ABSTRACT

The identification of critical variables, the development of instruments to measure these variables, specifications for sophisticated research designs, and the analysis and interpretation of data collected using those instruments and designs all constitute what we consider to be high science. Missing from the picture are the steps of lining up participants, getting the participants to complete the various instruments, translating their responses into machinereadable form, and creating an edited database with both item responses and summary scores for use in analyses. These latter steps constitute the less glamorous, but no less essential, components of conducting research. In many ways, these steps are the most difficult part because less attention is typically paid to data collection and database development, and therefore there is less literature to provide guidance.