As we were collecting feedback from current Parent Gauge users, we learned the scale on the close-ended questions can be difficult for parents to remember throughout the interview. Particularly for bilingual parents who are taking the interview in a language that isn’t their native language, it can be difficult to pay attention to the questions being asked and to remember the response choices. With help from users in Minnesota, the Parent Gauge team launched resource for bilingual parent interviews: a printable response scale.
As an interviewer, this tool is something you can print out and bring with you on your interviews. Reference the handout when you’re explaining the response scale to parents, and then allow them to interact with it as they please. Some may only need it periodically if they need help remembering the options, while others might refer to it for every single question. Some may even prefer to point to the response that is most appropriate for them if they’re not very comfortable speaking aloud. (We still recommend conducting interviews in the language that’s best for the parent, but when this isn’t possible, we hope this is a helpful tool!)
The scale is available in both English and Spanish, but we hope to expand it to other languages soon.