Compensating for low topic interest and long surveys: a field experiment on nonresponse in web surveys

Certain survey characteristics proven to affect response rates, such as a survey’s length and topic, are often under limited control of the researcher. Therefore, survey researchers sometimes seek to compensate for such undesired effects on response rates by employing countermeasures such as material or nonmaterial incentives. The scarce evidence on those factors’ effects in web survey contexts is far from being conclusive. This study is aimed at filling this gap by examining the effects of four factors along with selected interactions presumed to affect response rates in web surveys. Requests to complete a web-based, selfadministered survey were sent to 2,152 owners of personal websites. The 2 X 2 X 2 X 2 fully crossed factorial design encompassed the experimental conditions of (a) high versus low topic salience, (b) short versus long survey, (c) lottery incentive versus no incentive, and (d) no feedback and general feedback (study results) versus personal feedback (individual profile of results). As expected, highly salient and shorter surveys yielded considerably higher unit-response rates. Moreover, partial support was found for interaction hypotheses derived from the leverage-salience theory of survey participation. Offering personalized feedback compensated for the negative effects of low topic salience on response rates. Also, the lottery incentive tended to evoke more responses only if the survey was short (versus long), but this interaction effect was only marginally significant. The results stress the usefulness of a multifactorial approach encompassing interaction effects to understand participation differences in web surveys. (auhtor'S abstract

Intersektionale Medienanalyse : Anregungen für eine emanzipatorische Medienbildung

Die vorliegende Arbeit behandelt potenzielle Ansatzpunkte einer intersektionalen Medien-analyse. Hierfür werden mediengeschichtliche, sozialisationstheoretische, psychologische, medienpädagogische, analytische sowie gesellschaftstheoretische Aspekte herangezogen und diese, gerichtet auf das Ziel einer emanzipatorischen Medienbildung, miteinander in Beziehung gesetzt. Diese Auseinandersetzung liefert den theoretischen Rahmen einer inter-sektionalen Medienanalyse. Weiter erfolgt durch exemplarische Betrachtungen und Analy-sen medialer Artefakte, die Veranschaulichung des analytischen Potenzials von Medien, die Erprobung der Analyse selbst sowie das Herstellen von Bezügen und Anknüpfungspunkten hinsichtlich der Anwendbarkeit einer intersektionalen Medienanalyse in Bildungskontexten

The Effects of Displayed Violence and Game Speed in First-Person Shooters on Physiological Arousal and Aggressive Behavior

Many studies have been conducted to examine the effects of displayed violence in digital games on outcomes like aggressive behavior and physiological arousal. However, they often lack a proper manipulation of the relevant factors and control of confounding variables. In this study, the displayed violence and game speed of a recent first-person shooter game were varied systematically using the technique of modding, so that effects could be explained properly by the respective manipulations. Aggressive behavior was measured with the standardized version of the Competitive Reaction Time Task or CRTT (Ferguson et al., 2008}. Physiological arousal was operationalized with four measurements: galvanic skin response (GSR), heart rate (HR), body movement, force on mouse and keyboard. A total of N = 87 participants played in one of four game conditions (low- vs. high-violence, normal- vs. high speed) while physiological measurements were taken with finger clips, force sensors on input devices (mouse and keyboard), and a Nintendo Wii balance board on the chair they sat on. After play, their aggressive behavior was measured with the CRTT. The results of the study do not support the hypothesis that playing digital games increases aggressive behavior. There were no significant differences in GSR and HR, but with a higher game speed, participants showed less overall body movement, most likely to meet the game’s higher demands on cognitive and motor capacities. Also, higher game speed and displayed violence caused an increase in applied force on mouse and keyboard. Previous experience with digital games did not moderate any of these findings. Moreover, it provides further evidence that the CRTT should only be used in a standardized way as a measurement for aggression, if at all. Using all 7 different published (though not validated) ways to calculate levels of aggression from the raw data, “evidence” was found that playing a violent digital game increases, decreases, or does not change aggression at all. Thus, the present study does extend previous research. Firstly, it shows the methodological advantages of modding in digital game research to accomplish the principles of psychological (laboratory) experiments by manipulating relevant variables and controlling all others. It also demonstrates the test-theoretical problems of the highly diverse use of the CRTT. It provides evidence that for a meaningful interpretation of effects of displayed violence in digital games, there are other game characteristics that should be controlled for since they might have an effect on relevant outcome variables. Further research needs to identify more of those game features, and it should also improve the understanding of the different measures for physiological arousal and their interrelatedness

[Rezension von: Irene Ziehle & Ulrich Hägele (Hrsg.) (2004). Fotografien vom Alltag – Fotografieren als Alltag]: [(Reihe: Visuelle Kultur: Studien und Materialien Bd. 1). Münster: Lit Taschenbuch, 331 Seiten, ISBN 3-8258-7159-2. 29,90 EUR.]

