The outbreak of COVID-19 has created new challenges for face-to-face research activities, including conducting in-person cognitive interviews. The first lockdown in Germany in mid-March 2020 coincided with the preparation phase of a pretest that we planned to conduct face-to-face in our pretest lab in Mannheim. Since we were no longer …
As an alternative to linear stretching, we look into the observed score equating approach in this post and the next. The easiest form of observed score equating is linear equating: a powerful approach that corrects for biases in the mean and standard deviation while harmonizing different instruments. Als Alternative zu …
Linear stretching is a frequently used approach to combine data from response scales with different numbers of response options. In linear stretching, the scales’ minimum and maximum scores are set as equal, respectively, and all values in between are spread with equal distances within this range. However, while temptingly easy …
The scores in our dataset are not reality itself; they are glimpses at reality through the lens of the respective measurement instrument. In research practice, that distinction sometimes takes a backseat. However, if we want to combine numerical scores of different instruments, then the relationship between measurement and reality becomes …
Ecological inference techniques, as advocated and codified by Gary King, provide a way forward when survey data is biased or unavailable and researchers need to infer individual behavior from contextual data. The historical 1920 Carinthian plebiscite provides an ideal-typical application: it was organized to decide whether an ethnically and linguistically …
Migration research faces many methodological challenges. This is already true when the focus is on newcomers (immigrants) in a single or a small number of countries. A major difficulty in this regard is finding, contacting, and convincing members of the target population to participate. But what if we would even …