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Quality in Student Financial Aid Programs A New Approach (1993) / Chapter Skim
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D Laboratory Methods and Document Redesign
Pages 215-220

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From page 215...
... In keeping with the CASM mission, such centers actively promote collaboration among behavioral scientists from various fields, statisticians, and survey researchers in order to improve data quality and the data collection process (Dippo and Norwood, 1992~. One such research center is the Behavioral Science Research Center (BSRC)
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From page 216...
... Rather than focus only on the taxpayer, the research team decided to collect input from other users of Schedule C, specifically IRS editors of Schedule C and primary and secondary data users (e.g., Statistics of Income Division, IRS; and Bureau of the Census and Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce)
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From page 217...
... . Based on the information gathered during the first stage of the research, the AIR and IRS focus of the revisions crystallized into: alphabetizing the main- and subcategories of the principal business codes on the back of Schedule C, · increasing the size of the print, improving the clarity of and completeness of instructions printed on the form, moving the four-digit codes originally located to the left of the category description to the right, and removing visual "clutter." The rationale for these changes was to facilitate searching, reduce scanning time and errors, and facilitate the taxpayer's task.
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From page 218...
... In experiment 2, alphabetization and format changes yielded higher accuracy and shorter completion times than for the old version. Findings also showed that respondents did not read the directions, even when they were printed directly above the activity codes, and moving the 4-di~it codes from the left to the right of the description caused more, Not surprisingly, the accuracy levels for the various scenarios varied—from 85 percent correct for exact descriptions, 78 percent for synonyms, and 42 percent for ambiguous descriptions.
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From page 219...
... After the focus group data were analyzed and the appropriate changes were made in the survey booklet, it was decided to evaluate the data collection and processing aspect of this newly developed survey format. The questionnaire was mailed to approximately 1,500 respondents located in four states.
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From page 220...
... SUMMARY The BSRC laboratory used behavioral science methods to investigate errors and to test revisions of the IRS Schedule C and the BLS OSHS survey. The methods used included focus groups, behavioral observations, concurrent and retrospective think-alouds, in-depth debriefings, semistructured telephone interviews, open-ended written interviews, and expert analysis.
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Key Terms

  • oshs survey
  • redesign efforts
  • forms redesign
  • occupational illnesses
  • labor statistics

  • data quality
  • irs representatives
  • telephone interviews
  • science methods
  • respondent burden

  • bsrc laboratory
  • team conducted
  • irs editors
  • improve data
  • form redesign

  • behavioral scientists
  • semistructured telephone
  • survey booklet
  • appropriate changes
  • expert analysis

  • developed survey
  • newly developed
  • survey format
  • accuracy levels
  • nearby establishments

  • total hours
  • behavioral observations
  • reduce cost
  • centers actively
  • development methods


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