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Measurement Quality of a Multi-Item Scale in Plain Language

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Title: Measurement Quality of a Multi-Item Scale in Plain Language
Language: English
Authors: Tanja Kunz (ORCID 0000-0001-8460-2583), Tobias Gummer (ORCID 0000-0001-6469-7802), Cornelia E. Neuert (ORCID 0000-0001-9855-5618)
Source: Field Methods. 2026 38(1):33-45.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Research Problems, Language Usage, Comprehension, Reader Response, Surveys, Rating Scales, Standard Spoken Usage, Sentence Structure
DOI: 10.1177/1525822X251322031
ISSN: 1525-822X
1552-3969
Abstract: To ensure good measurement quality, survey questions should be clear, concise, and easily understandable for all respondents. One way of achieving this is to use plain language, an approach comprising a set of measures relating to the wording, sentence structure, and design of texts. Using a between-subjects design in a web survey, we tested whether a multi-item scale in plain language leads to better measurement quality while having similar scale properties to the original, standard language scale. Our results showed that the plain-language version led to greater response differentiation, fewer midpoint responses, and shorter response times than the original version, and that the two language versions had similar scale properties.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1496355
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Measurement Quality of a Multi-Item Scale in Plain Language
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tanja+Kunz%22">Tanja Kunz</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8460-2583">0000-0001-8460-2583</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tobias+Gummer%22">Tobias Gummer</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6469-7802">0000-0001-6469-7802</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cornelia+E%2E+Neuert%22">Cornelia E. Neuert</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9855-5618">0000-0001-9855-5618</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Field+Methods%22"><i>Field Methods</i></searchLink>. 2026 38(1):33-45.
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  Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
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  Data: 10.1177/1525822X251322031
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  Data: To ensure good measurement quality, survey questions should be clear, concise, and easily understandable for all respondents. One way of achieving this is to use plain language, an approach comprising a set of measures relating to the wording, sentence structure, and design of texts. Using a between-subjects design in a web survey, we tested whether a multi-item scale in plain language leads to better measurement quality while having similar scale properties to the original, standard language scale. Our results showed that the plain-language version led to greater response differentiation, fewer midpoint responses, and shorter response times than the original version, and that the two language versions had similar scale properties.
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  Data: 2026
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      – SubjectFull: Language Usage
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      – SubjectFull: Comprehension
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      – SubjectFull: Reader Response
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      – SubjectFull: Surveys
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      – SubjectFull: Rating Scales
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      – SubjectFull: Standard Spoken Usage
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      – SubjectFull: Sentence Structure
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      – TitleFull: Measurement Quality of a Multi-Item Scale in Plain Language
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              Y: 2026
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