Administering Surveys to International Undergraduates--Recommendations for Best Practices

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Administering Surveys to International Undergraduates--Recommendations for Best Practices
Language: English
Authors: Ricardo Paniagua, Barry Fass-Holmes
Source: Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education. 2026 18(2):96-123.
Availability: Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education. 3107 B Hampton Highway, Yorktown, VA 23693. e-mail: oic213@lehigh.edu; Web site: https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/jcihe/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 30
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Student Surveys, Undergraduate Students, Foreign Students, Best Practices, Sampling, Research Administration, Response Rates (Questionnaires), Incentives, Sense of Belonging, Grade Level Differences
ISSN: 2151-0393
2151-0407
Abstract: Researchers and educators historically have administered surveys to collect data, track perceptions, and/ or solicit opinions from undergraduates, including internationals, attending American institutions. To promote survey responses' generalizability, the present report advocates the following recommendations for best practices in survey administration. 1) Use stratified random sampling methodology to identify which specific subset of students from the campus' source population to invite to the survey. 2) Strive for, design, and implement an administration process that achieves a high response rate (preferably above 90%). 3) Choose an incentive that is truly salient for survey invitees to recruit and reward them for their time. 4) Dispatch only two reminder invitations to the randomly sampled undergraduates; and as a last resort for maximizing response rate, invite substitutes for those who decline the invitations. These recommendations were followed in an exploratory pilot study on international undergraduates' belongingness that is reported and discussed here.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1506624
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Researchers and educators historically have administered surveys to collect data, track perceptions, and/ or solicit opinions from undergraduates, including internationals, attending American institutions. To promote survey responses' generalizability, the present report advocates the following recommendations for best practices in survey administration. 1) Use stratified random sampling methodology to identify which specific subset of students from the campus' source population to invite to the survey. 2) Strive for, design, and implement an administration process that achieves a high response rate (preferably above 90%). 3) Choose an incentive that is truly salient for survey invitees to recruit and reward them for their time. 4) Dispatch only two reminder invitations to the randomly sampled undergraduates; and as a last resort for maximizing response rate, invite substitutes for those who decline the invitations. These recommendations were followed in an exploratory pilot study on international undergraduates' belongingness that is reported and discussed here.
ISSN:2151-0393
2151-0407