Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Introduction

This manual is for those who are going to setup The Ohio State University CAPI software, design a questionnaire and then fill in the blank questionnaire records on a personal computer or network. That person could be the project supervisor, the questionnaire author, a survey designer, or a computer oriented person who is going to "program" the flow of the questionnaire. The Center for Human Resource Research (CHRR) designed and developed the WindowsÔ based CAPI software so that the author, designer, and "programmer" could be one in the same person. In all likelihood, both the design team and the "programmers" will work together and both will find the material in this manual useful.

What you need to have

What you need to have before you begin to use this manual is a list of questions and the general design of a questionnaire, or a paper version of the instrument that you want to computerize. To facilitate conversion of the instrument into its computer form, the section of this manual entitled "Quick Start" demonstrates how to devise a paper and pencil version of the instrument that can easily be transformed to its computer version.

If you already have a DOS version of your questionnaire, or a machine-readable version, see the section entitled "From DOS to Windows".

What you need to have in mind

What you need to have in mind before you begin to use the OSU CAPI software and this manual is how each portion of the questionnaire will fit into the actual field environment. The plan of the field situation can vary with the objectives of the survey. Its design should be taken into account before initiating the computerization of the instrument.

For example, if one part of the questionnaire is to be used once with every interview (e.g., during initial contact with every respondent), a second portion used repeatedly during an interview for every person in a group (e.g. household questions, educational statistics, health status of individuals, etc.), and a third part used only for eligible members in a group (e.g. work history, military history, etc.), the questionnaire should be organized into sections so that each can be input into the Manager Survey program effectively and tested separately.

Further consideration should be given to the fact that data collected in one section of the questionnaire may be needed or used by other sections. Proper design in the computer version would enable data collected for one portion to be stored and then to become available for a subsequent portion.

This manual cannot take into account all of the possible field situations and subsequent complexity of design of an instrument. However, the section entitled "Quick Start" does attempt to illustrate one example of a field environment that is organized in sections and offers some field complexity.

What is The Ohio State University CAPI System

The Ohio State University CAPI System is a complete suite of programs that encompasses all of the major stages of computer assisted personal interviewing (CAPI). It is comprised of the Manager, Survey, Post-Processing, and Code Book programs.

The Manager program controls all of the authoring functions during the questionnaire design and authoring phases.
The Survey program controls the execution of the questionnaire during the data-gathering phase.
The Post-Processing program controls the centralized collection phase of field data and prepares them for documentation and dissemination.
The Code Book program controls the assembly of the data and documentation into frequencies for dissemination phase.

The Manager and Survey programs are linked via two export and import utilities that convert Manager records, tables, and files into Survey readable files.

The post-data-gathering stage of CAPI uses a separate program, Post-Processing, to link documentary question records, created in the Manager program, to response information, collected in the Survey program. The Post-Processing program integrates phases one and two into a whole: the ‘meta-datum’ that documents itself.

A dissemination stage, code book generation, aggregates all responses for each survey question into frequencies and completes the documentation process.

Additional CD-ROM retrieval software, developed at CHRR, enables the research-user to search, retrieve, sort, and save documented data sets using a variety of indices.

This manual documents the above phases from questionnaire design to data dissemination. The amount of documentation devoted to one phase over another might be described as follows:

The more the effort spent in designing a good instrument outweighs the efforts to correct it in the field.
The process of authoring a good instrument is more intense than the process of running it. (This does not refer to the programs’ code or the effort of the interviewers in the field.) The authoring process is one of integration of diverse elements in the Manager program to create a smooth, ‘machine transferable’ instrument for the Survey program to run.
A well-designed instrument runs smoothly in the field and gathers robust data. The OSU CAPI system integrates instrument design, question by question, with each datum collected, and documents this question-datum link with the original question and frequencies of responses.

This manual documents the Manager program, its setup, and its diverse elements in detail. Chapters 2-5 describe the functions of the Manager from setup, authoring, diagnostics, to transfer of records to the Survey program. Chapter 6 records the setup of the utility programs that link and convert the records of the Manager to the Survey program and the setup of the Survey program. The "Quick Start" section attempts to condense and integrate the design and authoring processes into a sample, question by question questionnaire. The "Reference" section catalogues the elements of Manager records in detail. Chapter 9 describes the setup of the post-processing software and its functions. Chapter 10 describes Code Book setup and its functions.

Windows Conventions

To use the Manager and Survey program(s) described in this manual, users must be familiar with MicrosoftÒ WindowsÔ and know how to use a mouse. These programs use windows, dialogue boxes, buttons, toolbars, scroll bars, drop-down menus, and all features of Microsoft WindowsÔ . To use a mouse or cursor moving device you must know how to "point and click," "double click," and "scroll." If you are not familiar with the features of WindowsÔ or the ability to use a mouse or cursor-moving device, please consult the MicrosoftÒ WindowsÔ Users Guide and/or the appropriate documentation that came with your computer.

Typographical Conventions Used in this Manual

The following conventions are used throughout this guide.

<Enter> Anything enclosed in a angle brackets represents a key on the keyboard. Find the corresponding key and press it.

<Alt>+<F1> The plus (+) sign between two keys means hold down the first key and press the second key. Then release both keys.
bold Anything that you are asked to type exactly as it appears is embolden in the manual. For example, if you are asked to type NLSDBA, it will appear in bold. The software is not sensitive to upper or lower case.

italics Anything that is a placeholder for variable information will be written in italics. For example, if you are asked to provide the name of a file it will appear as filename, a letter for a disk drive as d:.

Anything enclosed in a shaded box represents a sample screen used by the software. Screens may be labelled as "figures" or not labelled at all. The data on the sample screens are for example only.

Textual Topic If text in this manual is underlined and blue and the accompanying instructions indicate to 'click' on a topic to jump to it, this reference refers to both the hypertext version of this manual or the Word 97 version of the manual when it is 'open' on your PC. In the printed manual the underlined text will not appear in blue. To locate its place in the printed manual consult the topic in the index.

Standard Support

Standard support for the Manager Survey software is available via a toll call between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. For support, contact:

User Services

Product Training and Consultation

The Center for Human Resource Research at The Ohio State University will provide development, consultation, design, and training support and services for Manager Survey software as a negotiated part of a contract to license CAPI software.

Further Information

For further information on the Center for Human Resource Research’s CAPI software or system contact:

Next Step

Chapter 2 - Manager Installation

<Enter>	Anything enclosed in a angle brackets represents a key on the keyboard. Find the corresponding key and press it.
<Alt>+<F1>	The plus (+) sign between two keys means hold down the first key and press the second key. Then release both keys.
bold	Anything that you are asked to type exactly as it appears is embolden in the manual. For example, if you are asked to type NLSDBA, it will appear in bold. The software is not sensitive to upper or lower case.
italics	Anything that is a placeholder for variable information will be written in italics. For example, if you are asked to provide the name of a file it will appear as filename, a letter for a disk drive as d:.
	Anything enclosed in a shaded box represents a sample screen used by the software. Screens may be labelled as "figures" or not labelled at all. The data on the sample screens are for example only.
Textual Topic	If text in this manual is underlined and blue and the accompanying instructions indicate to 'click' on a topic to jump to it, this reference refers to both the hypertext version of this manual or the Word 97 version of the manual when it is 'open' on your PC. In the printed manual the underlined text will not appear in blue. To locate its place in the printed manual consult the topic in the index.