Some variables do not appear in my data set & the finished-variable and the missing-variable are often not accurate.

Question

My English questionnaire includes the variables H114–H112, H114–H132, H134–H149, H158, and H151–H157, but they do not appear in the dataset I downloaded. I do not have any problems with the other variables or the German version of my questionnaire.

Furthermore, the finished-variable and the missing-variable are often not accurate. Maybe this problem is linked to the first one.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Usually, you should have the same variable in all languages, see Multilingual Surveys.

If you're missing variables, please follow this manual to narrow the issue down: Problem Solutions for Data Retrieval

Furthermore, the finished-variable and the missing-variable are often not accurate.

The variable FINISHED will tell you, if the person reached the last page (this may include a filter via goToPage('end')) or if you sent them away via redirect().

The MISSING variable counts the items asked and checks how many were answered, and how many not. Using the online view of the data (see the second link, above) you can exactly see which variables were counted (red/green) to calculate the MISSING value.

Screenshot from the project "view dataset"

Comments

thank you for your answer! I have already checked the manual - I found the link in another question. I can not find the variables even under Collected Data → View Data Set.

The english questionnaire is created by hand - not with the translation held of soscisurvey.

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> The english questionnaire is created by hand

I already assumed something like this. What exactly does "by hand" mean?

> I have already checked the manual

So, you also opened the English questionnaire in debug mode and checked the debug information on whether your answers are stored, and where?

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Good Morning!

> I already assumed something like this. What exactly does "by hand" mean?

I am not the one who created the questionnaire, so I am not sure. I assumed it because there is no translation under  language versions → help for translation. However we do have all variables (text elements) twice (german and english).

> So, you also opened the English questionnaire in debug mode and checked the debug information on whether your answers are stored, and where?

I went through the link you sent me and checked the Data View (I didn't find the variables under Collected Data → View Data Set.), the Filter Criteria etc.
When I open the questionnaire in debug mode, I see the following debug information:
[Content]    Create question H113
[Content]    Create question H114
[Content]    Create question H115
[Content]    Create question H116
[Content]    Create question H117
[Content]    Create question H118
[Content]    Create question H119
[Content]    Create question H120
[Content]    Create question H121
[Content]    Create question H122
[Content]    Create question H123
[Content]    Create question H124
[Content]    Create question H125
[Content]    Create question H126
[Content]    Create question H127
[Content]    Create question H128
[Content]    Create question H129
[Content]    Create question H130
[Content]    Create question H131
[Content]    Create question H132
[Content]    Create question H133
[Content]    Create question H134
[Content]    Create question H135
[Content]    Create question H136
[Content]    Create question H137
[Content]    Create question H138
[Content]    Create question H139
[Content]    Create question H140
[Content]    Create question H141
[Content]    Create question H142
[Content]    Create question H143
[Content]    Create question H144
[Content]    Create question H145
[Content]    Create question H146
[Content]    Create question H147
[Content]    Create question H148
[Content]    Create question H149
[Content]    Create question H158
[Content]    Create question H150
[Content]    Create question H151
[Content]    Create question H152
[Content]    Create question H153
[Content]    Create question H154
[Content]    Create question H155
[Content]    Create question H156
[Content]    Create question H157

... but I dont really understand it. The debug information for the other questionnaires is similar to these.

> The MISSING variable counts the items asked and checks how many were answered, and how many not. Using the online view of the data (see the second link, above) you can exactly see which variables were counted (red/green) to calculate the MISSING value.

That means the missings are the red cells and the green cells are used to calculate the relvative number of missings. Under Data View I can onle see the first 10 participations. Is there a way to see all of them?

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> When I open the questionnaire in debug mode, I see the following debug information:

When you answet one of the "missing" questions and then click on "next", you will see even more information. That is, what we need.

> I can onle see the first 10 participations. Is there a way to see all of them?

There is a button on the bottom of the table that will scroll to the next cases.

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I have answered all of them. That's the debug information on the next page:

[Information]    Interview number 8915 is to be continued
[Information]    Questionnaire engl_01 from project SMASS will be used
[Information]    Retention period on page 17 has been 111 seconds
[Processing]    Reading answers from page 17
[Information]    Answer to H114 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H115 = 5
[Information]    Answer to H116 = 2
[Information]    Answer to H117 = 2
[Information]    Answer to H118 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H119 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H120 = 1
[Information]    Answer to H121 = 2
[Information]    Answer to H122 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H123 = 4
[Information]    Answer to H124 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H125 = 5
[Information]    Answer to H126 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H127 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H128 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H129 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H130 = 4
[Information]    Answer to H131 = 2
[Information]    Answer to H132 = 2
[Information]    Answer to H134 = 4
[Information]    Answer to H135 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H136 = 4
[Information]    Answer to H137 = 1
[Information]    Answer to H138 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H139 = 2
[Information]    Answer to H140 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H141 = 4
[Information]    Answer to H142 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H143 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H144 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H145 = 4
[Information]    Answer to H146 = 2
[Information]    Answer to H147 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H148 = 2
[Information]    Answer to H149 = 5
[Information]    Answer to H158 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H151 = 2
[Information]    Answer to H152 = 4
[Information]    Answer to H153 = 3
[Information]    Answer to H154 = 1
[Information]    Answer to H155 = 4
[Information]    Answer to H156 = 4
[Information]    Answer to H157 = 1
[Information]    100% of the questions have been answered so far
[Processing]    Create page 18 in questionnaire engl_01
[Content]    Create question C404
[Content]    Create question C401
[Content]    Create question C402
[Content]    Create question C403

Thank you very much for helping me!

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Thank you. That looks like a series of selection questions. Now please tell me: Which of these variables is missing in the data set?

