests to measure what happens when we rearrange questions, add a neutral point in a scale, or make other adjustments. If you're ready to absorb some more advanced issues, complete with footnotes, this is a great book to pick up. Note that the 1996 copyright is simply a reprint of the 1981 text.

Amazon; COMMENTS: 0; CATEGORIES: Books | Questionnaires; TAGS: Developing surveys | Scales
Rule #2: Wear the respondent's shoes—it's a big payback: As much as I'm a general advocate for respondents, I know it can be a challenge when they're an amorphous group and your manager or client is an immediate voice. But, there are two very pragmatic reasons for putting yourself...; Read Article; BY: Ann Ray on October 5, 2009 | Last updated October 5, 2009; COMMENTS: 0; CATEGORIES: Management | Questionnaires | Respondents; TAGS: Ann's Rules | Response rates | Risk | Scales | Writing questions
Single or multiple—avoiding a common mistake: Survey designers of all experience levels make mistakes, and even when we have multiple proofreaders it's amazing what can be missed. I've seen errors ranging from typos to—more than once—overlooking an entire division of employees. These things happen. This article...; Read Article; BY: Ann Ray on June 29, 2006 | Last updated April 25, 2008; COMMENTS: 0; CATEGORIES: Questionnaires; TAGS: Scales | Testing
Want to write better surveys?: Answer every one you can. When I spot a "Take our survey" link on a Web site or feedback URL on a store receipt, I generally answer the questionnaire. Sometimes it's a smooth, well orchestrated experience. Occasionally I find myself...; Read Article; BY: Ann Ray on August 29, 2006 | Last updated April 28, 2008; COMMENTS: 0; CATEGORIES: Management | Questionnaires; TAGS: Developing surveys | Scales | Testing | Usability | Writing questions
When you ask a question, do you offer the answer they need?: I love my new little laptop, so when the manufacturer popped up a survey invitation today (time delayed 3 months from purchase) I was happy to provide feedback. The survey was primarily about how I'd been using the system, which...; Read Article; BY: Ann Ray on July 15, 2006 | Last updated April 25, 2008; COMMENTS: 0; CATEGORIES: Questionnaires; TAGS: Scales | Writing questions
Whole numbers or ranges?: When we write surveys, we often have to make a choice for dollar or frequency questions. We can ask for a precise number such as: How many times have you visited any of our stores in the past twelve months...; Read Article; BY: Ann Ray on August 24, 2006 | Last updated May 19, 2008; COMMENTS: 0; CATEGORIES: Questionnaires | Reporting; TAGS: Scales