Tuesday 14th July      Wednesday 15th July      Thursday 16th July      Friday 17th July     

Thursday 16th July, 11:00 - 12:30 Room: L-103

Surveying children and young people 2
Convenor	Miss Emily Gilbert (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Institute of Education )
Coordinator 1	Ms Lisa Calderwood (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Institute of Education)

Session Details

Many large-scale surveys successfully collect a variety of different types of data from children and young people. However, there is relatively little methodological evidence in this area. Much of the literature relating to children and young people’s participation in research focuses on small-scale qualitative studies and tends to concentrate on ethical issues relating to the rights of children and young people in research. This session will cover experiences of including children and young people in surveys, and related survey design issues. The session aims to explore a variety of methodological issues around surveying children and young people. Submissions are particularly welcomed on:
- designing questionnaires for children and young people, including question testing methods
- collecting sensitive data from children and young people, including methods for ensuring privacy and encouraging accurate reporting
- collecting different types of data from children and young people, including physical measurements, cognitive assessments, biological samples and time use data
- using different methods of data collection, including the use of innovative technology such as the web and mobile phones
- inclusivity in data collection methods, including facilitating the participation of young people with lower literacy levels
- assessing the reliability and validity of young people’s self-reports
- preventing non-response by engaging young people in research, including designing survey materials to appeal to young people and using new technology and digital media for participant engagement
- ethical issues in involving children and young people in surveys, including gaining informed consent and protecting children’s rights and well-being

Paper Details

1. Benefits of the Transfer of Laboratory Assessments into Household-Settings for Non-Completion and Data-Quality in a Large-Scale Infant-Study
Mr Jan-david Freund (Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg)

The German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) transferred the well-established habituation-dishabituation-paradigm from the typical laboratory situation into a household-setting in a large-scale infant-study (n=3,500). This transfer resulted in a rate of non-completers far below the average in other studies using this paradigm. This grants an opportunity to investigate infants usually at risk of non-completion and the connection of non-completion and results of the paradigm. The talk covers background information on the assessment and an analysis of the effects on non-completion and data quality.

2. Telephone interviews with 5 to 11 year old children
Dr Susanne Vogl (University of Vienna, Department of Sociology)

In this paper, we systematically compare telephone and face-to-face interviews to analyse the general applicability of telephone interviews and peculiarities when researching children. The data consists of 112 semi-structured interviews with 56 children aged 5 to 11 conducted in Germany. Each child was interviewed twice, once on the telephone and once face-to-face. By triangulating qualitative and quantitative analytical steps we compare both interview modes in a number of aspects. The results show very little difference between the two interview modes.

3. Developing an Audio-CASI questionnaire for children at ages 8 and 10 in the Growing up in Scotland study: Our experiences of testing mode and individual question items.
Ms Judith Mabelis (ScotCen Social Research)

GUS launched in 2005 when children were aged 10 months. The first survey data collection with children, using an Audio-CASI (Computer Assisted Self Interviewing), took place in 2012 at the age of 8. Audio-CASI offers notable advantages; however, there was little evidence of this mode being used amongst younger children. It was therefore essential to test both the Audio-CASI instrument as well as the child’s understanding of individual questions. This paper will detail how we carried out this testing through cognitive interviews, summarise the key lessons learnt and reflect on how useful the testing techniques were.

4. Determinants of children's and young adult's participation in web surveys
Dr Annemieke Luiten (CBS- Statistics Netherlands)
Mr Jeldrik Bakker (CBS- Statistics Netherlands)
Dr Barry Schouten (CBS- Statistics Netherlands)

Children and young adults from 10 to 22 years of age were asked to participate in a web survey on self-reported criminal behaviour. Nonrespondents and partial respondents were contacted to understand more about the circumstances of refusal and partial fill-in. In the telephone follow-up we go into each phase of the survey process (did the parent receive the letter, did s/he read it, was permission given to the child, did the child subsequently read the letter, did s/he try to log on, etc.). Aim is to understand where and why the non-response took place.