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all the H-Variables --> H114–H112, H114–H132, H134–H149, H158, and H151–H157

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Okay, and the variable H114 (let us take this one for further investigations) does not appear in the "view data online" either, do I understand that correctly?

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yes, H114 does not appear under Data View.

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Okay, please open the question H114 in the list of questions, and check the tab "Variables". Did you rename the variable, there?

If that does not explain the variables' whereabouts, I would like to create an administrator login and take a look the the issue myself. Would you be fine with that?

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You mean the list of  of questions on the first page of SosciSurvey? What do you mean with ''the tab Variables'' - are you talking about the output?  

I have never renamed a variable.

I would be fine with you creating an administrator login - thank you very much for helping me! Should I give you access or activate anything for you?

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When you select the question in the list of questions for editing, there's a tab "variables" under "Detail Settings". But I confirm that you have not renamed the variable H114, there :)

However, when I go to "collected data" -> "view dataset", I see the variable H114, and there's also data from your test case there. I'll edit my answer above and add the screenshot. Can you please use the "search" feature in your browser to look for H114 in that view and confirm that you can see the variable, as well.

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Okay, after looking around a bit more in your project, I think I got bad news for you: https://support.soscisurvey.de/?qa=60160/variables-appear-finished-variable-missing-variable-accurate&show=60285#a60285

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ok, now I can see them - I had to choose ''all questionnaires''. Sorry for that...

However the variables still doesn't appear in the output, when I download the collected data. I do not have the same or another problem with the other english questions.

Answer 2

Thanks for your permission to take a look into the project. I think I know the cause of your trouble.

The questions H114 etc. are located on page 17.

That would be fine, but there's a PHP filter on page 16.

And this filter says: Either go back to page 13 (under 6 years) or skip page 17 and directly go to page 18.

That means: No matter what your respondents did, they never saw page 17 with the H114 etc. questions. As the questions were never answered by the respondents, there cannot be any data for them in the dataset. By default, SoSci Survey will not show empty variables in the download.

That's a pity, but definitely something that should have beeen observed in the technical test.

Comments

that's how it should be - there are three versions of the FSSM-questionnare: FSSM 3bis6, FSSM 6bis11, FSSM 12bis18.
..and two versions of the CBCL-questionnaire: CBCLU6 & CBCL

After having filled in the FSSM Intro the participants should fill in a version of the FSSM and a Version of the CBCL:

If the participant goes to the kindergarten, then he/she has to fill in the FSSM 3bis6.
If the participant is between 6 and 11, he/she has to fill in the FSSM 6bis11.
If the participant is older than 11, he/she has to fill in the FSSM 12bis18.

Here the code (page 10):
if ($born > $limit4a || $born < $limit12a){
    goToPage('Screenout');
}elseif ($kiga_school == 7){ // Wenn Kindergarten ausgewählt wurde
    goToPage('FSSM 3bis6');
}elseif ($born > $limit11a && $kiga_school != 7){ //6-11 Jährige
 goToPage('FSSM 6bis11');
}else{
 goToPage('FSSM 12bis18'); //12 Jährige
}

After having filled in a FSSM-Version the participants under 6 years should fill in the CBCLU6 and the others (older than 6 years) the CBCL. Afterwarts they get to the KONT-Page (last page of the survey)

Here the code for this (page 12 or 16):

$born = strtotime(value('D104_01'));  // Zeitstempel des Geburtstags

$limit6a = strtotime('-6 years');  // Heute vor 6 Jahren

if ($born > $limit6a){
    goToPage('CBCLU6'); // Unter 6 Jahren
} else {
    goToPage('CBCL'); // Über 6 Jahren
}

I hope you understand what I mean - if not, please let me know

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Well, try to fill out a questionnaire in a way to see question H114 ... if you can do it, you'll have data in the respective variables for that test case. If you do not have any such data in the previous cases, either nobody gave the proper answers or the filters wre incorrect. You can always look into the debug information to track how your filters work.

Given your test case 8915, I'm quite sure that answers from the respondents are stored correctly when the question is shown. To the most likely explanation for you to have no data in the respective variables is, that the questions have not been shown.

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Thank you very much for your help! I thought that all the variables should appear in the output , regardless of whether they were shown/answered or not. It seems that i had not a participant older than 11 for the english questionnaire.  

Thanks again! I really appreciate it!

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I have also question about the FINISHED- and Missing-variables. If a participant has not finished the survey, are the unanswered questions (those that have not yet appeared because of the dropout) declared as missings?

The missings are simply the red cells and the green cells are used to calculate the relative number of missings, right? Can I somehow determine afterwards which missing data are counted as missings and which are not?

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The MISSING measure only counts those questions that have been presented to the respondent, and only if the page presenting them has been sent via "next" or "back". You'll ee that not-seen-variables remain white in the "view dataset" view.

> The missings are simply the red cells and the green cells are used to calculate the relative number of missings, right?

That is correct, yes. Grey and white are complete ignored.

> Can I somehow determine afterwards which missing data are counted as missings and which are not?

At the moment, SoSci Survey reports this metadata only as colors in the online data view, and by the variables MISSING and MISSREL. The detailed data contains as may variables as there are in the dataset, therefore, this infomation would usually be a little overload.

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The cell of a question that can be skipped (because I set it that way when I created the question) is also marked red (categorised as missing) if it is not answered, isn't it?

For my survey that should not be a missing - these questions should be optional. That's why I was asking for a way to determine by myself which missing data are counted as missings and which are not?


Thanks in advance!

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> The cell of a question that can be skipped (because I set it that way when I created the question) is also marked red (categorised as missing) if it is not answered, isn't it?

This is correct. The MISSREL indicator is weighted for such variables, while MISSING will simply count.