P SC 5940: Survey Research Methods

Fall 2025

Instructor: Joe Ripberger
Office: 5 Partners Place, Suite 2300
Office Hours: By Appointment
Time and Location: M 5:30pm - 8:20pm, 5 Partners Place, Suite 2300

Course Details

Description

Survey research is a cornerstone of the social and behavioral sciences. In this course, students will explore the theory and practice of designing, implementing, and analyzing surveys, with a primary focus on web-based data collection. They will learn the principles of sampling, question design, and data collection, as well as how to identify and address common sources of error and bias. The course will bridge foundational theory with applied skills, giving students the tools to critically assess existing surveys and build their own from the ground up. Students will gain hands-on experience programming surveys in Qualtrics, conducting pretests, and analyzing survey data using R. Through interactive assignments and a semester-long project, students will be equipped to design and evaluate surveys that produce valid, reliable, and actionable data.

Format

The course will follow a flipped instructional model: you will be expected to complete assigned readings before class so that our time together can focus on applying key concepts. During class sessions, we will engage in interactive learning through hands-on activities, collaborative problem-solving, and guided discussions. This format is designed to deepen your understanding, encourage critical thinking, and help you translate methodological principles into practice.

Management

The course will utilize both Canvas and Dropbox for management. Canvas will be used for grading, and Dropbox will host course documents, code, and assignments.

Textbooks

This course will use a combination of materials from the following books:

  • 📘 Dillman, Don A., Jolene D. Smyth, and Leah Melani Christian. 2014. Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
  • 📘 Zimmer, Sharon, Ryan Powell, and Iván Velásquez. 2024. Exploring Complex Survey Data Analysis Using R: A Tidy Introduction with {srvyr} and {survey}. Boca Raton, FL: Chapman and Hall/CRC.
  • 📜 Groves, Robert M., Floyd J. Fowler Jr., Mick P. Couper, James M. Lepkowski, Eleanor Singer, and Roger Tourangeau. 2009. Survey Methodology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Additional References

There are many fantastic books on survey research. Here are a few others that are highly recommended:

  • 📚 Tourangeau, Roger, Lance J. Rips, and Kenneth Rasinski. 2000. The Psychology of Survey Response. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
  • 📚 Callegaro, Mario, Katja Lozar Manfreda, and Vasja Vehovar. 2015. Web Survey Methodology. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd.
  • 📚 Harkness, Janet A., Fons J. R. van de Vijver, and Peter Ph. Mohler. 2003. Cross-Cultural Survey Methods. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Survey Resources

Survey Practice, American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), Pew Research Center Methods, General Social Survey Methodological Reports.

R Resources

R Project, Posit, Posit Cheatsheets, Google’s R Style Guide, Advanced R, Tidyverse Style Guide, Posit Recipes, CRAN Task View: Official Statistics & Survey Statistics.

Artificial Intelligence

Students are encouraged to use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Github Copilot to assist with coding and editing assignments. Use of these tools must be properly acknowledged and cited. Students are responsible for evaluating the validity and applicability of any AI output they submit and bear the ultimate responsibility. Violations of this policy will be regarded as academic misconduct.

Assignments and Grades

Assignment Weight Target Description
Survey Design (Plan) 20% Sept. 28, 2025 Develop a detailed survey plan outlining your research objectives, target population, sampling strategy, and data collection method.
Survey Questionnaire 20% Oct. 12, 2025 Create a well-structured questionnaire that aligns with your survey plan and follows best practices for question wording and format.
Survey Experiment 20% Oct. 26, 2025 Design a survey experiment with defined experimental conditions, randomization, and procedures for testing your research questions.
Survey Analysis 10% Dec. 7, 2025 Develop an analytic plan outlining the steps you will take to clean, weight, and analyze your survey data after collection.
Participation 30% Always Actively contribute to discussions, activities, and peer reviews; demonstrate engagement and preparation throughout the course.

Auditing

Students auditing this course must read the assigned materials, participate in class discussions, and complete all assignments. They will be treated the same as enrolled students.

University Policies

Mental Health Support Services

Support is available for any student experiencing mental health issues that are impacting their academic success. Students can either been seen at the University Counseling Center (UCC) located on the second floor of Goddard Health Center or receive 24/7/365 crisis support from a licensed mental health provider through TELUS Health. To schedule an appointment or receive more information about mental health resources at OU please call the UCC at 405-325-2911 or visit University Counseling Center. The UCC is located at 620 Elm Ave., Room 201, Norman, OK 73019.

