METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION

Where do data come from? Secondary data Primary Data

Secondary data Secondary data – data someone else has

collected Examples:

County health departments Vital Statistics – birth, death certificates Hospital, clinic, school nurse records Private and foundation databases City and county governments Surveillance data from state government programs

Secondary data Limitation When was it collected? For how long?

May be out of date for what you want to analyze.

May not have been collected long enough for detecting trends.

There may be missing information on some observations.

May be Sample selection bias and source choice are bias.

Proxy variables may not be appropriate.

Secondary data Advantages It will save you money and time. It may be very accurate. (Government

data are funded by large resources)

Primary data Primary data – data you collect Both primary and secondary data have pros and

cons. Primary data are collected by several method

Observation Method Interview Method Questionnaire Schedules Other methods such as warranty cards, projective techniques,

consumer panel etc.,

Observation Method The researcher goes in to place and observe the

condition in their natural state. For structured observation, the researcher specifies in

detail what is to be observed and how the measurements are to be recorded, e.g., an auditor performing inventory analysis in a store.

In unstructured observation, the observer monitors all aspects of the phenomenon that seem relevant to the problem at hand, e.g., observing children playing with new toys.

Disguised vs Undisguised Observation

In disguised observation, the respondents are unaware that they are being observed. Disguise may be accomplished by using one-way mirrors, hidden cameras, or inconspicuous mechanical devices. Observers may be disguised as shoppers or sales clerks.

In undisguised observation, the respondents are aware that they are under observation.

Observation Methods

Personal Observation

Mechanical Observation

Trace Analysis

Content Analysis

Audit

Observation Method

Personal Observation A researcher observes actual behavior as it

occurs. The observer does not attempt to manipulate

the phenomenon being observed but merely records what takes place.

For example, a researcher might record traffic counts and observe traffic flows in a department store.

Mechanical ObservationDo not require respondents' direct participation.

turnstiles that record the number of people entering or leaving a building.

On-site cameras (still, motion picture, or video) Optical scanners in supermarkets

Do require respondent involvement. eye-tracking monitors voice pitch analyzers devices measuring response latency

Audit The researcher collects data by examining

physical records or performing inventory analysis. Data are collected personally by the researcher. The data are based upon counts, usually of

physical objects.For Ex: Number of Products dispatched from inventory Number of undesired event happen in plant A

Content Analysis Content analysis is the analysis of texts of various

types including writing, images, recordings and cultural artifacts. The purpose of content analysis is to

Make inferences about the antecedents of a communication Describe and make inferences about characteristics of a

communication Make inferences about the effects of a communication. Ex: Search word in online (giving correct suggestion), in

media content analysis by reporter

Trace AnalysisData collection is based on physical traces, or evidence,

of past behavior. Examples:

The number of different fingerprints on a page was used to gauge the readership of various advertisements in a magazine.

The position of the radio dials in cars brought in for service was used to estimate share of listening audience of various radio stations.

The magazines people donated to charity were used to determine people's favorite magazines.

Internet visitors leave traces which can be analyzed to examine browsing and usage behavior by using cookies.

Interview The Interview schedule is referred to as a form filled in

during a personal interview in which both the interviewers as well as the respondent are present. It contains a set of questions which are asked and then the columns are filled in by an interviewer in a face to face situation.

Types of Interviews Structured and Unstructured interview Focused interview Clinical interview Depth interview

Structured or Directive Interview This is an interview made with a detailed

standardized schedule. The same questions are put to all the respondents and in the same order. Each question is asked in the same way in each interviews. This type of interview is used for large-scale formalized surveys.

Unstructured or Non directive interview

The interviewer encourages the respondent to talk freely about a given topic with a minimum of prompting or guidance. In this type of interview, a detailed pre-planned schedule is not used. Only a broad interview guide is used.

The interviewer avoids channeling the interview directions. This interviewing is more useful in case studies rather than

in surveys.

