Survey Research OperationsSurvey Research Center

Institute for Social Research

The Use of Structured Survey Instrument Metadata

throughout the Data Lifecycle

Sue Ellen HansenInstitute for Social Research

University of Michigan

ESRA 20111

Survey Research OperationsSurvey Research Center ▪ Institute for Social Research

Presentation Outline

• Data Lifecycle

• Survey Lifecycle

• MQDS

• Moving through the data lifecycle

• Study example

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Survey Research OperationsSurvey Research Center ▪ Institute for Social Research

Data Lifecycle (DDI)

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http://www.ddialliance.org/

Survey Lifecycle (CCSG)

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http://ccsg.isr.umich.edu/

Survey Research OperationsSurvey Research Center ▪ Institute for Social Research

MQDS

• Michigan Questionnaire Documentation System▪ Documents Blaise™ survey instruments and

datasets▪ Produces relational and eXtended Markup

Language (XML) question-level metadata that meet the Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) metadata standard

▪ Now available to licensed Blaise ™ users

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Survey Research OperationsSurvey Research Center ▪ Institute for Social Research

MQDS Version 3

• Relational database▪ DDI compliant standardized tables

▪ Flexibility to add extensions that meet client and organizational needs

▪ Allows • Automated documentation of any Blaise survey

instrument• Importing and documenting data produced by

other software (e.g., SAS)• Lower cost development of other tools that

facilitate editing and disseminating data

Survey Research OperationsSurvey Research Center ▪ Institute for Social Research

MQDS V3Relational Database

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Survey Research OperationsSurvey Research Center ▪ Institute for Social Research

Using MQDS across the Data Lifecycle

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MQDS

From Concepts toInstrument Specifications

• Concepts → Constructs → Indicators → Measures

• Questionnaire design▪ Focus groups, cognitive interviews, etc.

• Questionnaire

• Instrument design

• Instrument specifications → programming & screen layout → MQDS documentation (instrument and codebook)

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Instrument Specifications

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Blaise™ Programming

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Blaise™ Screen

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MQDS Instrument Documentation

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Survey Research OperationsSurvey Research Center ▪ Institute for Social Research

Using MQDS across the Data Lifecycle

• Check programming against instrument specifications

• Compare versions of instruments• Test programmed instruments• Document preliminary datasets• Document cleaned datasets• Harmonize data• Disseminate data for public use data

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Survey Research OperationsSurvey Research Center ▪ Institute for Social Research

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Study Example

• Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiological Surveys (CPES)▪ National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R)

▪ National Survey of American Life (NSAL)

▪ National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) – 5 languages

• U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/CPES/

CPES

• Programming and data collection▪ Survey Research Operations (SRO), Survey

Research Center, (SRC), Institute for Social Research (ISR)

• Harmonization project▪ SRO and the Inter-University Consortium for

Political and Social Research (ICSPR), ISR▪ Facilitated by MQDS standardized structured

XML metadata for all three CPES surveys

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Survey Research OperationsSurvey Research Center ▪ Institute for Social Research

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CPES Harmonization Project

• Primary goals:▪ Harmonize and merge CPES datasets▪ Prepare codebooks and data for on-line analysis ▪ Develop Website▪ Disseminate for public use

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The Data• ~ 20,000 Respondents

▪ NCS-R: 9,282 adults▪ NSAL: 6,199 adults

• 3,570 African American• 1623 Afro-Caribbean• 891 non-Latino White

▪ NLAAS: 4,864 adults• 1095 Asian• 2,554 Latino• 215 non-Latino, non-Asian White

• ~ 6,000 variables▪ from 9,000 before harmonization and disclosure

analysis

Process for Creating CPES XML

CPES SAS Merged Dataset

SAS Macro

Create “Blaise” Metadata

MQDS Create Blaise

Codebook

CPES Metadata (.BMI file)

CPES Freqs XML

CPES XML

Crosswalk / XML LinkSurvey

Crosswalk

CPES Final XML

ICPSR Web Site

Process Repeated for

• NCS-R• NSAL• NLAAS• NLAAS English• NLAAS Spanish• NLAAS Tagolog• NLAAS Vietnamese• NLAAS Chinese

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CPES Website Development and Data Dissemination

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CPES Interactive Codebook

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http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/CPES/

CPES Interactive Codebook

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CPES Interactive Codebook

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CPES Interactive Codebook

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Survey Research OperationsSurvey Research Center ▪ Institute for Social Research

Summary

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MQDS

Questions?

• Data Documentation Initiative

• CPES

• Cross-Cultural Survey Guidelines

• MQDS

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http://www.ddialliance.org/

http://ccsg.isr.umich.edu/

http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/CPES/

http://www.blaise.com/Tools