This presentation will discuss evolving developments in data collection quality control and quality monitoring in international survey research and the challenges and opportunities brought about by the diffusion of affordable technology to developing and transitional countries. Data collection technologies that have been widely used in the the developed world are increasingly being adapted and used in new contexts. This transfer of technology is facilitating new approaches to quality control in these contexts, including the collection of rich paradata, as well as other innovative applications. In addition to immediate access to the survey and process data (including call records), self-administered modes such as ACASI are being used in very diverse contexts, as are the use of digital recordings, global positioning systems (GPS), areal photography, digital photography and fingerprinting, among other examples. With these innovations, however, come new challenges. This presentation will trace these developments with examples from large scale surveys in China, Ghana, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Nepal and will delineate some of the lessons learned from such implementations including:  1. Adapting quality control approaches to country contexts and traditions; 2. Revising or improving instrumentation and software across countries; 3. Building survey capacity and training approaches; 4. Adapting to country-specific equipment and systems; and 5. Handling administrative and logistical challenges. The presentation will end with a look forward to new technologies under development and how these might impact quality monitoring.

Beth-Ellen Pennell is the Director of International Survey Operations at the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.  Pennell has more than 30 years of survey methods research and operational experience.  She is also the Director of the Data Collection Coordination Centre of the World Mental Health Survey Initiative, a collaboration of the World Health Organization, Harvard University and the University of Michigan. This project involves epidemiological surveys in more than 30 countries and has lead to over 700 publications.   Finally, Pennell also led the development of the Cross-cultural Survey Guidelines.

This is a co-hosted seminar by the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods and the School of Demography.