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OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to describe the development and implementation of a nine-step strategy for devising closed-ended survey questions that assess religion in late life. The intent was to illustrate one way in which qualitative and quantitative methods could be combined in the same study. METHODS: The following methods and procedures were developed to create closed-ended questions: Focus groups, in-depth interviews, input from ongoing quantitative studies, input from an expert panel, cognitive interviews, a quantitative pretest, a nationwide random probability sample of elderly people, and rigorous empirical psychometric testing. Three hundred ninety-nine older people took part in the first seven steps, and 1,500 elders participated in the nationwide survey. RESULTS: Approximately 175 closed-ended survey items were developed assessing 14 different major dimensions of religion. In the process, practical solutions to a number of problems encountered in implementing the nine-step strategy are discussed. DISCUSSION: The item development strategy may serve as a template that can be used to improve the quality of closed-ended survey items that assess a wide range of topics in social gerontology.
Neal Krause (Sun,) studied this question.