Methods on Collecting Data

1. Interview
- It is one of the major techniques in gathering data or information.
- It is defined as a purposeful face to face relationship between two persons, one
of whom called interviewer who asks questions to gather information and the
other called the interviewee or the respondent who supplies the information.

Purposes and uses of Interview

1. The researcher may approach and interview knowledgeable people to enable

him to gain insights into his problems.
2. The researcher may also interview knowledgeable people about the proper
construction and validation of questionnaire, or who can make any contribution
to the enrichment of his study.
3. In cases when the subject of the study is a person with some signs of
abnormality, the interviewer may wish to gain information from overt, oral ,
physical , and emotional reactions of the subject towards certain questions to
be used for possible remedy of the abnormality.
4. The researcher may also use the interview as the principal tool in gathering
data for his study or just to supplement data collected by other techniques.

Advantages of Interview

1. It yields a more complete and valid information. The respondent is usually

pressed for an answer to question which the interviewer can validate at once.
He can probe into the veracity of the reply immediately.
2. The interview can be used with all kinds of people, whether literate or illiterate,
rich or poor, laborer or capitalist.
3. The interviewer can always clarify points or questions which are vague to the
interviewee.
4. Only the interviewee respondent can make the replies to questions of the
interviewer, unlike in the case of questionnaire in which filling up a
questionnaire may be delegated to another person or the respondent may be
aided by another person in making replies.
5. The interviewer can observe the nonverbal reactions or behavior of the
respondents which may reveal rich pertinent information. These are called
subliminal cues which are “behavioral or attitudes that are not specifically
stated but are covertly displayed”.
6. Greater complex questions can be asked with the interviewer around to explain
things greater complex data which are vital to the study can be acquired.
7. There is flexibility. The interviewer can effect a modification of the interview or
any question if there is a need so that the desired information can be gathered.

Disadvantages of Interview

ALDRIN JAY F. GRUY BSME 2-A

1. Sometimes, selected respondents are hard to contact or cannot be contacted at
all because of the distance of their place or due to some other reasons.
2. It is expensive if many interviewers have to be employed to meet a target date.
The cost of training them and their salaries would entail too much expense.
3. The responses may be inaccurate if the interviewee has no time to consult his
records especially if the needed data involve numerals.
4. It is time consuming if only the researcher conducts the interviews.
5. It is inconvenient for both the interviewee and the interviewer in terms of time
and sometimes in terms of place. The interviewer has to travel distances.
6. There is no anonymity and so the interviewee may withhold some confidential
but vital information, especially if the information may possibly invite trouble.
This is true if the information is about the morality of an individual or the
commission of graft and corruption.
7. There is the tendency of interviewers to introduce bias because they may
influence the interviewees to give replies that would favor their researcher-
employers.
8. If the interviewer modifies a question, the standardized construction of the
questions is lessened and, categorization and tabulation become a problem.

Steps in the Interview

1. Planning
o Selection of the universe and the locale of the study.
o Selection of the respondents by any valid sampling method.
o Selection of the type of interview whether standardized, none
standardized, focused , non-directive and etc.
o Preparation of the instrument, whether interview schedule or interview
guide and validating the same.
2. Selecting place for the interview.
- For guidance and counseling, the interviewer can select a very ideal place for
the interview specifically the place should be quiet and convenient as possible.
3. Establishing Report.
- A cordial and friendly atmosphere must be established. There must have an
assurance that no harm may befall on him and the information supplied by the
interviewee will be kept as confidential as possible.
4. Carrying out the interview
- The interviewer must be polite and friendly in carrying out the interview. He
should have a sense of gratitude in thanking his interviewee for the time and
information that he gave and must learn to maintain objectivity in the time of
interview.
5. Recording the Interview.
- Record exactly and objectively what has been said by the respondents or any
his nonverbal expression overtly but do not write the interpretation.
6. Closing the Interview.

ALDRIN JAY F. GRUY BSME 2-A

 - Close the interview with an expression of gratitude and thankfulness for the
information obtained and the time sacrifice by the interviewee.

2. Questionnaire
- It is simply a set of questions which, when answered properly by a required
number of properly selected respondents, will supply the necessary information
to complete a research study. This is commonly used in behavioral research or
social research.

Advantages of Questionnaire

1. The questionnaire is easy to construct.

- The rules an principles of construction is easy to follow.
2. Distribution is easy and inexpensive.
- Many respondents can be reached by copies of the questionnaire either by mail
or personal distribution.
3. Responses are easy to tabulate.
- Responses on the questionnaire are objectified and standardized and these
make tabulation easy.
4. The respondent’s replies are free.
- