Overview for Keywords: data collection, incentives, participation
Blogs with Keywords: data collection, incentives, participation
Rebecca O'Rourke :: Blog :: Incentives for research participants
| View blog | Archive | Friends' blogs | View all posts
July 28, 2008
Just wondering whether people would routinely offer an incentive to people who have participated in their data collection in some way, and if so, what sort of incentive you could consider appropriate. Recently, I have received two very handsome incentives - one cash, one a material object - but in each case I didn't know I would receive anything beforehand. On one project I have worked on we have entered names into a draw for a modest prize. I aminterested to know what others do, and why.
Posted by Rebecca O'Rourke
You must be logged in to post a comment.
- File Storage
(0 files)
Files
Comments
On a learner experience programme project I worked on we gave students £10 for taking part in a 40 min to an hour interview and £50 a month for completing weekly diary entries. However, our supply of students willing to do it for that amount dried up before the end of the data gathering phase (not sure what happened next because I've left the project). Colleagues gave away similar amounts to students in photocopy credits - that seemed successful. Book vouchers prove less so apparently. Rob Howe at Northampton had kit-kats stuck to the back of cards promoting the project to persuade people to take them. I think if we're asking students to engage with us, then paying them is a must.
For surveys of colleagues though I've not used payments. Well not directly. My payment is to always fill in surveys if other people are conducting them, in the hope that if I do it for the community, then I'll get it back. I think that constitutes some form of magical thinking though, since there's unlikely to be a direct connection - and on the whole it doesn't work :)