This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Havens, J. J. Articles by Schervish, P. G. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The Methods and Metrics of the Boston Area Diary Study

Paul G. Schervish

Boston College

The authors discuss the conceptual framework, methods, and findings of the Boston Area Diary Study (BADS) to provide insights into the problems and prospects of survey research on philanthropy. First, the conceptual foundations and the operationalization of the variables are discussed. Next, the research design and methodology are described, and the findings are briefly summarized. Next, two validity measures are presented: a comparison of the BADS results with those subsequently obtained by The Gallup Organization from interviews with the same participants and a study of possible Hawthorne effects produced by repeated interviewing. Next, some specific recommendations are made for the operationalization and measurement of giving and volunteering and for improvements to field procedures. In the conclusion, the authors reflect on the implications of careful research methodology for an adequate assessment of the range and level of care in society.

References

• Almeida, D. M. (1997, November). National study of daily experiences: Examining quantity and quality of child-related experiences through daily telephone diaries. Paper presented at the Time-Use, Nonmarket Work and Family Well-Being Conference.
• Almeida, D. M., McDonald, D. A., Havens, J. J., & Schervish P. G. (in press). Temporal patterns in social responsibility. In A. Rossi (Ed.), Caring and doing for others: Social responsibility in the domains of family, work, and community. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Belli, R. F., Shay, W. L., & Stafford, F. P. (2000). Event history calendar and question list surveys: Adirect comparison of interviewing methods (Survey Methodology Program Working Paper Series). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, Survey Research Center.
• Brown, E. (1999). Assessing the value of volunteer activity. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 28, 3-17.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
• Gilleman, G.S.J. (1959). The primacy of charity in moral theology. Westminster, MD: Newman.
• Hall, M., Knighton, T., Reed, P., Bussière, P., McRae, D., & Bowen, P. (1998). Caring Canadians, involved Canadians: Highlights from the 1997 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
• Havens, J. J., & Schervish, P. G. (1997). Our daily bread: Findings from the first diary study on giving and receiving care. Chestnut Hill, MA: Boston College, Social Welfare Research Institute.
• Hodgkinson, V. A., Weitzman, M. S., Crutchfield, E. A., Heffron, A. J., & Kirsch, A. D. (1996). Giving and volunteering in the United States: Findings from a national survey. Washington, DC: Independent Sector.
• Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management. (2000). Giving and volunteering in California. San Francisco: University of San Francisco.
• Jackson, E. F., Bachmeier, M. D., Wood, J. R., & Craft, E. A. (1995). Volunteering and charitable giving: Do religious and associational ties promote helping behavior?Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 24, 59-78.
• Juster, F. T., & Stafford, F. P. (1985). Time, goods, and well-being. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, Survey Research Center.
• Martin, M. W. (1994). Virtuous giving: philanthropy, voluntary service, and caring. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
• Pope, S. (1991a). Expressive individualism and true self-love: A Thomistic perspective. Journal of Religion, 71, 384-399.[CrossRef]
• Pope, S. (1991b). The order of love and recent Catholic ethics: Aconstructive proposal. Theological Studies, 52, 255-288.
• Pope, S. (1992). Agape and human nature: Contributions from neo-Darwinism. Social Science Information, 31(3), 509-529.[Free Full Text]
• Robinson, J. P., & Godbey, G. (1997). Time for life: The surprising ways Americans use their time. University Park: The Pennsylvania Sate University Press.
• Rooney, P. M., Steinberg, K. S., & Schervish, P. G. (2001). A methodological comparison of giving surveys: Indiana as a test case. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 30, 551-568.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
• Schervish, P. G., & Havens, J. J. (1997). Social participation and charitable giving: A multivariate analysis. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 8(3), 235-260.[CrossRef]
• Schervish, P. G., & Havens, J .J. (1998). Embarking on a republic of benevolence? New survey findings on charitable giving. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 27, 237-242.[Abstract]
• Schervish, P. G., & Havens, J. J. (in press). Ariver rises in Eden: Exploring the quotidian tributaries of the moral citizenship of care.
• Tocqueville, A. de. (1988). Democracy in America (J. P. Mayer, Ed.). New York: Harper. (Original work published 1840)
• Toner, J. (1968). The experience of love. Washington, DC: Corpus.

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Vol. 30, No. 3, 527-550 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/0899764001303010


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. Markham and N. Couldry Tracking the Reflexivity of the (Dis)Engaged Citizen: Some Methodological Reflections Qualitative Inquiry, July 1, 2007; 13(5): 675 - 695. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. J. Mesch, P. M. Rooney, K. S. Steinberg, and B. Denton The Effects of Race, Gender, and Marital Status on Giving and Volunteering in Indiana Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, December 1, 2006; 35(4): 565 - 587. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. Rooney, K. Steinberg, and P. G. Schervish Methodology Is Destiny: The Effect of Survey Prompts on Reported Levels of Giving and Volunteering Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, December 1, 2004; 33(4): 628 - 654. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K. S. Steinberg, P. M. Rooney, and W. Chin Measurement of Volunteering: A Methodological Study Using Indiana as a Test Case Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, December 1, 2002; 31(4): 484 - 501. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. M. Rooney, K. S. Steinberg, and P. G. Schervish A Methodological Comparison of Giving Surveys: Indiana as a Test Case Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, September 1, 2001; 30(3): 551 - 568. [Abstract] [PDF]

This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Havens, J. J. Articles by Schervish, P. G. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?