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There is little agreement regarding best practices for constructing and assessing the quality of crosscultural measures. This paper discusses several topics that are relevant to further progress in this area: 1) a lack of consensus regarding conceptualizations of equivalence; 2) emphasis on shared methods versus shared meaning; and 3) the application of cultural theories to measurement problems. Future progress in crosscultural measurement will benefit from continued exploration of these issues.

United States (US) immigration policies have increasingly focused on national security resulting in universities experiencing declines in international student applications, constraints on international scholar employment, and complications facilitating international research collaborations. The COVID-19 pandemic brought additional travel restrictions, embassy closures, and health and safety concerns that exacerbated these challenges. Science mobility is critical for science education, training, competitiveness, and innovation. Using a representative sample of US and foreign-born scientists in three STEM fields, we explore how recent visa and immigration policies have shaped research collaborations, work with students and postdoctoral scholars, and intentions to leave. We use descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and logistic regression and find academic scientists report disruptions from visa and immigration policies; negative impacts of immigration policies on US higher education; negative effects on recruitment and retention of international trainees; and increased intentions to leave the US driven by negative perceptions of immigration policy.

Acquiescent (ARS) and extreme response styles (ERS) can have detrimental effects on survey data and, for unknown reasons, are more frequently used by Latino than non-Latino white respondents. This exploratory study examined the influence of culture on these response styles by investigating their associations with individual-level cultural factors and ARS and ERS among 1,296 Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and Cuban American telephone survey respondents. Principal components representing stronger endorsement of marianismo / machismo and social attentiveness (simpatía, personalismo, respect for elders, value for sincerity, collectivism, individualism) were associated with higher ARS and ERS, while higher trust in strangers and more limited health literacy were associated with lower ERS. Findings from this study will enable survey designers to better anticipate ARS and ERS in surveys with Latino populations and, in turn, guide the selection of data collection and analysis methods to mitigate measurement error in the presence of these response styles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Individuals in transitional housing programs often have a goal of reaching stable employment, but the unique needs and barriers for achieving this warrants further study. Methods: A structured interview guide was administered orally and descriptive data analysis was done for this exploratory mixed-methods study. Results: Commonly reported reemployment challenges included legal barriers and unmet transportation, housing, and financial needs. More than two-thirds of residents reported no place to live after the program regardless of if they had previous precarious housing. Emerging themes included challenges regarding sufficient time for the transition to being employed, fear of relapse, and lack of long-term goals and planning. Conclusions: Findings suggest that residential rehabilitation programs are an important resource. While these programs tend to focus on reemployment, their services could be enhanced by assessing individual needs and allowing for variation in reemployment preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examines monthly variation in reports of recent alcohol consumption behavior. Method: Telephone survey data collected by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were used to measure self-reports of drinking and heavy episodic drinking in the 30 days before the interview. The sample (N = 57,758) comprised cases collected in six states in 5 selected years. Monthly variability in self-reported alcohol consumption was evaluated by logistic regression analysis, using 'deviation from means coding' for the month of interview, with background variables and year of interview controlled and state-level clustering adjusted. Results: Adults were significantly more likely to report past 30-day alcohol consumption when interviewed during the month of January and less likely to report consumption when interviewed during March. Respondents were also more likely to report heavy episodic drinking during the month of July. Despite large differences in alcohol consumption between male and female participants, these seasonal patterns were essentially the same for both genders. Conclusions: The findings suggest that assessments of alcohol consumption that do not consider seasonal variation may be biased. In order to minimize this bias, it is recommended that researchers avoid collecting data only during these particular times of the year or extend the data collection interval and control for seasonal variability. (J. Stud. Alcohol 62: 268-272, 2001), FOR MANY YEARS, conventional wisdom has suggested that epidemiologic surveys concerned with alcohol use should avoid data collection during particular times of the year when holidays or other events may [...]

The article informs that most library science survey use Likert-style questions. It discloses that the Likert format is a five point set of Likert response that contains a middle point balanced by positive and negative options on either side, that the style can be adapted to assess many aspects of attitudes and opinions, and that the middle of a 5-point scale (usually the neutral scale) is often problematic because many respondents as well as researchers are uncertain on what it means.

Lake Ontario investigators discussed and interpreted published and unpublished information during two workshops to assess our current understanding of Lake Ontario ecosystem function and to identify research needs to guide future research and monitoring activities. The purpose of this commentary is to summarize key investigative themes and hypotheses that emerged from the workshops. The outcomes of the workshop discussions are organized under four themes: spatial linkages and interactions, drivers of primary production, trophic transfer, and human interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug testing was used as an adjunct to a general population household drug use survey administered via audio computer assisted self-interview. Participants, ages 18–40 years residing in Chicago, were recruited to participate in three different biological tests (hair, oral fluid, and urine) presented in random order subsequent to completing an interview. Subjects had the option of participating in zero to three different tests. We examined participation/refusal in tests, reaction to testing requests, as well as variables associated with participation and reaction. Subjects were randomly assigned to a low (US$ 10 per test) or high (US$ 20 per test) incentive condition. Over 90% of the sample participated in at least one test, usually the oral fluid test. Associations between refusal status and two variables, socioeconomic status (SES) and presence of children in the household, provided partial support for the notion that drug test participation parallels the survey response process in general. Incentive level did not directly increase drug test participation. Reporting of recent illicit drug use was associated with participation in only one procedure, hair testing. Type of test offered and individual differences in willingness to be drug tested were important predictors of drug test refusal and subject reaction to testing requests. Compared with urine and hair testing, oral fluid testing had lower refusal rates and was generally more acceptable to respondents in a general population survey. The findings support the feasibility of incorporating multiple drug tests with modest incentives into general population household surveys on drug abuse. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article features the politics of research in applied settings. Attention is given to the decision to conduct a survey, the contents of survey instruments, and the release of survey findings. The recommendations for dealing with these kinds of problems are also given. The article also draws from the specific case of survey research to explore the problems inherent in relationships between applied sociologists and their clients and to suggest some possible solutions. Specific problems receiving attention include the factors affecting the decision to conduct a survey, the contents of survey instruments, and the release of survey findings.

As an academic department, we sought to identify effective strategies to engage our faculty and staff in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and programs to build an inclusive department that would address our needs and those of our community and partners. Over a 4-year period, our faculty and staff have participated in town hall meetings, focus group discussions, surveys, and community-building activities to foster stakeholder engagement that will build a leading academic department for the future. We noted that our faculty and staff were committed to building diversity, equity, and inclusion, and our mission and vision were reflective of this. However, communication and transparency may be improved to help support a more inclusive department for all. In the future, we hope to continue with the integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion into our department's business processes to achieve meaningful, sustained change and impact through continued focus on recruitment, selection, retention, development, and wellness of faculty and staff-in addition to the continued recruitment of faculty and staff from underrepresented minority groups. Our findings should serve as a call to action for other academic obstetrics and gynecology departments to improve the health and well-being of the individuals we serve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss nonresponse bias as a source of error in surveys that are published in many biomedical journals. Several approaches are considered for estimating, evaluating and reporting nonresponse bias. Ways to evaluate nonresponse bias are described, including conducting a follow-up survey with non-respondents and comparing early versus late respondents. Researchers' responsibility for considering and reporting how their respondents and non-respondents may vary is addressed.