In questionnaires on language contact outside a formal setting, some opt for using overlapping categories, i.e. in a question such as: 'How many hours do you spend listening to music every day' some researchers will use the following options: 0, 0-1 hours, 1-2 hours, 2-3 hours, 3-4 hours, etc. Others, on the other hand, opt for non-overlapping categories such as: 0, 0-1:00, 1:01-2:00, etc. The latter categories are endorsed by textbooks on scale creation. I cannot find literature in favour of the overlapping categories but am hoping that someone can help me find arguments in favor of such use?
I don't have literature to refer you to, but I can tell you from experience in designing surveys that the non-overlapping way you have written it out might confuse the language learner depending on age, culture and language. So will the questionnaire be given in the native language or target language? Is the culture of the target language values time down to a minute over the hour? whats the age of the participants? The younger the participants the less value they give to time...
I hope I gave you some food for thought!
Thanks very much! I agree with you and as I have very Young participants (who will fill out the questionnaire with their parents), I really need to keep the complexity at a minimum.
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