INTERVIEWER TRAINING AND SUPERVISION IN A SURVEY OF LAOS

In: International social science journal: ISSJ, Volume 15, Issue 1, p. 21-34

Abstract

In 1959, a cross-section survey on pol'al awareness, att's, & COMM's was conducted in the 12 provinces of Laos. The sample consisted of about 500 R's in Vientiane, 480 in the 11 provincial capitals, & 1,000 in more than 52 provincial villages. Because of the lack of a direct pop census in Laos in modern times, it was necessary to train men with no previous interviewing experience as interviewers (I's). Most of the I's used were provided by the Laos gov, & had been trained to work on public improvement programs in Lao villages. Initial I training was done over a 3-day period, with additional training provided during the pre-test & study period in Vientiane. In addition, after a group of I's had gained some experience in village interviewing, they met with other I's to relate experiences & provide further training. In the absence of sampling materials, I training & instructions were provided for each of the 4 teams of I's, including specific instructions on how to proceed in drawing the sample for specific situations, & whom to interview within sample households. A major problem was that of proper I supervision in the field. It was the job of supervisors to contact provincial governors & village headmen before interviewing, provide transportation for their teams, supervise the sampling, & review questionnaire's. It was not until some time after field work had begun that 2 of the 4 teams had satisfactory Lao supervisors. For future res in developing countries, it is recommended that training & written instructions be provided I's, so as to reduce individual judgement & deviation on their part. With previously untrained I's, gaps in specific information generally result in omission & error. (See SA 0827-A9630). Modified AA.