Debbie Collins - Cognitive Interviewing Practice

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Editorial arrangement Debbie Collins 2015

Debbie Collins
Margaret Blake
Joanna dArdenne
Debbie Collins and Michelle Gray
Joanna dArdenne
Michelle Gray
Joanna dArdenne
Debbie Collins
Joanna dArdenne, Debbie Collins and Margaret Blake
Michelle Gray
Michelle Gray and Margaret Blake
Joanna dArdenne, Michelle Gray and Debbie Collins

First published 2015

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2014938086

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ISBN 978-1-4462-5600-8
ISBN 978-1-4462-5601-5 (pbk)

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NATCEN SOCIAL RESEARCH

NatCen Social Research is one of Britains largest and leading independent social research organisations. It was established in 1969 and is registered as a non-profit, independent educational charity. NatCen Social Research has a staff of around 200, with offices in Edinburgh (ScotCen Social Research), London and Essex. It carries out quantitative and qualitative research across all major social policy areas. NatCen Social Research specialises in the development and application of rigorous social research methods with work commissioned by central government departments, public bodies, and funded by research councils and grant-giving foundations. Our staff share their expertise through NatCen Learning. NatCen Learning supports skills development and capacity-building across the research sector through a programme of short courses, consultancy and research support. We provide training and learning for external organisations and researches working in government, academia and other settings.

In 2006 NatCen established a specialist Questionnaire Development and Testing Hub. NatCen Social Research has for many years utilised qualitative research methods in the design of surveys and was one of the first survey organisations in the UK to embrace cognitive interviewing methods to evaluate questionnaires. The Hub brought together these two disciplines, creating a centre of expertise. The Hub works with a wide range of organisations to help them improve their communications and data collection tools with their stakeholders, members of the public and survey participants through the application of good design principles and rigorous testing and evaluation.

All the authors are current members of NatCen Social Research and are committed to improving the communication of information and the robust measurement of social phenomena through survey questionnaires.

LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS

Editor and contributor:

Debbie Collins is Head of Questionnaire Development and Testing at NatCen Social Research. An experienced survey researcher, Debbie has specialised over the past decade in survey methodology, questionnaire development and testing. Debbie founded NatCens Questionnaire Development and Testing Hub with Michelle Gray in 2006, and has developed and tested survey questions and data collection tools for a wide range of clients. Debbies research interests include novel uses of cognitive interviewing, effective combinations of pretesting methods, and the design of web and mixed mode questionnaires.

Contributors:

Margaret Blake is a senior research director at NatCen Social Research with experience in survey methodology, qualitative research and survey data collection. She worked for four years in the Questionnaire Development and Testing Hub, specialising inquestion design and cognitive interviewing. She now manages the data collection for the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Margarets research interests are survey questionnaire development, research among minority ethnicgroups andsocial care.

Jo dArdenne is a Senior Researcher within NatCens Questionnaire Development and Testing Hub. She specialises in research on measurement, questionnaire development and testing. She provides consultancy on questionnaire design issues for a range of public and third sector organisations. Josresearch interests include novel applications of cognitive interviewing, user-testing, asking sensitive questions and measuring patient experience.

Michelle Gray is a Research Director with 10 years wide-ranging experience in both qualitative and survey research methods. In 2006 Michelle helped to set up NatCens Questionnaire Development and Testing (QDT) Hub where she now works. Michelles research interests include: questionnaire development; use of pretesting methods to improve public information leaflets and research on equality issues.