Surveying Persons with Disabilities: A Source Guide (Version 1)

As a collaborator with the Cornell Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Demographics and Statistics, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. has been working on a project that identifies the strengths and limitations in existing disability data collection in both content and data collection methodology. The intended outcomes of this project include expanding and synthesizing knowledge of best practices and the extent existing data use those practices, informing the development of data enhancement options, and contributing to a more informed use of existing data. In an effort to provide the public with an up-to-date and easily accessible source of research on the methodological issues associated with surveying persons with disabilities, MPR has prepared a Source Guide of material related to this topic. The Source Guide contains 150 abstracts, summaries, and references, followed by a Subject Index, which cross references the sources from the Reference List under various subjects. The Source Guide is viewed as a “living document,” and will be periodically updated

The Use of Online Panel Data in Management Research: A Review and Recommendations

Management scholars have long depended on convenience samples to conduct research involving human participants. However, the past decade has seen an emergence of a new convenience sample: online panels and online panel participants. The data these participants provide—online panel data (OPD)—has been embraced by many management scholars owing to the numerous benefits it provides over “traditional” convenience samples. Despite those advantages, OPD has not been warmly received by all. Currently, there is a divide in the field over the appropriateness of OPD in management scholarship. Our review takes aim at the divide with the goal of providing a common understanding of OPD and its utility and providing recommendations regarding when and how to use OPD and how and where to publish it. To accomplish these goals, we inventoried and reviewed OPD use across 13 management journals spanning 2006 to 2017. Our search resulted in 804 OPD-based studies across 439 articles. Notably, our search also identified 26 online panel platforms (“brokers”) used to connect researchers with online panel participants. Importantly, we offer specific guidance to authors, reviewers, and editors, having implications for both micro and macro management scholars

Collecting Data from Children Ages 9-13

Provides a summary of literature on common methods used to collect data, such as diaries, interviews, observational methods, and surveys. Analyzes age group-specific considerations, advantages, and drawbacks, with tips for improving data quality

A cross-sectional and mixed-method assessment of safety culture and safety climate at a regional airline

The researcher applied a mixed methods approach to conduct a cross-sectional assessment of the safety culture, safety climate, and SMS at a regional airline in the United States. Data collection techniques were comprised of interview, on-line-survey, and a focus group activity. Participants in the current study were maintenance technicians, flight attendants, dispatchers, pilots, and managers. Results indicated significant differences of perception of safety climate, safety culture, and Safety Management System between the maintenance technicians and flight attendants. The length of time a participant had worked at the subject airline and age of the participant appeared to be significant factors of perception of safety climate. The ASAP safety program appeared to be the most positively perceived safety program across all the studied groups. Participants expressed a general positive outlook of safety at the subject airline. Elements of concern highlighted included routine violation and senior management being out of touch with frontline employees. The researcher presents recommendations for practice and future researc

Lessons Learned and Next Steps in Energy Efficiency Measurement and Attribution: Energy Savings, Net to Gross, Non-Energy Benefits, and Persistence of Energy Efficiency Behavior

This white paper examines four topics addressing evaluation, measurement, and attribution of direct and indirect effects to energy efficiency and behavioral programs: Estimates of program savings (gross); Net savings derivation through free ridership / net to gross analyses; Indirect non-energy benefits / impacts (e.g., comfort, convenience, emissions, jobs); and, Persistence of savings

Examining the Ways Female Students Experience Teacher Feedback and Assessment

Providing instructional feedback and assessing student learning are integral components of the educational process. Yet teachers report that in their preservice education programs and subsequent inservice professional development, they receive very little instruction specifically dedicated to feedback and assessment practices. Research reveals that feedback and assessment remain at the center of debate in academia, and teachers report that assigning grades and giving effective academic feedback are major contributors to overall job dissatisfaction, especially given the high-stakes role grades play in students’ academic, athletic, college admission, and future employment opportunities (Feldman, 2019; Guskey & Bailey, 2001). While much has been learned about effective assessment practices, there is still much to learn about how students experience feedback and grades. The pressure to achieve impacts students’ motivation to learn, academic self-efficacy, self-esteem, and overall health and wellness, and female adolescents are at greater risk of mental-health issues due to grades and academic pressure than their male counterparts (Saviola et al., 2020; Villeneuve et al., 2019). The purpose of this mixed-methods case study was to better understand the effect of feedback and assessment practices on female students in an urban, faith-based environment. In phase 1 of this research, two surveys were distributed electronically. The first survey asked teachers to rate their self-perceived skills with assessment practices. The second survey asked students to describe how they respond to teachers’ instructional feedback. The second phase of this research involved semi-structured interviews where ten students described their experience with teacher feedback specific to an assignment they chose. The findings of this study were summarized in three areas: (1) teacher training in assessment versus their perception of assessment skill, (2) giving academic feedback versus experiencing academic feedback, and (3) considering students’ emotional connection to their work in overall feedback and assessment strategies. This study contributed to our understanding of teachers’ formal training versus perceived skills in feedback and assessment, how female students experience feedback, and the impact that teachers’ instructional comments and final grades have on female students’ academic self-efficacy and self-esteem

Social network-based measurement of abortion incidence: promising findings from population-based surveys in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, and Rajasthan, India

Background: Monitoring abortion rates is highly relevant for demographic and public health considerations, yet its reliable estimation is fraught with uncertainty due to lack of complete national health facility service statistics and bias in self-reported survey data. In this study, we aim to test the confidante methodology for estimating abortion incidence rates in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, and Rajasthan, India, and develop methods to adjust for violations of assumptions. Methods: In population-based surveys in each setting, female respondents of reproductive age reported separately on their two closest confidantes’ experience with abortion, in addition to reporting about their own experiences. We used descriptive analyses and design-based F tests to test for violations of method assumptions. Using post hoc analytical techniques, we corrected for biases in the confidante sample to improve the validity and precision of the abortion incidence estimates produced from these data