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Enumerator Training

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Enumerator training is an extremely important part of the primary data collection, and should be planned in advance. It is a joint effort between the field coordinators, the survey firm, and other members of the impact evaluation team (or research team). The research team prepare and approve a field manual. The field manual acts as the basis for the training content, and helps organize the training.

Read First

  • The research team should make sure all members of the field team are familiar with the survey protocols and survey design by the end of the enumerator training.
  • Always train more enumerators than are required for the field data collection.
  • Select the best enumerators at the end of the training, based on rigorous enumerator assessments.
  • The training should ensure that enumerators are aware of the scientific approach, and ensure confidentiality of respondents during the survey.
  • Broadly, the training should cover the following aspects - objectives, planning, and enumerator assessment.

Training Objectives

The research team should use the enumerator training to provide the rest of the team members with a clear overview of the context, objectives, and relevance of the impact evaluation. A good, well-organized enumerator training deals with the following aspects:

  • Key roles: The training should also ensure that all members of the research team, survey firm, and the field team understand their roles and duties. This allows everyone to take responsibility of their tasks, and remain committed throughout the process of data collection. For instance, the survey firm executes the tasks involved in data collection, while the field coordinators (FCs) supervise these tasks, and ensure quality of the work done by enumerators and the survey firm. Similarly, the research assistants (RAs) provide support in preparing the data quality assurance plan.

Planning

Before starting with enumerator training, it is important for everyone involved in the data collection to be aware of their roles and responsibilities.

Best Practices

Research standards and confidentiality

Scientific approach

The first, and foremost, of the qualities of a good survey team is a commitment to the scientific method. A scientific method is the standard approach for such surveys and in order to produce concrete, defensible and valuable results, this method must be applied. Enumerators must be instructed on what the scientific approach means for them: that they are committed to identifying the true situation on the ground, not one that seems to be real but rather arises from errors in the way we have measured opinions.

The only way that a comparison between organisations is valid is to use the same survey method for all respondents. This means:

  • Introducing the process in the same way in each organization
  • Making people feel equally comfortable that the process is anonymous
  • Making people feel that their responses will be confidential
  • Giving each group roughly the same amount of time to fill in the questionnaire
  • Guiding the discussion session in a similar way
  • Collecting and filing all the questionnaires systematically

If we deviate from this approach, for example by treating one group differently to all the others, we won’t be able to tell if the differences between that group and the others are down to actual differences or just responses to our differential treatments.

To standardise responses to any eventuality that may arise during the interview process, it is advisable to write a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (FAQ) document which all enumerators can refer to.

Clearly, there will be times when the situation deviates from a perfect replication of all other interviews and will not correspond to any items on the FAQs. To ensure that this is accounted for, enumerators should be able to discuss aspects of the methodology of the project, so it is advisable to include this in the training.

Confidentiality and anonymity

One of the key selling points of the interview for many respondents will be a commitment to anonymizing all interviews and safeguarding respondents’ confidentiality. The tablet goes a long way in helping enumerators achieve this through the use of de-identified IDs, however enumerators must ensure all interactions with respondents adhere to the strictest degree of confidentiality. This entails:

  • Holding all opinions, claims, and other features that can be associated with individuals (confidential information in trust and confidence)
  • Using such confidential information only for the purposes set out in the training, and for any other purpose, or disclosed to any third party
  • Not to copy or retain any written information or record that could be associated with identifying features of individuals, or identifying features of any sort, outside the survey team’s own collections.
  • At the conclusion of the surveys, or upon demand by the survey team, all confidential information, including questionnaires, written notes, photographs, memoranda or other types of notes taken to be returned to the survey team.
  • Confidential information is not to be disclosed to any employee, consultant or third party unless it has been approved by the survey team.

Interview practice and pilot interviews/ field testing

Before going out in the field it is imperative that all enumerators practice interviewing at least twice, both as a way to familiarize themselves with the questionnaire and to receive feedback on their interviewing (and scoring if applicable) by the trainers and Field Coordinator. It is normal for the first few interviews conducted by each enumerator will be of a lesser quality, so it is important that these can be discarded as ‘practice’ and not used as part of the dataset.

Practice interviews can take the following forms:

  • Team exercises: practicing sections of the questionnaire in pairs or groups
  • Mock interviews: conducting group mock interviews with a trainer and holding discussion sessions afterwards
  • Pilot interviews: interviews with civil servants, not to be included in the dataset. To be conducted in pairs or groups in order to encourage feedback on interviewing and scoring

Enumerator Manual

The Enumerator Manual should form the basis for the enumerator training. It is designed as a resource for field teams to consult as questions or issues arise during data collection. The manual should include the following:

  1. Brief overview of study objectives
  2. All Survey Protocols
  3. Roles and responsibilities of field staff
  4. Definitions of key terms
  5. Instructions for using (and troubleshooting) tablets
  6. Questionnaire conventions
  7. Module-by-module description of Questionnaire Content
  8. 'Frequently Asked Questions' (FAQs)

The Enumerator Manual is typically developed by the Field Coordinator, with input from the research team and the survey firm (or other data collection partner).

Content and Structure

Guidelines for training content and structure can be found in the Training Guidelines: Content and Structure sub-article.

Agenda for enumerator training

Use the Enumerator Manual as the guide for structuring the training agenda. A typical agenda includes:

  1. Introductions & Overview of Study (0.5 days)
  2. Review of Survey Protocols (0.5 - 2 days)
  3. Review of Questionnaire (paper version) (2.5-4 days)
    1. This is done module-by-module. Each question is read aloud and discussed. At the end of each module, a mock interview.
  4. Review of research standards and confidentiality (0.5 days)
  5. Introduction to tablets to be used for data collection (0.5 - 1 days)
  6. Review of Questionnaire (electronic version) (2-3 days)
  7. Mock interviews in-classroom (1-2 days)
  8. Field testing (1-2 days)
  9. Final team selection and logistics (1 day)

Training tips

The training should be highly interactive. Pop quizzes at the beginning of each day are a good way to keep people's attention, and to catch any comprehension gaps in real time.

Include both classroom training and field testing. Allow for anonymous questions.

Classroom training should include both large and small group sessions. Ensure that every participant practices all survey components (introductions, consent, survey modules) in front of others and receives feedback.

It will seems tedious to read through and practice every single question, but it is a key part of the training and very important.

Duration of Training

Allocate plenty of time for training! Survey Firms often push for short training, but rushing the training will only cause problems and delays later on.

For a typical complex, multi-module household surveys, 10 days is a good estimate for minimum training time. Exact duration will depend on the complexity of the survey instrument, level of education of the enumerators, and number of people being trained.

Enumerator Selection

Do train more enumerators than will ultimately be needed. Let the full group know in the beginning their selection into the final team will depend on their performance. Test them early and often.

Use objective measures of performance, such as:

  • Active participation in training, punctual arrival every day
  • Understanding of survey modules and underlying concepts
  • Scores on quizzes
  • Feedback from the Field Testing (including interviewing skills)

Explain the performance measures, so it is clear that the final selection is transparent.

Test early and often.

Modifying the Questionnaire & Enumerator Manual

Throughout training, mistakes may be found in questions, translations, programming, or the manual. Take notes each day on necessary changes, and updated materials daily if possible. Do not underestimate the value of feedback from enumerators- if they have concerns or issues of understanding, it is likely respondents will too. Print an updated Manual at the end of training, and provide it to all selected enumerators in a plastic (waterproof) folder.

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This article is part of the topic Primary Data Collection

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