Using whatsApp video call to reach large survey sample of low-income children during covid-19: a mixed method post-hoc analysis

Abstract

This paper is a post hoc analysis and critical reflection of an unplanned methodology change made in the face of the unforeseen disruption brought by Covid-19 pandemic to a longitudinal study on children (N=462) from low-income families in Singapore. The research team was thrown into a state of intense ambivalence between waiting for life to come back to normal so that face-to-face survey could be resumed or to reformulate the methods and keep to the designed time intervals. This paper documents the framework that guided the urgent decision made for the change of data collection methods from f2f to video call survey, the trade-offs, implications on ethics and implementation results. Corroborating mixed post-hoc analysis methods of five qualitative focused group discussions with 39 survey interviewers who implemented the video-call survey, and statistical analysis of the consistencies of survey results over 3 time points, it was found that utilizing video call methodology did not lead to substantial difference in survey quality. The findings of this paper underscore the need for social science researchers to recognize the inevitability of uncertainties in the research fields and the need to strengthen one’s preparedness for change while closely attending to the possible ethical implications.