Applying the anchoring vignette method in educational research : Literature review and methodological recommendations
Abstract
Questionnaire surveys with (self-)assessment items have been frequently employed in educational research. Respondents can, however, assess the same situations differently, i.e. choose different scale categories.
The anchoring vignette method provides a solution to this problem. It helps adjust (self-)assessment for heterogeneity in scale usage and make respondents' answers comparable.
This paper has two aims. First, to provide a review of works in the area of educational research in which the method has been used.
Second, to summarize methodological recommendations concerning the development and correct use of anchoring vignettes. The method has been successfully used for measuring students' dishonest behavior, ICT knowledge and skills, parents' satisfaction with a school, teacher's classroom management and teacher's support.
The results suggest that respondents with different characteristics indeed use the scale differently and that the anchoring vignette method can help explain some paradoxical findings concerning relationships between variables. Our methodological recommendations for the use of the method focus on the support of its key assumptions, number and discriminatory power of vignettes, relevancy of their content, and some linguistic aspects of their formulation.
Summarizing current applications and contributions of the method to educational research, the authors discuss the possibilities of its future utilization for the measurement of educational concepts.