Using PDAs in School-based Data Collection: A Supplement

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH

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Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this project is to conduct a comparative study of three different data collection methods (self-administered questionnaires (SAQ), personal digital assistants (PDA) and audio-support PDAs (APDA)) when used to collect sensitive behavioral data within the school setting from young adolescents (11-13 yr olds) who are diverse in their cognitive abilities (e.g., reading competency, acculturation, inattentiveness, and perceived burden of reading) and are placed in a test environment where proximity to others is controlled. Specifically, this project will: (1) determine the differences across the three modes in survey administration (time-to-completion rates, number of questions, setup and implementation, resource requirements), data quality (missingness of data, failed skip patterns, out-of-range answers, validation of sensitive behaviors, exposure to sensitive data), and perception of privacy; (2) confirm previous research findings that the test setting (proximity, distractibility, noise) and literacy and attention demands (reading [unreadable] competency, inattentiveness, language barriers, perceived burden of reading) have an impact on survey administration, data quality and privacy perceptions; and (3) determine whether data collection mode has a modifying effect on the relationship between test environment, literacy and attention demands on survey administration, data quality and privacy perceptions (i.e., negative impact of environment and demands are reduced or eliminated with the PDA and/or APDA). This project supplements an intervention study (RO1 HD-41364-01A1) involves a two-year, school-based project intended to reduce early sexual initiation and unprotected sexual behavior among younger adolescents (aged 11-13). Baseline data for the project was collected via the APDA; however, we need more detailed information on the benefits and limitations of the APDA in order to appropriately interpret our data. This information is also likely to be highly beneficial to other school-based researchers. [unreadable] [unreadable]