Is Everything Really That Important? Ranking Higher Education Leaders' Perspectives Using MaxDiff and Likert Scales

• In Event: Innovative Methods in Survey Research

Abstract

Maximum Differential Scaling (MaxDiff) is gaining popularity as a reliable way to measure preferences and attitudes in education research. For research questions that ask respondents to make subjective evaluations of a long list of items, MaxDiff can provide a simpler task for survey respondents by reducing fatigue, and provide a more nuanced measure of the relative value of each item by forcing respondents to make trade-offs. This study compares the results of an A/B survey that asked education leaders to rate the importance of 17 technology issues, either by a MaxDiff question or a 1-10 likert scale. Results show that the absolute rank of all 17 issues varies considerably when measured using each method.

Author

• Alison Smith, Educause