Focused Interview This is a semi-structured interview where the

investigator attempts to focus the discussion on the actual effects of a given experience to which the respondents have been exposed.

The interview is focused on the subjective experiences of the respondent, i.e., his attitudes, and emotional responses regarding the situation under study.

Clinical interview This is similar to the focused interview

but with a subtle difference. While the focused interview is concerned

with the effects of a specific experience, clinical interview is concerned with broad underlying feelings or motivations or with the course of the individual's life experiences.

Depth interview This is an intensive and searching

interview aiming at studying the respondent's opinion, emotions or convictions on the basis of an interview guide. This is generally a lengthy procedure designed to encourage free expression of his/her feeling, emotion, his knowledge about particular area of study.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Interview

Advantages: The interview is more appropriate for complex situations. It is useful for collecting in-depth information. Information can be supplemented. Questions can be explained. Interviewing has a wider application

Disadvantages: Interviewing is time consuming and expensive. The quality of data depends upon the quality of the interviewer. The quality of data may vary when may interviewers are used. The researcher may introduce his/her bias.

Questionnaire List of a research or survey questions

asked to respondents, and designed to extract specific information from the respondents is called as Questionnaire.

Steps in Questionnaire Construction Preparation Constructing the first draft Self-evaluation External evaluation Revision Pre-test or Pilot study Revision Second Pre-test if necessary Preparing final Copy

Types of questions1.Factual questions

Normally pertain to respondents ages, education, library experience, memberships in professional organizations, or any other pertinent personal data needed in the study.

2. Opinion and Attitude Question

When the purpose of a survey is to obtain information about respondents beliefs. feelings, values, and related concepts, opinion and attitude questions can be used

3. Information question

In some types of survey research, investigators might attempt to deter mine how respondents know about a given topic and how or when their research subjects gained certain knowledge

Types of questions4. Self perception question

These questions is about the self-perceptions of respondents in a given topic or area.

5. Standard of action question In some types of surveys, investigators might attempt to determine

how respondents will act in certain circumstances or how subjects feel about a new development or forthcoming event.

6. Projective questions At times, questions are used that allow respondents to answer

inquiries in an indirect manner by imposing their personal feelings, attitudes, or beliefs on another person or group of persons.

Unstructured and Structured questionQuestions can also be classified, on the basis of form and method of response, into two major categories: Unstructured and structured. Unstructured Question:

allow respondents to reply freely without having to select one of several provided responses

Structured Question It specifies the respondents answer in a several provided

options in a question.

Way of Administering Questionnaire Collective Administration - One of the best way of

administering a questionnaire is to obtain a captive audience such as students in classroom, people attending a function.

Administration in a public places - Sometimes you can administer a questionnaire in a public place such as a shopping Center, health center, hospital, school or pub, it is dependent upon the type of study population .

The mailed questionnaire - The most common approach to collecting information is to send the questionnaire to prospective respondents by mail.

Schedule Method Incase informants are largely uneducated and

data cannot be collected by the mailed questionnaire method.

Questionnaires are sent through the enumerators to collect information. (Schedule Method)

Enumerator explains the scope and objective to respondent and get the data whatever you want.

Other Method if data collection Warranty cards: To collect information regarding their products from

customer. Distributor or store audits: Distributors get the retail stores audited

through salesmen and use such information to estimate market size, market share, seasonal purchasing pattern (Observation).

Projective techniques: Projective techniques (or what are sometimes called as indirect interviewing techniques) for the collection of data have been developed by psychologists to use projections of respondents for inferring about underlying motives, urges, or intentions which are such that the respondent either resists to reveal them or is unable to figure out himself. (e.g. sentence completion, story completion and pictorial representation test etc)

SELECTION OF APPROPRIATE METHOD FOR DATA COLLECTION

Nature, scope and object of study (Most important).

Availability of fund. Time factor. Precision required.