Overcoming Survey Research Problems

Book excerpt: Paper and electronic surveys of students and faculty have become increasingly popular in higher education research and are now used in almost all facets of assessment and planning. Yet as the demand for survey research has increased, survey response rates have been falling. Low response rates are problematic because they can call into question the validity of the results, as well as increase survey administration costs. This volume examines an array of survey research problems and best practices, with the aim of providing readers with ways to increase response rates while controlling costs. Many institutional researchers face additional demands such as administering multiple surveys over time, or administering surveys on sensitive subjects such as student alcohol or drug use. New technologies for survey administration also provide many different options. This volume discusses these issues in terms of the survey research literature as well as the experiences of practitioners in the field. This is the 121st volume of the higher education quarterly journal New Directions for Institutional Research.