Title IX Resources and Reporting Requirement

The University of Oklahoma faculty are committed to creating a safe learning environment for all members of our community, free from gender and sex-based discrimination, including sexual harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, in accordance with Title IX. There are resources available to those impacted, including: speaking with someone confidentially about your options, medical attention, counseling, reporting, academic support, and safety plans. If you have (or someone you know has) experienced any form of sex or gender-based discrimination or violence and wish to speak with someone confidentially, please contact OU Advocates (available 24/7 at 405-615-0013) or University Counseling Center (M-F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 405-325-2911)

Because the University of Oklahoma is committed to the safety of you and other students, and because of our Title IX obligations, I, as well as other faculty, Graduate Assistants, and Teaching Assistants, are mandatory reporters. This means that we are obligated to report gender-based violence that has been disclosed to us to the Institutional Equity Office. This means that we are obligated to report gender-based violence that has been disclosed to us to the Institutional Equity Office. This includes disclosures that occur in: class discussion, writing assignments, discussion boards, emails and during Student/Office Hours. You may also choose to report directly to the Institutional Equity Office. After a report is filed, the Title IX Coordinator will reach out to provide resources, support, and information and the reported information will remain private. For more information regarding the University’s Title IX Grievance procedures, reporting, or support measures, please visit Institutional Equity Office at 405-325-3546.

Reasonable Accommodation Policy

The University of Oklahoma (OU) is committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunity and full educational participation for students with disabilities. If you have already established reasonable accommodations with the Accessibility and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), please submit your semester accommodation request through the ADRC as soon as possible and contact me privately, so that we have adequate time to arrange your approved academic accommodations.

If you have not yet established services through ADRC, but have a documented disability and require accommodations, please complete ADRC’s pre-registration form to begin the registration process. ADRC facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations for students at OU. For more information on ADRC registration procedures, please review their Register with the ADRC web page. You may also contact them at (405)325-3852 or adrc@ou.edu, or visit www.ou.edu/adrc for more information.

Note: disabilities may include, but are not limited to, mental health, chronic health, physical, vision, hearing, learning and attention disabilities, pregnancy-related. ADRC can also support students experiencing temporary medical conditions.

Religious Observance

It is the policy of the University to excuse the absences of students that result from religious observances and to reschedule examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays, without penalty.

Emergency Protocol

During an emergency, there are official university procedures that will maximize your safety.

Severe Weather: If you receive an OU Alert to seek refuge or hear a tornado siren that signals severe weather.

  1. Look for severe weather refuge location maps located inside most OU buildings near the entrances.
  2. Seek refuge inside a building. Do not leave one building to seek shelter in another building that you deem safer. If outside, get into the nearest building.
  3. Go to the building’s severe weather refuge location. If you do not know where that is, go to the lowest level possible and seek refuge in an innermost room. Avoid outside doors and windows.
  4. Get in, Get Down, Cover Up
  5. Wait for official notice to resume normal activities.

Additional Weather Safety Information is available through the Department of Campus Safety.

The University of Oklahoma Active Threat Guidance

The University of Oklahoma embraces a Run, Hide, Fight strategy for active threats on campus. This strategy is well known, widely accepted, and proven to save lives. To receive emergency campus alerts, be sure to update your contact information and preferences in the account settings section at one.ou.edu.

  • RUN: Running away from the threat is usually the best option. If it is safe to run, run as far away from the threat as possible. Call 911 when you are in a safe location and let them know from which OU campus you’re calling from and location of active threat.
  • HIDE: If running is not practical, the next best option is to hide. Lock and barricade all doors; turn of all lights; turn down your phone’s volume; search for improvised weapons; hide behind solid objects and walls; and hide yourself completely and stay quiet. Remain in place until law enforcement arrives. Be patient and remain hidden.
  • FIGHT: If you are unable to run or hide, the last best option is to fight. Have one or more improvised weapons with you and be prepared to attack. Attack them when they are least expecting it and hit them where it hurts most: the face (specifically eyes, nose, and ears), the throat, the diaphragm (solar plexus), and the groin. Please save OUPD’s contact information in your phone.

NORMAN campus: For non-emergencies call (405) 325-1717. For emergencies call (405) 325-1911 or dial 911.

Fire Alarm/General Emergency

If you receive an OU Alert that there is danger inside or near the building, or the fire alarm inside the building activates:

  1. LEAVE the building. Do not use the elevators.
  2. KNOW at least two building exits
  3. ASSIST those that may need help
  4. PROCEED to the emergency assembly area
  5. ONCE safely outside, NOTIFY first responders of anyone that may still be inside building due to mobility issues.
  6. WAIT for official notice before attempting to re-enter the building.

