Call Me Maybe: Using Incentives and Follow-Ups to Increase Principals' Survey Response Rates. Issue 4 (1st October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Neal, Zachary; Neal, Jennifer Watling; Piteo, Amelia
• Is Part Of: Journal of research on educational effectiveness. Volume 13:Issue 4(2020)
• Page Start: 784
• Page End: 793
• Publication Date: 2020-10-01
• Subjects: Data collection -- experiment -- principal -- survey; Education -- Research -- Periodicals; Education -- Evaluation -- Periodicals; Education -- Methodology -- Periodicals; 371.422
• DOI: 10.1080/19345747.2020.1772423
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1934-5747

Abstract

Abstract: Educational researchers regularly collect survey data from educators, but struggle to encourage survey completion in this busy population, particularly when surveys are web-based. In this study we experimentally investigated the usefulness of follow-up phone calls and increased monetary incentives to non-respondents as strategies to boost response rates. We randomly assigned 540 hard-to-reach Michigan secondary school principals to one of four conditions (control, call, incentive, or call and incentive). We find that follow-up calls more than double the likelihood of survey completion, while the offer of a larger monetary incentive has no statistically significant effect. Integrating this finding with recent literature on survey response rates in educational settings, we conclude with a series of recommendations for researchers surveying principals and other school administrators.