5. Data Collection methods.pptx

LECTURE 5 DATA COLLECTION METHODS A H M E D AT I A 07/16/2024  Data collection 2 The process of gathering raw facts or evidence about a subject of interest It enables one to answer stated research questions and evalu...

LECTURE 5 DATA COLLECTION METHODS A H M E D AT I A 07/16/2024  Data collection 2 The process of gathering raw facts or evidence about a subject of interest It enables one to answer stated research questions and evaluate outcomes. It is gathering of information that describes some situation from which conclusions can be drawn. 07/16/2024  Data collection techniques and tools Data collection tools are instruments that are used hand in hand with the data collection methods to collect/retrieve data. Techniques Tools Administering written Questionnaire. questionnaires. Interviewing Interview guide, checklist, tape recorder. Observation Eyes and other senses, pen/paper, microscope. Using available information Check lists, data forms. 07/16/2024  Approaches to data collection There are two major approaches to gathering information about a situation, person, problem or phenomenon. Sometimes, information required is already available and need only to be extracted. However, there are times when the information must be collected fresh from field. Based upon these two broad approaches to information gathering, data in scientific research are categorized as;  Secondary data  Primary data 07/16/2024  Types of data Secondary data: Data that previously may have been collected for other purposes but can be used in the immediate study. Examples of secondary sources include:  the use of population census data to obtain information on age-sex structure of a population,  use of organizations‘ records,  use of hospitals records, and  collection of data from sources such as journals, magazines, books and other periodicals.  07/16/2024  Primary data  Primary data: Raw data that has been originally collected by the researcher specifically for the study at hand. Examples of information from primary sources include;  interviewing community inhabitants to find out their attitudes towards health services,  using questionnaires to determine the level of job satisfaction of employees in an organization, observing students behaviors in class etc In conclusion, primary sources provide first hand data and secondary sources provide second hand 07/16/2024 data.  The questionnaire A questionnaire is a written list of questions, the answers to which are recorded by respondents. In questionnaire respondents read the question, interpret what is expected and the write down the answers. Unlike an interview guide in which the researcher may explain the meaning of some questions, in the case of questionnaire, there is no one to explain the meaning of questions to respondents. Therefore questions in a questionnaire must be 07/16/2024 clear and easy to understand.  Ways of administering a questionnaire  A questionnaire can be administered in different ways..  A mailed questionnaire – one approach to collecting information is to send the questionnaire to prospective respondents by mail. Obviously, this method presupposes that u have access to their address. One of major problem with this approach is the low response rate.  Collective administration – one of the best ways of administering questionnaires is to obtain a captive audience such as students in a class room, people attending a function, or people assembled in one place. This ensures a high response rate as 07/16/2024 you Contents of a questionnaire cover letter It is essential that you write a cover letter to accompany your questionnaire. It should very briefly:  Introduce you and the institution you are representing.  Describe in two or three lines the main objective of the study.  Convey any general instructions.  Assure respondents of the anonymity of the information provided by them.  Provide a contact number incase they have questions. 07/16/2024  Questionnaires… Advantages Disadvantages Less expensive to administer Limited application. mostly if the collective method is used. Able to collect information Lack of opportunity to clarify from a larger sample issues. it offers greater anonymity. Low response rate. It is possible to consult others. Spontaneous responses may not be possible mostly if it’s a mailed questionnaire. 07/16/2024  Forms of questions in a questionnaire In a questionnaires, questions may be formulated as;  Closed ended or  Open ended In a closed-ended question, the possible answers are set out in the questionnaire and the respondent ticks the category that best describes the respondents answer. E.g.  Please tick the type of research you would love to undertake. Applied research Basic Research descriptive research quantitative In open ended questions, the possible responses are not given. The respondent writes down the 07/16/2024 Considerations in formulating questions  Always use simple and everyday language. Take extra care to use words that your respondents will understand as you may no have the opportunity to explain questions to them  Do not ask double barrelled questions. A double barrelled question is a question within a question. E.g. “How often and how much time do you spend in the computer lab”?  The order of questions also matters. Questions should follow a logical progression based upon the objectives of the study. 07/16/2024  When to use a questionnaire?  When resources and money are limited.  When it is necessary to protect the privacy of the participants.  When you want to collect data from a relatively bigger population.  Etc.. 07/16/2024 THE END 07/16/2024