Bibtex export
@article{ Singer2017, title = {Some Methodological Uses of Responses to Open Questions and Other Verbatim Comments in Quantitative Surveys}, author = {Singer, Eleanor and Couper, Mick P.}, journal = {Methods, data, analyses : a journal for quantitative methods and survey methodology (mda)}, number = {2}, pages = {115-134}, volume = {11}, year = {2017}, issn = {2190-4936}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.12758/mda.2017.01}, abstract = {"The use of open-ended questions in survey research has a very long history. In this paper, building on the work of Paul F. Lazarsfeld and Howard Schuman, we review the methodological uses of open-ended questions and verbatim responses in surveys. We draw on prior research, our own and that of others, to argue for increasing the use of open-ended questions in quantitative surveys. The addition of open-ended questions - and the capture and analysis of respondents' verbatim responses to other types of questions - may yield important insights, not only into respondents' substantive answers, but also into how they understand the questions we ask and arrive at an answer. Adding a limited number of such questions to computerized surveys, whether self- or interviewer-administered, is neither expensive nor time-consuming, and in our experience respondents are quite willing and able to answer such questions." (author's abstract)}, keywords = {Antwortverhalten; quantitative Methode; online survey; quantitative method; survey; Online-Befragung; Befragung; data collection method; Datenqualität; Textanalyse; questionnaire; data quality; response behavior; survey research; Umfrageforschung; Fragebogen; text analysis; Erhebungsmethode}}