“‘Intermediate-Level’ Communication: A Model of Communication for Multiple Cultures”
by Travis Daniel Griffin | Xchanges 9.2
Methods for Exploration (Continued)
Gauging the Effectiveness
The test was introduced by a page that detailed the instructions for reading the page and filling out the survey. Once the reader left the instruction page, they were directed to either the control or the research page. Once they read the page, another link directed them to the survey. All participants, whether viewing the research or control page, answered the same survey questions. In addition, no participant was given any indication as to whether they viewed the research or control page.
The overall time spent on the page was also of interest to the study. To measure time spent, a combination of PHP and JavaScript was applied to two pages that marked the start and end times for the study. Those times were emailed to the researcher for later analysis. In order to identify each participant uniquely, a unique URL was given to each participant made up of random characters, which also allowed the participants to remain anonymous.
The following survey questions were written to give a qualitative analysis of the reader’s perceptions of the page they viewed:
- How well did you understand the webpage you visited? (Not at all / very little / some / almost all / all)
- Do you feel as if you can trust the writer of the page? (Yes / No)
- Was there anything you felt was misleading or difficult to understand about the webpage you viewed? (Yes / No — if yes, explain)
- Would you like it if other pages were written this way? (Yes / No)
- Please select the answer that describes how you feel about the amount of content on the page. (Not Enough / Needs More / Perfect / A little much / Too Much)
- Please list anything else about this page you feel is important.
Selection of Participants
To test the website, two study groups were constructed. Since the webpage written was targeted to undergraduates at New Mexico Tech, both study groups were comprised of undergraduates. A “Western” group was composed of native English speakers from a Technical Writing class, a class required of all undergraduates regardless of their individual majors. There were eight participants from the “Western” group. The group was divided into two subgroups of four participants — four viewed the modified research page, and four viewed the control page. An “Eastern” group was comprised of a class of undergraduates enrolled in English as a Second Language class. Five participants from the Eastern group took part in the study. Of these five participants, three viewed the modified research page, and two viewed the control page. All research was done in accordance with the Institutional Review Board policies and procedures.