Designing Surveys to Determine Impact of Online Social Networks on Student’s Social and Academic Interactions Nicola Ritter, M.Ed. Data Analyst, Student.

Designing Surveys to Determine Impact of Online

Social Networks on Student’s Social and Academic

Interactions

Nicola Ritter, M.Ed.

Data Analyst, Student Life Studies

@nicolalritter #naspatech8

Take Away Points

I. Outline the facets of survey development

II. Pose areas to explore in online social networks (OSN)

III. Engage in the survey construction process

I. Tailored DesignDillman, Smyth, & Christian (2009)

1. Reduces Survey Error

2. Develops procedures that are respondent-centered

3. Includes variety of features that build positive social exchange

1. Reducing Survey Error Dillman, Smyth, & Christian (2009)

1. Coverage Error – when some members of the population are excluded AND those excluded are different from those included (e.g. students with text messaging vs. students without text messaging)

2. Sampling Error – surveying only a portion of the population (e.g. full time vs. part-time students)

(ie. Ravert, Calix, & Sullivan (2010)

1. Reducing Survey Error Dillman, Smyth, & Christian (2009)

3. Non-response Error – respondents different from non-respondents (e.g. missing data)

4. Measurement Error – inaccurate or imprecise responses (e.g. item construction)

(ie. Ravert, Calix, & Sullivan (2010))

2. Develops procedures that are respondent-centered Dillman, Smyth, & Christian (2009)

1. Increase the Benefits of Participation

2. Decrease Cost of Participation

3. Establish Trust

Increase the Benefits of Participation

• Provide information about the survey

• Ask for help or advise

• Show positive regard

• Say thank you

• Support group values

• Give tangible rewards

• Make the questionnaire interesting

• Provide social validation

• Inform people that opportunities to respond are limited

Decrease Cost of Participation

• Make it convenient to respond• Avoid subordinating language• Make the questionnaire short and easy to

complete• Minimize requests to obtain personal or

sensitive information• Emphasize similarity to other requests or task

to which a person has already responded

Establish Trust

• Obtain sponsorship by legitimate authority

• Provide a token of appreciation in advance

• Make the task appear important

• Ensure confidentiality and security of information

3. Includes variety of features that build positive social exchangeDillman, Smyth, & Christian (2009)

Outside the Survey• Invitations• Reminder s• Thank yous• Follow-up that offers results

Inside the Survey• Clickable graphics• Analog Scales

II. Research Questions: Beyond Usage(Ritter, in review)

1. Insight to student perspectives (Martinez Aleman & Wartman, 2009)

2. Social and Academic Interactions– Student/Student, Student/Faculty-Staff Interactions (Kord & Wolf-

Wendel, 2009; Teclehaimanot & Hickman, 2011)

– Student/Organization Interactions– Impact of New Features (ie. Groups/Circles, geo-location tools)

3. Privacy (Eberhardt, 2005; Eberhardt, 2006; Koleck & Saunders, 2008; Kirschner & Karpinski, 2010)

4. Student Affair Professionals Usage– Students– Organization– Other

Brainstorm Topic/subtopics

Overall Survey Construction

1. What survey mode(s) will be used to ask the questions?

2. Is this question being repeated from another survey, and/or will answers be compared to previously collected data?

3. Will respondents be willing and motivated to answer accurately?

4. What type of information is the question asking for?

Guidelines for Word Choice & Question Format (Dillman, et. al. (2009)

1. Make sure the question applies to the respondent.

2. Make sure the question is technically accurate.

3. Ask one question at a time.

4. Use similar and familiar words

5. Use specific and concrete words to specify the concepts clearly.

Guidelines for Word Choice & Question Format (Dillman, et. al. (2009)

6. Use as few words as possible to pose the question.

7. Use complete sentences with simple sentence structures.

8. Make sure “yes” means yes and “no” means no.

9. Be sure the question specifies the response task.

1. Make sure the question applies to the respondent.

A question that does not require an answer from every respondent

If you have a Facebook profile, about how many hours per day do you spend on Facebook?

hours per day

1. Make sure the question applies to the respondent.

A question that uses a filter

Do you have a Facebook profile?

Yes

No

About how many hours per day do you spend on Facebook?

hours per day

2. Make sure the question is technically accurate.

Which Facebook features/activities listed below do you use? (Check all that apply)

Mini-feed

News feed

Check-in

Posting on other people’s walls

Searching for people

2. Make sure the question is technically accurate.

Which Facebook features listed below do you use? (Check all that apply)

News feed

Check-in on Places

Wall-to-Wall

Search bar

3. Ask one question at a time.

Two questions in one

From which one of these sources did you first learn about A&M moving to the SEC?

