User:ErrantX/Essays/RFA Study

Based on comments at WT:RFA it seems that there is at least some support for surveying candidates & other participants at RFA to get their opinion on the current process and suggest options for improvement (feel free to edit/expand/discuss this page). The original outline for such a survey was to look at psychological impact but I feel this could be expanded to cover more general areas.

I'd like to expand that into a full study to include (as well as the above):
 * RFA Voting criteria
 * RFA statistics
 * Proposals for improvement

See also: User:Kudpung/RfA_reform

Candidates survey
To get a handle on how they feel about the process; asking failed and successful candidates. Need to resolve:
 * Scope of questions
 * Who/when to ask - immediately after? During? After a "cool off". (or mix it up with all three?)

Proposed survey questions
Real Life Effects
 * Did your RFA cause real life stress?
 * If Yes, how much: (a little/not much/some/a lot/severe)
 * If Yes, did it cause more stress than you have previously experienced due to Wikipedia? (Yes/Same/No)
 * If Yes, did it involve any of the following:
 * insomnia
 * loss of appetite
 * depression
 * anxiety
 * poorer judgement than usual
 * irritability
 * relationship problems
 * nightmares
 * other (details, if you are comfortable to give any)

On-Wiki Effects
 * During the RFA process did your on-wiki editing activities change? (Yes/No)
 * If Yes, did they: increase/decrease
 * If Yes, did you do more, less or the same amount of your usual activities (i.e. article work, anti-vandalism)? Yes/No
 * Positive or Negative process?

About the RFA (to answer the following questions you could link to the RFA itself and let us fill in the detail)
 * Was your RFA successful?
 * How many previous RFA's did you have?
 * What length of time elapsed between your previous two RFA's?
 * Were you nominated or self-nominated?
 * How many edits did you have at the time?
 * In article space?
 * How many good or featured articles did you have at the time?


 * Was the feedback you recieved constructive?
 * If No, can you give some examples of how it was not constructive?
 * Do you agree with the community's concerns?


 * Did any of the following occur:
 * False accusations or assumption of bad faith
 * Insignificant (in your opinion) behaviour/action being given undue prominence
 * Historical (> 6 Months) indiscretions (blocks etc.) being brought up as current
 * Personal attacks (i.e. on your character)

Since RFA
 * Has your editing changed since RFA?
 * In a positive or negative way?
 * If negative explain why:


 * If your RFA failed:
 * Do you think you will run for adminship again?
 * Do you have a clear idea how to carry on as a member of this community?
 * Have you felt tempted to resign altogether?


 * Have you stopped interacting with people you worked with before?
 * Have other people treated you differently from before?
 * Do you feel your RfA has made people view you differently?

Overall
 * Do you feel your were treated fairly and with respect during RFA?
 * What worked well?
 * What didn't work?

RFA !Voters
I also want to poll RFA contributors/!voters, because they are perfectly placed to give insights into the process, the long term behaviour of other contributors and RFA in general

General

 * Which survey tool to use?
 * [www.surveypirate.com] looks good.

Possible other questions

 * What was the best part of your experience?
 * What was your least enjoyable experience?
 * What did we do good?
 * What did we do poorly?
 * What do you think we could do to make things better?
 * Do you feel your were treated fairly and with respect?
 * Provide general comments to describe whatever you want considered by the closing bureaucrat.

Comment

 * Some of these questions should be developed on the 1 to 10 scale when appropriate.
 * I would also like to add that another important purpose of such a survey is that it empowers the candate upon exit to realize they are still a valued contributor. It is a terribly ineffective manner to send a candidate (especially one who may have been marginalized) away without even asking if they had any final thing to say. So where it says "The original outline for such a survey was to look at psychological impact but I feel this could be expanded to cover more general areas." I think it should read "The intent for such a survey is to collect valuable information at the closest point of recollection while empowering the candidate to realize their contributions are still valued." My76Strat (talk) 17:41, 30 March 2011 (UTC)