Der Sammelband befasst sich mit der Bedeutung der (Alltags-) Fotografie für die Volkskunde und Kulturwissenschaft, wobei einerseits das Foto als Forschungsobjekt und andererseits das Fotografieren als Forschungsmethode wissenschaftstheoretisch in den Blick genommen werden. Einige Beiträge beschreiben ausgewählte Arbeitsverfahren, beispielsweise im Zusammenhang mit der Archivierung oder sinnrekonstruierender Interpretation von Alltagsfotos. Im Mittelpunkt stehen Beiträge, die Fotopraxen im Alltag thematisieren (z.B. die Arbeit von Fotoateliers im Warenhaus oder Sanatorium) sowie Ergebnisse von Fotoanalysen präsentieren (z.B. familiäre Fotoalben, Fotosammlungen von Betrieben oder Fotoeinsendungen von Zeitschriftenlesenden). Der Sammelband liefert als Tagungsdokumentation insgesamt 21 spannende, allerdings relativ heterogene Beiträge und hätte von einer stärkeren Strukturierung profitiert. Der Fokus liegt auf dem 19. und 20. Jahrhundert. Eine ausreichende Illustrierung der Texte ist in der Regel gewährleistet. Die Brücke zum Zeitalter der Digitalfotografie schlägt dieser erste Band einer Buchreihe zur visuellen Kultur noch nicht.The reader looks at the meaning of (everyday) photographs for ethnography and cultural studies. It deals with the methodological implications of both the photograph as a research object and the taking of photographs as a research method. Some contributions describe selected methods—for example, photo archiving or photo interpretation. Most chapters reconstruct photo practices in everyday life (i.e. the work of photo studios in department stores or sanatoriums) or present the results of photo analyses (e.g., family photo albums, photo collections of companies, or photo contributions of magazine readers). The book covers a whole conference and delivers 21 exciting, but fairly heterogeneous chapters; it would have benefited from a tighter structure. The focus is on the 20th and 19th centuries and ample photo material is provided. One thing this book, the first volume of a series on visual culture, does not do is build a bridge to the era of digital photography

Lernen mit Unterrichtsvideos: Konzeption und Ergebnisse eines netzgestützten Weiterbildungsprojekts mit Mathematiklehrpersonen aus Deutschland und der Schweiz

Im Rahmen einer Weiterbildung untersuchten wir Bedingungen und Wirksamkeit des Lernens mit Unterrichtsvideos. In Workshops und Online-Phasen haben Mathematiklehrpersonen aus Deutschland und der Schweiz Videoaufnahmen aus ihrem eigenen Unterricht und demjenigen von anderen Lehrpersonen analysiert und diskutiert. Mit dem Einsatz von verschiedenen Untersuchungsinstrumenten wurde die Weiterbildung wissenschaftlich begleitet. Die Evaluation fokussierte auf Informationen über Prozesse des netzbasierten Lernens mit Videos, über die Akzeptanz der Weiterbildung bei den Lehrpersonen und über Veränderungen des unterrichtsbezogenen Wissens durch die Weiterbildung. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Weiterbildung bei den Lehrpersonen hohe Akzeptanz fand und als zwar zeitaufwendig, aber auch als sehr anregend wahrgenommen wurde. Die positive Einschätzung der Lehrpersonen bestätigt sich in den Veränderungen in deren Wissen, welche sich in den Videobefragungen und in den Online-Diskussionen zeigen. Basierend auf den Ergebnissen aus dem Weiterbildungsprojekt werden in diesem Beitrag abschliessend Prinzipien für die produktive Arbeit mit Unterrichtsvideos in der Aus- und Weiterbildung von Lehrpersonen aufgezeigt

Science Slams as Edutainment: A Reception Study

Science slams are a prominent form of science communication especially in Germany that seeks to entertain. While some view science slams as an excellent vehicle for disseminating knowledge, others argue that the imperative to entertain undermines the scientific value of this form of presentation. Drawing on empirical data from three science slam events, this explorative study examines how audiences and presenters perceive the science slam, particularly as it relates to entertainment and the communication of scientific knowledge. Our multi-method analysis includes audience surveys (n = 469), an eye-tracking study, and interviews with science slammers (n = 18). Our results show that the main reason audiences attend a science slam is for entertainment, yet they also have a strong interest in scientific content. Assessing the slammers’ aspirations concerning the audience, we find entertainment to be an important part, but the motivation to impart scientific knowledge is key for most. When asked to evaluate individual presentations (n = 20), spectators tended to rate both the entertainment and scientific value of the presentations as high. However, in terms of visual attention within individual presentations, spectators spent more time considering scientific content than entertainment content. Overall, we do not find evidence for the common claim that the focus on entertainment undermines the scientific value of science slam presentations—rather, entertainment and scientific content are combined to produce “edutainment” in a positive sense