title: Matching anonymous pre-posttests using subject-generated information.
abstract: Sensitive research issues call for anonymous questionnaires. This makes accurately matching pretests with posttests difficult or impossible. Various subject-generated coding schemes have been developed, but their accuracy has been unknown. This anonymous study, with 745 students, used subject-generated coding to match pretests with posttests. The matching was verified for accuracy with the use of a collateral, anonymous, sticker identification system. The coding system was able to accurately match 75.2% of all the pretest-posttest pairs. An additional 22.1% of the pairs were left unmatched and only 2.7% were matched incorrectly. Subject-generated coding systems can be very effective where confidentiality is important to protect.
authors: Center for Studies in Family Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, USA.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: McGloin
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Holcomb
authors: D S
authors: DS
authors: Main
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003219:Confidentiality; D003479:Curriculum; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012107:Research Design; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires