Module 1.5: Statistics in Social Sciences - The Research Process & Data Collection

STAT 166. Statistics for the Social Sciences Institute of Statistics, UP Los Baños Prof. James Roldan S. Reyes Chapter A Statistics in Social Sciences 2. The Research Process  Research Process ▧ A set of activities in which social scientists engage to answe...

STAT 166. Statistics for the Social Sciences Institute of Statistics, UP Los Baños Prof. James Roldan S. Reyes Chapter A Statistics in Social Sciences 2. The Research Process  Research Process ▧ A set of activities in which social scientists engage to answer questions; examine ideas; or test theories Examples: 1. Does feminist theory on gender inequality persist in the Philippines? 2. Is an urban lifestyle better than a rural lifestyle? 3. Why is Ghosting so common among Filipinos? Empirical Research a research based on evidence that can be verified by using direct experience  Statistical Inquiry ▧ A designed research that provides information needed to solve a research problem  Statistical Inquiry Steps 1. Identify the problem and state the hypothesis 2. Plan the study 3. Collect the data 4. Explore the data 5. Analyze and interpret the results 6. Present the results  Statistical Inquiry ▧ A designed research that provides information needed to solve a research problem Information a processed data Note: What distinguishes a statistical inquiry from other types of research is the use of data that have been collected and analyzed in answering the research problem STAT 166. Statistics for the Social Sciences Institute of Statistics, UP Los Baños Prof. James Roldan S. Reyes Chapter A Statistics in Social Sciences 3. Collecting Data Methods of Data Collection Observation Experiment Use of Registration Documented Data Survey  Methods of Data Collection Observation ▧ The data are obtained by recording or watching the behavior of an individual or a phenomenon at the time of occurrence ▧ This is used to gather nonverbal behavior in a natural setting Example: A boss watching construction workers build a house to determine their effectiveness.  Methods of Data Collection Experimentation ▧ There is direct human intervention in the conditions that may affect the values of the variable of interest ▧ The goal of an experiment is to isolate the effect(s) of a treatment or intervention on the variable of interest Example: Medical technologists assigned a new brand of vitamins to a set of toddlers while another set was given the already existing brand to compare their effect on the growth of toddlers.  Methods of Data Collection Use of Documented Data ▧ Researchers can use documented data from previous studies of individuals or private, government, and non-government agencies Examples of sources of documented data: § The Philippine Statistics Authority § Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas § Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration § The Social Weather Station/Pulse Asia  Methods of Data Collection Registration ▧ Enumeration and recording of vital statistics Examples: § Registration of birth/death/marriage § Voter registration § Sales inventory § Registration of participants in a program § Signing up for a social media platform  Methods of Data Collection Survey ▧ The data are obtained from individuals either by verbal or written communication ▧ Obtains information, either through: personal interviews, self-administered questionnaires, telephone interviews, mailed questionnaires, online surveys, or focused group discussions Example: A manufacturing company would interview shoppers on their favorite brand of coffee.  Methods of Data Collection Example: A study is conducted to study the vulnerability of a community to weather-related hazards. Researchers collected data on the adaptive capacity, sensitivity, and exposure of that community to specific hazards and obtained the community’s vulnerability index. They interviewed the residents in the community personally in gathering some information on adaptive capacity and sensitivity. They also use weather data from PAGASA to capture the exposure of the community to particular hazards.  Methods of Data Collection Example: Method(s) of data collection used: The study used a survey in collecting data on adaptive capacity and sensitivity. Moreover, the use of documented data was employed to gather weather data.  Methods of Data Collection need to consider several factors such as the nature of the study, resources, etc.  Methods of Data Collection Try This A3.1 Classify each based on the method of data collection used. 1. To investigate factors that may affect the quality of popcorn in terms of the percentage of popped kernels per bag, a company considered two factors: cooking time (120 seconds, 150 seconds) and kernel storage (cool, dry). Each treatment combination was randomly assigned to the eight bags of kernels. 2. A principal watches a teacher give a lesson to her class to judge her effectiveness as an educator.  Methods of Data Collection Try This A3.2 Identify the appropriate method(s) of data collection that must be used. 1. determining the proportion of individuals who experienced one or more traumas in the past year 2. comparing the effect of the three types of drugs in curing a particular disease 3. describing the trend of birth and mortality rates in the Philippines from 1980 to 2018 4. explaining the quality of life in a community- dwelling older adults 5. predicting the water level in La Mesa Dam for the next quarter  Methods of Data Collection Kinds of Data Collected Primary data that were acquired directly from the source Secondary data that were not acquired directly from the source Recall: Methods of Data Collection Observation Experiment Use of Registration Documented Data Survey  Survey Methods for Conducting a Survey Personal Interview interviewers personally ask the questions to the respondents and record the answers of the respondents on the questionnaire ▧ PAPI – pencil and paper interview ▧ CAPI – computer assisted personal interview  Survey Methods for Conducting a Survey Telephone Interview the interviewers ask the questions to the respondents through the telephone Self-administered Questionnaires the respondents fill up the questionnaires themselves without any assistance from an interviewer  Survey Methods for Conducting a Survey Online Surveys the respondent reads the questions and sends his responses via the internet or electronic mail (e-mail) Mailed Questionnaire a set of questions mailed to the respondent  Survey Methods for Conducting a Survey Focus Group Discussion1 a moderator follows a focus group discussion guide to direct a freewheeling discussion among a small group of people 1To be discussed further in Chapter C (Qualitative Data Analysis)  Survey Methods for Conducting a Survey Note: 1. Nature of questions, response rates, resources, time, and population are some factors influencing the choice of method in conducting a survey 2. Mixed collection methods can be done but caution regarding the “mode effect” is necessary. For example, when asking questions via two different methods, responses to one mode may differ given the other mode.  Chapter A. Statistics in Social Sciences 1. Basic Statistical Concepts Definition, Uses, Terms: Population, Sample, Variable (Types and Levels of Measurement), Observation, Data, and Major Areas in Statistics 2. The Research Process Empirical Research and Statistical Inquiry: Steps 3. Collecting Data Observation, Experimentation, Use of Documented Data, Registration, Survey (Methods), and Kinds of Data Collected MODULE 1  Next Module B. Social Science Research Plan Stages of Survey Work Survey Design Survey Instrument