Cognitive Interview Guide Draft

Cognitive Interview Guide Draft

ONCE RESPONDENT IS ON THE PHONE:

INTRODUCE YOURSELF, CONFIRM THAT THEY COMPLETED THE SURVEY, THAT IT IS STILL A GOOD TIME TO DO THE INTERVIEW, AND THAT THEY HAVE THEIR COPY OF THE SURVEY IN FRONT OF THEM.

The interview should take about 30 minutes. During the interview I’m going to ask you questions about some of your answers to the survey questions like, “Was it hard for you to answer this question?” and “How did you come up with your answer to this question?” I’m not so much interested in your actual survey responses but how you decided on that response. The things you tell me will help determine whether the survey questions could be improved so they are easier to answer and to make sure that the information we collect from mariners during the full survey later this year is accurate and useful to MARAD. If you don’t mind, I’d like to record this call. The recording will only be used by me when I write up the results to make sure I didn’t miss anything you said. It won’t include your name and it won’t be shared with anyone outside of Strategic Research Group. Would that be okay? If yes, begin recording, and note the time, date, and R’s identifier.

I’m going to start by asking you about the background questions in Section 1.

1. Looking at the questions in this first section, were there any that were difficult to answer?

PROBE IF NEEDED: Which questions? What about the question made it difficult to answer?

2. If R does not mention Q1, ask: I’m particularly interested in the first question. Was it easy for you to answer this question?

Probe if R SAYS NO: What about the question made it difficult to answer? Was it the question itself, or the response options that were provided?

3. If R does not mention Q4a, Q5a, and/or q6a ask: Now looking at the questions asking you to provide the year you last sailed in a rating/position, was it hard for you to remember the year for the items in these question?

IF YES, ASK: How did you decide on a specific year for the items?

How confident that your answers to these questions are accurate?

4. IF R DOES NOT MENTION Q7-Q10: Did you have any difficulties answering the questions 7, 8, 9, or 10?

PROBE IF NEEDED: Which questions? What about the question(s) made it difficult to answer?

Were you comfortable answering these questions? (PROBE REASON IF UNCOMFORTABLE)

5. Were there any terms or phrases in any of the questions or in the response choices in Section 1 that you thought were confusing?

Thank you for that information. Next I’d like to ask you about Section 2.

6. First, I’d like to hear your thoughts about the introduction to this section. In particular, do you feel it provided you with the information you needed to answer the questions in this section?

7. Was the information in this introduction easy to understand?

8. Was there anything that was confusing?

9. Did you click on the link and read the information about the risks and benefits of volunteering to serve in a time of National Need?

10. IF NO TO #8: Why didn’t you click on the link and read this information?

11. IF YES TO #8: Do you feel that the information about the risks and benefits of volunteering to serve in a time of National Need helped you answer the questions that followed? Specifically, where you were asked how likely you would be to volunteer in six different scenarios?

12. Was there any information provided about the risks and benefits that was new to you?

13. Is there any other information that we could have included that would have helped you decide how to answer the questions that followed?

14. I’d like to talk about those six scenarios – questions 11 through 16 on the survey. First, I’d like to hear your thoughts about the questions themselves. Was it easy to understand what was being asked?

PROBE IF NEEDED: Was there anything that difficult to understand?

15. Was it clear to you that for all six scenarios, if you volunteered to serve as a paid crew member in the event of a National Need, you would receive any necessary training and you would have re-employment rights?

16. When you answered, did you give serious consideration to each and every scenario?

17. Was it easy for you to find a response choice that reflected your answer for each of the scenarios? In other words, for each scenario, was it easy to choose from the available options of Very Unlikely, Somewhat Unlikely, Somewhat Likely, and Very Likely?

18. How confident are you that your answers to these questions reflect what you would really do if you were asked to volunteer in a time of National Need?

PROBE IF NEEDED: Are there any changes you think could be made to these questions to improve your confidence that the answers you give would truly reflect your decision to volunteer in a time of National Need?

19. When you think about the conditions under which you would be willing to volunteer to serve in the event of a National Need, how important to you are the type of vessel and the number of tours?

20. Are there other factors that are more important to you?

21. Let’s look at question 17. Was it easy for you to answer this question? (NOTE: R MAY HAVE SKIPPED THIS QUESTION)

PROBE IF NEEDED: What did you think about when deciding how to answer this question?

22. And looking at questions 20 and 21, was it easy for you to answer these questions? (NOTE: R MAY HAVE SKIPPED THESE QUESTIONS)

PROBE IF NEEDED: How clear is it what the government is offering in these questions?

I just have a couple more general questions.

23. Are there any other thoughts you had about the survey – the instructions, the questions, the response choices, and so on – that we haven’t covered?

24. If online version: Did you have any issues accessing or logging in to the survey and taking the survey online?

If paper version: Did you have any issues completing the survey? For example, did you find the skip instructions easy to follow?

PROBE IF NEEDED: Is there anything about the survey layout that you think could be improved?

STOP RECORDING

Thank you so much for talking with me today. The information you have provided is very useful and I appreciate your willingness to help with this important study. Within the next couple of weeks you will receive a check in the mail for $50. VERIFY ADDRESS, END CALL.