ESS and ESRA
Already in the first round of the ESS we detected that some questions that were expected to measure approximately the same concept had very low correlations (.1 or lower). This means that one can´t say that these questions measure the same concept.These low correlations were not just due to the way the questions were formulated. We thought that a more fundamental problem was the cause.
More attention to concepts
Blalock said already in 1996 that the general problem of survey research is that questionnaire designers think mostly in terms of questions and not enough about the link between the concept they want to measure and the proper questions for this concept.
The first question we asked ourselves was whether the very many different concepts in the social sciences could be reduced to a number of basic concept. This turned out indeed to be possible as we can see in the table below.
More attention to concepts
Blalock said already in 1996 that the general problem of survey research is that questionnaire designers think mostly in terms of questions and not enough about the link between the concept they want to measure and the proper questions for this concept.
The first question we asked ourselves was whether the very many different concepts in the social sciences could be reduced to a number of basic concept. This turned out indeed to be possible as we can see in the table below.
The next idea was: If one knows how questions can be formulated that ask an evaluation, one can apply this rule to all specific social science concepts to formulate questions that will be an evaluation. Possibly this could also be applied on all basic concepts mentioned. This is typically a linguistic problem. Therefore Irmtraud, with her linguistic background, begon a research of this issue.
The sentence structures of basic concepts
I studied all kinds of grammars, especially the new pragmatic approach but they were not very useful. Applied transformational grammar seemed to me to be the most appropriate way. Especially, the work of Zellig Harris. First of all he suggested that all questions can be transformed in assertions and vice versa but assertions can be studied more easily. He suggested that one can decompose sentences in its basic components noun phrase (NP) and verb phrase (VP) and decompose further the underlying structure.
For some concepts two or three basic structures were possible but I also realized that all possible basic structures of the assertions for each basic concept would also be possible for all specific social science concepts belonging to this basic concept.
For example whether I am interested in the evaluation of the existing services in a country or in the evaluation of the health of an individual person, the same structure of an evaluative sentence can be used. Below is a simple illustration.
The sentence structures of basic concepts
I studied all kinds of grammars, especially the new pragmatic approach but they were not very useful. Applied transformational grammar seemed to me to be the most appropriate way. Especially, the work of Zellig Harris. First of all he suggested that all questions can be transformed in assertions and vice versa but assertions can be studied more easily. He suggested that one can decompose sentences in its basic components noun phrase (NP) and verb phrase (VP) and decompose further the underlying structure.
For some concepts two or three basic structures were possible but I also realized that all possible basic structures of the assertions for each basic concept would also be possible for all specific social science concepts belonging to this basic concept.
For example whether I am interested in the evaluation of the existing services in a country or in the evaluation of the health of an individual person, the same structure of an evaluative sentence can be used. Below is a simple illustration.
For all basic concepts I developed the possible basic structures of the sentences.
Besides these rules, linguistic literature also suggests rules how such assertions can be transformed in questions. In this way a three steps procedure was developed for the design of questions:
This approach is so well defined that it can be formulated in a computer program that step by step develops the basic form of the question for a specific concept. Willem showed that such a program is possible.
With these three steps the questions are not necessary completely formulated, often other components have to be added such as: an introduction, motivation, information, instruction and answer categories. But all these parts are not necessary. One has to determine what is necessary and what not. However the part formulated using the three steps procedure always is necessary to formulate a question.
This result took place over some years and was finally published in a book with other results in Saris and Gallhofer (2007 and 2014).
Besides these rules, linguistic literature also suggests rules how such assertions can be transformed in questions. In this way a three steps procedure was developed for the design of questions:
- A basic concept has to be chosen
- An assertion can be formulated for the specific concept
- The assertion can be transformed in a question
This approach is so well defined that it can be formulated in a computer program that step by step develops the basic form of the question for a specific concept. Willem showed that such a program is possible.
With these three steps the questions are not necessary completely formulated, often other components have to be added such as: an introduction, motivation, information, instruction and answer categories. But all these parts are not necessary. One has to determine what is necessary and what not. However the part formulated using the three steps procedure always is necessary to formulate a question.
This result took place over some years and was finally published in a book with other results in Saris and Gallhofer (2007 and 2014).
The idea of the ESRA
In the same year, working for the ESS, I, Willem; got the idea that it was rather strange that we were collecting data in Europa but we did not know our colleagues in Europe very well. Therefore I thought that it would be about time that also the European methodologists should come together and get to know each other.
Personally I was also very annoyed by the fact that the USA had decided the year before to start another war in Irak after the war in Vietnam and Afghanistan. In general I did not go to demonstrations but this year I was expecting that only a few people would come. Therefore we went to the demonstration in Amsterdam where we joined not more than 100 other demonstrators.
This new war was another reason why I was not eager to go again to the USA, even not, for scientific reasons.
I checked the idea of a European Association for Survey Research, presently called ESRA, which would organize every 2 years a conference, with diverse colleagues from Europe which I had contact with. Of course I asked the ESS people but also researchers which I worked with such as Joan Manuel Batista of ESADE and Albert Satorra of Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and Hanspeter Kriesi at the European University Institute in Fiesole. We formed the board of the association and started the organization of the first conference at the UPF in 2005 with financial support of ESADE and the UPF. I don´t want to go into the details about this initiative because it is well documented in an interview that recently was made with me about this issue as you can see below.
In the same year, working for the ESS, I, Willem; got the idea that it was rather strange that we were collecting data in Europa but we did not know our colleagues in Europe very well. Therefore I thought that it would be about time that also the European methodologists should come together and get to know each other.
Personally I was also very annoyed by the fact that the USA had decided the year before to start another war in Irak after the war in Vietnam and Afghanistan. In general I did not go to demonstrations but this year I was expecting that only a few people would come. Therefore we went to the demonstration in Amsterdam where we joined not more than 100 other demonstrators.
This new war was another reason why I was not eager to go again to the USA, even not, for scientific reasons.
I checked the idea of a European Association for Survey Research, presently called ESRA, which would organize every 2 years a conference, with diverse colleagues from Europe which I had contact with. Of course I asked the ESS people but also researchers which I worked with such as Joan Manuel Batista of ESADE and Albert Satorra of Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and Hanspeter Kriesi at the European University Institute in Fiesole. We formed the board of the association and started the organization of the first conference at the UPF in 2005 with financial support of ESADE and the UPF. I don´t want to go into the details about this initiative because it is well documented in an interview that recently was made with me about this issue as you can see below.