Impact of additional e-Training on performance of research interviewers

The confidence in evidence from experimental studies hinges on the quality of primary data collected through in-person interviews. Interviewing for rigorous research requires knowledge and certain soft skills. Interviewers or enumerators, who come from varying backgrounds are traditionally trained via classroom instruction, where a trainer delivers content, reinforcing understanding with role-plays and mock-interviews. Whereas e-Learning modes are touted to be better mediums for individualized learning of complex ideas, they are also cost-effective, scalable and have become indispensable in the post-pandemic world. We propose to study the impact of additional, learner-oriented e-training on the performance of research interviewers, on their knowledge and skills and on retention of this learning in the medium-term. We will offer intensive e-training to randomly selected interviewers, in addition to their project-specific training, and follow their knowledge and performance through a combination of objective and self-reported measures before, during and 6 months after the e-training. This experiment will contribute to the discussion on mitigation of measurement errors in burgeoning experimental research.