Floating Recall Period Data Capture

In Simple Words

Instead of asking a participant to report transactions strictly for "Monday through Sunday" when they actually fill out the form on a Tuesday, the app dynamically asks for all activity "since your last survey submission," ensuring every day is covered without gaps or overlaps.

Research question

Rigid calendar-based weekly survey schedules lead to missing data or double-counting when participants complete surveys on irregular days, introducing recall errors into panel datasets.

Participants

4,458 retained Filipino migrants completing 137,927 weekly mobile survey observations in the UAE.

Study Design

Dynamic variable-window survey logic embedded in the Padalapp smartphone application adjusting the recall prompt to the exact timestamp of the respondent's previous submission.

Results

Captured 137,927 weekly observations while eliminating date overlaps and memory gaps across 30 follow-up weeks.

Takeaway

Implement dynamic recall window prompts based on individual prior submission timestamps in mobile survey applications to prevent reporting gaps.

Read alongside the research

Plain-English glossary

Original explanations, informed by the references below. Examples are illustrations, not data from the studies above. The research text stays unchanged.

Follow-up

Collecting more information about participants later in a study to see what has happened to them. The term can also mean the length of time researchers keep track of them.

ExampleResearchers interview the same workers three months after a programme ends. That later interview is a follow-up.

GET-IT glossary · Follow-up ↗Read more about follow-up →

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