Tentative Schedule (Subject to Change)

August 25: Introduction to Survey Research

  • 📄 Groves (2011). “Three Eras of Survey Research.” Public Opin. Q.
  • 📄 Couper (2017). “New Developments in Survey Data Collection.” Annu. Rev. Sociol.
  • 🌐 Pew (2025). Public Opinion Polling Basics

Slides:

September 1: No class (Labor Day)

September 8: Total Survey Error (TSE) and Total Survey Quality (TSQ)

  • 📘 Dillman et al. (2014). “Chapter 1. Sample Surveys in Our Electronic World.” Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys.
  • 📄 Groves & Lyberg (2010). “Total Survey Error: Past, Present, and Future.” Public Opin. Q.
  • 📄 Biemer (2010). “Total Survey Error: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation.” Public Opin. Q.
  • 📄 McClain et al. (2019). “A Typology of Web Survey Paradata for Assessing Total Survey Error.” Soc. Sci. Comput. Rev.
  • 🎥 GSS (2022). Total Survey Error in the GSS

Methods Subfield:

  • 📜 Groves et al. (2009). “Chapter 1. An Introduction to Survey Methodology.” Survey Methodology.
  • 📜 Groves et al. (2009). “Chapter 2. Inference and Error in Surveys.” Survey Methodology.

Slides:

September 15: Sampling I: Probability Samples

  • 📘 Dillman et al. (2014). “Chapter 3. Covering the Population and Selecting Who to Survey.” Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys.
  • 📄 Link et al. (2008). “A Comparison of Address-Based Sampling (ABS) Versus Random-Digit Dialing (RDD) for General Population Surveys.” Public Opin. Q.
  • 🎥 Pew (2017). Methods 101: Random Sampling
  • 🎥 GSS (2022). Sampling in the GSS

Methods Subfield:

  • 📜 Groves et al. (2009). “Chapter 3. Target Populations, Sampling Frames, and Coverage Error.” Survey Methodology.
  • 📜 Groves et al. (2009). “Chapter 4. Sample Design and Sampling Error.” Survey Methodology.

Slides:

September 22: Workshop (Debate Prep)

Instructions:

September 29: Sampling II: Nonprobability Samples

Slides:

October 6: Survey Mode and Questionnaire Design

  • 📄 Ansolabehere & Schaffner (2014). “Does Survey Mode Still Matter? Findings from a 2010 Multi-Mode Comparison.” Polit. Anal.
  • 🎥 Pew (2019). Methods 101: Mode Effects
  • 📘 Dillman et al. (2014). “Chapter 4. The Fundamentals of Writing Questions.” Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys.
  • 📄 Schaeffer & Presser (2003). “The Science of Asking Questions.” Annu. Rev. Sociol.
  • 📖 Krosnick & Presser (2010). “Question and Questionnaire Design.” Handbook of Survey Research.
  • 🎥 Pew (2018). Methods 101: Survey Question Wording
  • 🌐 Pew (2025). Writing Survey Questions

Methods Subfield:

  • 📜 Groves et al. (2009). “Chapter 5. Methods of Data Collection.” Survey Methodology.
  • 📜 Groves et al. (2009). “Chapter 6. Nonresponse in Sample Surveys.” Survey Methodology.

Slides:

October 13: Questionnaire Design and Testing

Methods Subfield:

  • 📜 Groves et al. (2009). “Chapter 7. Questions and Answers in Surveys.” Survey Methodology.
  • 📜 Groves et al. (2009). “Chapter 8. Evaluating Survey Questions.” Survey Methodology.

Slides:

October 20: Survey Experiments

  • 📄 Gaines et al. (2007). “The Logic of the Survey Experiment Reexamined.” Polit. Anal.
  • 📄 Mullinix et al. (2015). “The Generalizability of Survey Experiments.” J. Exp. Polit. Sci.
  • 📄 Haaland et al. (2023). “Designing Information Provision Experiments.” J. Econ. Lit.
  • 📄 Thomas (2024). “The Advent of Survey Experiments in Politics and International Relations.” Gov. Oppos.

Slides:

October 27: Multinational, Multiregional, and Multicultural (3MC) Surveys

Slides:

November 3: Survey Data Cleaning and Weighting

Methods Subfield:

  • 📜 Groves et al. (2009). “Chapter 10. Postcollection Processing of Survey Data.” Survey Methodology.
  • 📜 Groves et al. (2009). “Chapter 11. Principles and Practices Related to Ethical Research.” Survey Methodology.

Slides:

November 10: Survey Data Analysis (Quantitative)

  • 📘 Zimmer et al. (2025). Exploring Complex Survey Data Analysis Using R.

Instructions and Slides:

November 17: Survey Data Analysis (Qualitative)

  • 📄 Jackson & Trochim (2002). “Concept Mapping as an Alternative Approach for the Analysis of Open-Ended Survey Responses.” Organ. Res. Methods
  • 📄 Ryan & Bernard (2003). “Techniques to Identify Themes.” Field Methods.
  • 📄 Rouder et al. (2021). “What to Do With All Those Open-Ended Responses? Data Visualization Techniques for Survey Researchers.” Surv. Pract.
  • 📄 Mellon et al. (2024). “Do AIs Know What the Most Important Issue Is? Using Language Models to Code Open-Text Social Survey Responses at Scale.” Res. Polit.

November 24: No class (Thanksgiving Vacation)

December 1: Workshop

December 8: Final Presentations