Social and Political Survey Research
| Social and Political Survey Research |
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Social and Political Survey Research Prof. Allan L. McCutcheon Course Syllabus and Information 1. Overview of the Course The field of survey methodology draws on theories and practices developed in several academic disciplines (e.g., statistics, psychology, sociology, computer science, economics). To become an accomplished professional in the survey research field requires a mastery of research literatures as well as experience designing, conducting, and analyzing surveys. This course introduces students to a set of principles of survey design and analysis that are the basis of standard practices in the field. The course exposes the student to research literatures that use both observational and experimental methods to test key hypotheses about the nature of human behavior that affect the quality of survey data. It will also present important statistical concepts and techniques in sample design, execution, and estimation, as well as models of behavior describing errors in responding to survey questions. Thus, both social science and statistical concepts will be presented. The course is intended as an introduction to the field, taught at a graduate level. Thus, lectures and course readings assume that students understand basic statistical and research concepts (at the level of an undergraduate course) and have exposure to elements of social science perspectives on human behavior. It is also assumed that students will have a basic understanding of a statistical software program (e.g., SPSS or SAS). 2. Format of the Course The course has two important components: a) Lectures These will be formal presentations and discussions of the topic material. b) Readings These are companions to the lectures that give the student a fuller discussion of key concepts and research findings. Except for the first class, readings should be completed prior to the lecture for which they are assigned. 3. Readings There will be additional handouts as well as three books for the course: Converse, Jean and Stanley Presser. Survey Questions: Handcrafting the Standardized Questionnaire. Newbury Park: Sage Publications, 1986. Groves, Robert M., Floyd J. Fowler, Jr., Mick P. Couper, James M. Lepkowski, Eleanor Singer, and Roger Tourangeau. Survey Methodology, 2nd Edition. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley- Interscience. 2009. Kalton, Graham, An Introduction to Survey Sampling. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, 1983. Class Schedule July 1 – Introduction to Survey Research Methodology Lecture: Moving concepts to measures in survey design Readings: Groves et al., Chapter 1 July 2 – Questions and Answers in Surveys Lecture: Overview of response behavior Focus groups Readings: Groves et al., Chapters 7 & 8 Converse and Presser, Chapters 1-3 Presser, S., and Blair, J. “Survey Pretesting: Do Different Methods Produce Different Results?” In P. V. Marsden (ed.) Sociological Methodology, 1994. July 3 – Inference and Errors in Surveys Lecture: Constructs and measurement Response, non-response and edited response Populations and samples Respondents (Rs) Readings: Groves et al., Chapter 2 July 4 – Methods of Data Collection. Issues of Scientific Integrity Pre-test debriefing and question selection Lecture: Administered and self-administered Human subjects and IRBs Informed consent Disclosure of limitations Readings: Groves, R.M. (1990), “Theories and Methods of Telephone Surveys.” Annual Review of Sociology, 16: 221-240. Dillman, D.A. (1991), “The Design and Administration of Mail Surveys.” Annual Review of Sociology, 17: 225-249. Groves et al., Chapter 5 July 5 – Populations and Samples Lecture: Populations and frames Reading: Groves et al., Chapters 3 – 4 July 8 – Sampling Frames and Sample Design Lecture: Probability sampling Cluster and multistage sampling Readings: Kalton, Chapters 1-8 July 9 – Sample Design Lecture: Selection weights Reading: Kalton, Chapters 10-14 July 10 – Data collection and Nonresponse Lecture: Contacting sample units Reading: Groves et al., Chapter 6 Recommended: Groves, R., and Couper, M., Nonresponse in Household Interview Surveys, New York: John Wiley and Sons, Chapters 1-2. Kalton, G. and Flores-Cervantes, I. (2003) “Weighting Methods.” Journal of Official Statistics, 19: 2, 81-97. De Leeuw, E.D., Hox, J., and Huisman, M. (2003) “Prevention and Treatment of Item Nonresponse.” Journal of Official Statistics, 19: 2, 153-176. July 11 – Survey Interviewing. Theories, Hypotheses, and Measurement Lecture: Theories, propositions and concepts Reading: Groves et al., Chapter 9. July 12 – Post-collection Processing. Hypothesis Testing and Statistical Inference Lecture: Levels of measurement Reading: Groves et al., Chapter 10 July 13 – Multivariate Hypotheses Lecture: Intervening variables Reading: TBA. |