In survey research, some of the responses collected might be of low quality. This can have various reasons, such as survey design issues, respondent fatigue, lack of motivation, lack of understanding, carelessness, and response biases. Low-quality responses can threaten the validity and reliability of research findings and data analysis. They can also impact the effectiveness of statistical analyses, such as factor analyses and hypothesis testing, leading to inaccurate interpretations or misleading conclusions. Additionally, low-quality responses can hinder the identification of patterns, trends, and relationships within the data, limiting the researchers' ability to draw meaningful insights and make informed decisions based on the findings. Thus, identifying and addressing low-quality responses is crucial to ensure the integrity and robustness of research outcomes.

 

 

This is an introductory workshop on detecting and handling quality issues in data collected from online survey research. We will equip the audience with the knowledge and practical skills to perform basic and advanced data quality assessment procedures.

 

Focusing on response scales (e.g., Likert), the following topics will be covered:

 

• Classification and discussion of the importance and relevance of data quality assessment for online survey research (case studies)

• Recap of terminology in survey research

• Introduction to the taxonomy of Response Quality Indicators (RQIs) - theoretical framework as a guiding scheme

• Introduction to a set of response quality indicators both theoretically and practically. In more detail:

• Paradata - usage of, e.g., timing variables/response latencies

• Check items - usage of, e.g., directed and undirected attention checks (Bogus items) and similar

• Item responses - usage of three classes of RQIs that address outlier, consistency, and response patterns

 

We will provide software demonstrations & hands-on exercises on data quality assessment using R. We will also provide example datasets and R-scripts. The course material will be presented as PDF slides in English.

 

 

Organizational structure of the course

Software and hardware requirements

Note: Pay attention that you have sufficient (administrator) rights to install packages on your computer during the workshop!