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ERIC Number: EJ1334912
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Feb
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1531-7714
EISSN: N/A
Autocorrelation Screening: A Potentially Efficient Method for Detecting Repetitive Response Patterns in Questionnaire Data
Gottfried, Jaroslav; Ježek, Stanislav; Králová, Maria; Rihácek, Tomáš
Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, v27 Article 2 Feb 2022
Valid data are essential for making correct theoretical and practical implications. Hence, efficient methods for detecting and excluding data with dubious validity are highly valuable in any field of science. This paper introduces the idea of applying autocorrelation analysis on self-report questionnaires with single-choice numbered, preferably Likert-type, scales in order to screen out potentially invalid data, specifically repetitive response patterns. We explain mathematical principles of autocorrelation in a simple manner and illustrate how to efficiently perform detection of invalid data and how to correctly interpret the results. We conclude that autocorrelation screening could be a valuable screening tool for assessing the quality of self-report questionnaire data. We present a summary of the method's biggest strengths and weaknesses, together with functional tools to allow for an easy execution of autocorrelation screening by researchers, and even practitioners or the broad public. Our conclusions are limited by the current absence of empirical evidence about the practical usefulness of this method.
Center for Educational Assessment. 813 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01002. e-mail: pare@umass.edu; Tel: 413-577-2180; Web site: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/pare
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A