University website

Facebook

Twitter

Someone at work

While traveling to campus

3. Ask one question at a time.

From which one of these sources did you first learn about A&M moving to the SEC?

University website

Facebook

Twitter

Radio

TexAgs

Another person

Where were you when you first heard about it?

At work

At home

Traveling to work

Somewhere else:

4. Use similar and familiar words

From which one of these sources did you first learn about A&M moving to the SEC?

University website

Facebook

Twitter

Radio

TexAgs

Another person

4. Use similar and familiar words

From which one of these sources did you first learn about Texas A&M moving to the Southeastern Conference?

University website

Facebook

Twitter

Radio

TexAgs

Another person

5. Use specific and concrete words to specify the concepts clearly.

How many times did you log on to Facebook as a student affairs professional last week?

# of times

5. Use specific and concrete words to specify the concepts clearly.

How many times did you log on to Facebook as a student affairs professional last week?

# of times

To work with students

5. Use specific and concrete words to specify the concepts clearly.

How many times did you log on to Facebook as a student affairs professional to connect with students last week?

# of times

6. Use as few words as possible to pose the question.

According to Strauss and Howe (1992), the United States is made up of different generations. Based on their definitions, which generation do you belong to?

Silent Generation (born in years 1924 through 1942)

Boom Generation (born in years 1943 through 1960)

Generation X (born in years 1961 through 1981)

Millennial Generation (born in years 1982 through 2002)

6. Use as few words as possible to pose the question.

Which age range were you born?

1924 - 1942

1943 -1960

1961 - 1981

1982 - 2002

What year were you born?

7. Use complete sentences with simple sentence structures.

Number of years lived in Texas

Years

Your city or town

City or Town

7. Use complete sentences with simple sentence structures.

Number of years lived in Texas

Years

Your city or town

City or Town

About 25% of respondents listed the # of years they lived in the city or town

7. Use complete sentences with simple sentence structures.

How many years have you lived in Texas?

Years

In what city or town do you live?

Name of City or Town

8. Make sure “yes” means yes and “no” means no.

A question with a double negative

Do you favor or oppose not allowing Texas A&M to use information from Facebook and Twitter during proceedings?

Favor

Oppose

8. Make sure “yes” means yes and “no” means no.

Revision with no double negative

Do you favor or oppose allowing Texas A&M to use information from Facebook and Twitter during proceedings?

Favor

Oppose

8. Make sure “yes” means yes and “no” means no.

Revision with that preserves important wording

In the upcoming student elections, you will be asked to vote on this referendum: “[Insert referendum]” If the election were held today, would you vote for or against approval?

For

Against

9. Be sure the question specifies the response task.

A question specifying different tasks

How many days a week do you log in to Facebook?

More than once a day

Once a day

A few times a week

Once every other week

Once a month

Less than once a month

9. Be sure the question specifies the response task.

Revision

How many days per week do you log in to Facebook?

days per week

ReferencesDillman, D. A., Smyth, J.D., & Christian, L. M., (2009). Internet, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Eberhardt, D. (2005). Should institutions respect students’ on-line privacy of facebook?. Journal of College and Character, 6(7).

Eberhardt, D. (2006). The facebook/myspace era: A help or hinderance to college students and administrators?. Journal of College and Character, 7(7).

Kirschner, P. A., and Karpinski, A. C. (2010). Facebook and academic performance, Computers in Human Behavior, 26(6), 1237-1245. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2010.03.024

Kolek, E. A. & Saunders, D. (2008). Online disclosure: An empirical examination of undergraduate facebook profiles. NASPA Journal, 45 (1), 1-25.

Kord, J., & Wolf-Wendel, L. (2009). The relationship between online social networking and academic and social integration. College Student Affairs Journal, 28(1), 103.

Martinez-Aleman, A. M. and Wartman, K. L. Online Social Networking on Campus: Understanding What Matters in Student Culture, Routledge, New York, NY, 2009.

Ravert, R. D., Calix, S. I., Sullivan, M. J. (2010). Research in brief: Using mobile phones to collect daily experience data from college undergraduates. Journal of College Student Development, 51 (3) 343-352.

Ritter, N. (in review). Journal sponsored by Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

Teclehaimanot, B., & Hickman, T. (2011). Student-teacher interaction on facebook: What students find appropriate. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 55(3), 19-30.