Generic Template

DOCUMENTATION FOR THE GENERIC CLEARANCE

OF GENERATION Z RESEARCH ONLINE SURVEY COLLECTIONS

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

(the collection that is the subject of the 10-day review request)

Content Delivery Research Online Survey

[X] SURVEY [ ] FOCUS GROUP [ ] SOFTWARE USABILITY TESTING

DESCRIPTION OF THIS SPECIFIC COLLECTION

Following you will find:

1. intended purpose,

2. need for the collection,

3. planned use of the data,

4. date(s) and location(s),

5. collection procedures,

6. number of focus groups, surveys, usability testing sessions

7. description of respondents/participants,

Attached is a copy of the online survey questionnaire.

Purpose of the Research, Need for the Collection, and Planned Use of the Data

This survey will evaluate the informational needs of FSA’s target audiences (high school students aged 16-18), parents of high school students (aged 16-18), and parents of junior-high school students (aged 13-15) and explore the ways in which they prefer to get information about financial aid and paying for college best suited to the goals and needs of Generation Z. 

Specific objectives for the online survey include: 

• Identify the digital habits of Generation Z – how they use connected devices, what technology and devices are frequently used, and what specific social networks they prefer

• Discuss parents’ and students’ knowledge of college funding and paying financial aid, and any challenges they may face

• Determine where Generation Z looks for information about paying for college or career school, and how they prefer to receive information about this topic

Dates, Locations, and Collection Procedures

This study will be programmed and fielded April 30-May 22, 2015 via an online survey which should take participants no more than 12 minutes to complete. Invitations for the survey will be e-mailed to a sample of potential participants throughout the U.S., representative of FSA’s target audiences, with a target of 400 completed surveys.

Participants are assured anonymity of their survey responses and that results will only be reported in aggregate form.

Description of Respondents/Participants (150 completes for parents of students aged 13-15; 125 completes for parents of students aged 16-18; and 125 completes for high school students aged 16-18)

The research will be conducted among three core audiences: parents of students aged 13-15, parents of students aged 16-18, and high school students aged 16-18.

Must be the parent or guardian of a child in high school or junior high school whom the parent anticipates upon high school graduation to enroll in a college, university, or career school in the next year as a first-year student.

High school students must be currently enrolled in high school and intending to enroll in a college, university, or career school as a first-year student once they graduate. 

Demographic and general classification information will be collected in the survey. No quotas will be set for any demographic/classification segment (such as educational level, household income, etc.) but instead those segments will be represented as they occur naturally in the convenience sample of targets.

AMOUNT OF ANY PROPOSED STIPEND OR INCENTIVE

No stipend or incentive will be offered for participating in this survey.

BURDEN HOUR COMPUTATION (Number of responses (X) estimated response or participation time in minutes (/60) = annual burden hours):

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Participants completing a survey	400	12 minutes (average)	80 hours
Screened participants*	90	2 minutes (average)	3 hours
Total	490		83 hours

* An estimate of those who will fall outside of target segment parameters, thus not qualifying to take the survey.

STATISTICAL INFORMATION

The existing contract allows for up to 400 completed survey responses, equating to a margin of error of ±4.9% at a 95% level of confidence.

Once online data collection is complete, tabulation and analysis will be conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). SPSS has a complete tool kit of programming, statistical analysis, graphing and reporting capabilities for use in a variety of applications in commercial, academic, and government settings.

In addition to tabulating overall frequencies and descriptive statistics for each survey question, we will conduct advanced statistical analyses (where possible and appropriate) to assess any key relationships among survey items. Appropriateness is typically determined based on a minimum cell size of 30 respondents.

The statistical techniques used may include one or a combination of the following bivariate and multivariate analyses: regression, correlation, CHAID, factor, cluster, multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) or perceptual mapping. These advanced analysis techniques will identify relationships among survey items and provide further interpretation of complex multi-dimensional data that can then further guide messaging and marketing strategy, and decision making. Thematic text analysis will be also used for the open-end and “other specify” question responses to code and categorize these qualitative data.

If sample sizes are sufficient, we will also profile survey respondents by using post hoc segmentation analysis, most likely in the form of cluster analysis (one form of multivariate analysis) to look for patterns in perceptions, behaviors and/or demographics.

While complex analysis techniques are almost always interesting, they are not necessarily useful. We will apply our business and strategy background to ensure that all analyses are performed with actionable results in mind. The final analytical techniques used will be driven by the needs of the FSA team, the approved survey questions and the overall sample size.

NAME OF CONTACT PERSON: Susan Thares

TELEPHONE NUMBER: 202-377-4307

MAILING LOCATION:

830 First St. NE

Washington, DC 20202

ED DEPARTMENT, OFFICE, DIVISION, BRANCH:

Susan Thares

Digital Engagement Lead
Federal Student Aid
U.S. Department of Education

TEL: 202-377-4307

Susan.Thares@ed.gov

830 First St. NE

Washington, DC 20202

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