Revisiting the Likert scale: can the fast form approach improve survey research? Online publication date: Fri, 20-Jan-2012
by Alexander McLeod; Sonja Pippin; Jeffrey A. Wong
International Journal of Behavioural Accounting and Finance (IJBAF), Vol. 2, No. 3/4, 2011
Abstract: Many behavioural studies employ surveys that rely on a Likert scale for construct measurement. However, prior research has shown that using Likert scales can be problematic. One alternative to Likert scale construction is the 'fast form' approach which uses the semantic differential scale and has been shown to alleviate some – but not all – of the Likert scale biases. Our contribution to this methodological discussion is three-fold: First, we confirm the psychometric equivalency of fast form and Likert scales using a complex technology acceptance model in the context of tax software acceptance. Second, we compare the results of two subject groups with distinct expertise and show that cross-method differences are not significant, while cross-group differences are significant. Finally, we evaluate the efficiency of the fast form approach by comparing completion time and missing values for each approach. Our results suggest shorter survey completion times with the fast form approach.
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