Work

From study to work: methodological challenges of a graduate destination survey in the Western Cape, South Africa

Year: 2014

Type: article

Abstract: Current literature proposes several strategies for improving response rates to student evaluation surveys. Graduate destination surveys pose the difficulty of tracing graduates years later when their contact details may have changed. This article discusses the methodology of one such a survey to maximise response rates. Compiling a sample frame with reliable contact details was most important, but may require using additional sources of information other than university records. In hindsight, graduates should have been contacted prior to the survey to introduce it and stress its importance, while email and postal reminders appeared to have a limited effect on non-respondents. Due to varying response rates between participating universities, online responses were augmented with a call centre administering the survey telephonically to non-respondents. Although overall differences between online and telephonic responses appeared to be small, certain question items may need to be treated with caution when conducting telephonic surveys.

Source: Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education

DOI: 10.1080/02602938.2013.875118

Authors: Jacques du Toit, Andre Kraak, Judy Favish, Lizelle Fletcher

Institutions: University of Pretoria, University of Cape Town

Language: English

Topic: Survey Methodology and Nonresponse

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funder: University of Cape Town