Abstract
Online surveys are frequently used in higher education to collect students’ opinions. This study investigated the factors associated with students’ willingness to respond to online surveys. Using 540 samples from undergraduate and graduate students in the United States, this study conducted a factor analysis to categorize the reasons that students willingly participate in online surveys. Four factors were identified: Format, Affiliation, Content, and Contact. The regression analysis revealed format was significantly associated with the undergraduate students’ online survey participation, while content was significantly related to the graduate students’ online survey participation. These findings indicate the behavior of responding to online surveys may vary depending on the participants’ educational level. They also suggest a need to develop different strategies when designing online surveys for educational purposes to enhance response rates.
Highlights
IntroductionInstructors in higher education often ask students’ opinions for a variety of purposes, for instance (a) students’ opinions about the course materials (i.e., course evaluations), (b) students’ current learning performance (i.e., tests), and (c) students’ learning activities in class (i.e., in-class discussions)
Instructors in higher education often ask students’ opinions for a variety of purposes, for instance (a) students’ opinions about the course materials, (b) students’ current learning performance, and (c) students’ learning activities in class
The analysis of means values of reasons to participate in an online survey revealed that “it took less than half an hour to complete” (4.01), “the survey was easy to fill out” (3.95), and “I wanted to help the researcher” (3.92) were more important reasons than any other reasons considered in this survey overall
Summary
Instructors in higher education often ask students’ opinions for a variety of purposes, for instance (a) students’ opinions about the course materials (i.e., course evaluations), (b) students’ current learning performance (i.e., tests), and (c) students’ learning activities in class (i.e., in-class discussions). In the case evaluation, it is important for the instructors to improve the same courses for the terms based on the students’ feedback. The method of asking students for their feedback becomes more important. Experts in higher education frequently use the online survey tools for investigating the educational performance of their institution as well as their students. In this online technology, general formats resemble online survey methods (e.g., multiple choice, yes/no questions, and short-answer questions)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
