I'm exploring innovative ways of conducting research with teens and younger children. We are looking to measure positive youth development, and normal surveys are not very engaging for this demographic, so I'm curious if anyone has explored any creative ways - e.g., gamification, turning survey into a fun quiz, using apps, etc. Looking for quantitative suggestions at this stage.
Thank you!
Dear Natasha. Thank you for your question. I think you are making an important point, regarding the need for innovative ways to engage teenagers. I recommend that you make your questionnaire focused, possibly in 4-5 questions only. We have even seen recently an editorial by Henk Schmidt in Health Professions Education about a single-item questionnaire. His point is one item could be as effective as multiple items if we really know how to focus our question and the purpose of our research question. I enclose his editorial:
Second, Use online surveys to engage participants. Colours or one image related could help
In the meantime have focus groups or interviews together with your survey. These focus groups will maximize the outcomes of your research.
Have a look on this research from Australia titled
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND AUSTRALIAN TEENAGERS. I enclose a copy. I hope this helps. Professor S Azer
One-item survey may be as useful as multi-item survey if we are really sure the data obtained with one item are reliable and valid for the purpose of the study. A question on gender or SES would suffice, but these are easily verified. A problem with one-item survey is how the data reliability is to be checked. Split-sample may be the solution but this require a large sample in the first place. Validity can, of course, be checked by correlating with some relevant criteria.
Focus group, interviews, and action research are alternative methods for data collection or for triangulation; and, they are not innovative, strictly speaking, since they are here for a long time. Making a survey more interesting is not necessary innovating (if this means a method unused before.
I agree with photo vice techniques, however they are more efficient in qualitative than in quantitative, you can use them as early technique of involving teen in your study and then when you're connected with them you can distribute a survey for them to fill in.
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