Handling Nonresponse In Social Research

Abstract

This study was designed to describe and explore how nonresponse in the Journal of Agricultural Education has been handled historically. All articles (N=364) published in the Journal of Agricultural Education during the years 1990 through 1999 were analyzed using content analysis techniques. Study findings show that not mentioning nonresponse error as a threat to external validity of a study, not attempting to control for nonresponse error, or not providing a reference to the literature were, unfortunately, the norm and not the exception. This study provides three statistically sound and professionally acceptable procedures and protocols for handling nonresponse: Method 1—Comparison of Early to Late Respondents; Method 2—Using "Days to Respond" as a regression variable; and Method 3—Compare Respondents to Nonrespondents.