PRACTICAL METHODOLOGIES FOR CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH Since all research is in a sense comparative, it is sometimes argued that methods and requirements remain the same, no matter what country or nationality is involved. The editors of this volume contend that this philosophy is an oversimplification. Although comparative survey research builds on and benefits from best practices established in monocultural research, cross-cultural research requires methodologies which address the central issues of equivalence of measurement and comparability of findings. The literature dealing with these issues has tended to be piecemeal, scattered across disciplines, and focused on specific questionnaires and the needs of single disciplines. This book provides the first systematic, interdisciplinary and hands-on treatment of the issues of greatest saliency for comparative survey research within and across countries. Breaking new ground in its approach, Cross-Cultural Survey Methods describes how to recognize and deal with the major obstacles at each stage of researching, striving for equivalence and comparability.
Topics include: Designing and crafting questionnaires for comparative subjects, including questionnaire translation Error and bias issues in cross-national surveys Techniques for analyzing bias and equivalence Statistical techniques for substantive analysis and the use of multidimensional scaling to analyze bias and research questions Important issues of preparing data for secondary analysis, such as data access, and documentation An introduction to meta-analysis in comparative survey research Consistently readable and grounded in the expertise of noted international authorities, this volume fills an increasing need for practical methodologies for cross-cultural research.
Cross-Cultural Survey Methods
Description
Table of Contents
Contributors. Preface. PART I: INTRODUCTION. Comparative Research (J. Harkness, et al.). PART II: DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION. Questionnaire Design in Comparative Research (J. Harkness, et al.). Questionnaire Translation (J. Harkness). Communication and Social Cognition (M. Braun). Developing Comparable Questions in Cross-National Surveys (T. Smith). Culture-Sensitive Context Effects: A Challenge for Cross-Cultural Surveys (N. Schwarz). Background Variables (M. Braun & P. Mohler). Sampling and Estimation (S. Hader & S. Gabler). PART III: ERROR AND COMPARATIVE SURVEYS. Errors in Comparative Survey Research: An Overview (M. Braun). Bias and Equivalence: Cross-Cultural Perspectives (F. Van de Vijver). Nonresponse in Cross-Cultural and Cross-National Surveys (M. Couper & E. de Leeuw). Data Collection Methods (K. Skj?k & J. Harkness). Social Desirability in Cross-Cultural Research (T. Johnson & F. Van de Vijver). PART IV: ANALYSIS OF COMPARATIVE DATA. Bias and Substantive Analyses (F. Van de Vijver). Multidimensional Scaling (J. Fontaine). Cross-Cultural Equivalence with Structural Equation Modeling (J. Billiet). Multitrait - Multimethod Studies (W. Saris). Response Function Equality (W. Saris). PART V: DOCUMENTATION AND SECONDARY ANALYSIS. Using Published Survey Data (J. van Deth). Documenting Comparative Surveys for Secondary Analysis (P. Mohler & R. Uher). The Use of Meta-Analysis in Cross-National Studies (E. de Leeuw & J. Hox). Glossary (T. Johnson). References. Author Index. Subject Index.
Author Description
JANET A. HARKNESS, PhD, is Director for Germany of the International Social Survey Program (ISSP), convenor and member of the ISSP methodology groups, and is internal coordinator of COMPASS, a five-country consortium of research institutes for European comparative social science survey research. FONS J. R. Van de VIJVER, PhD, teaches cross-cultural psychology at Tilburg University, The Netherlands. He is Editor of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. PETER Ph. MOHLER, PhD, is Director of ZUMA, member of the Board of Directors of GESIS, and a professor at Manheim University.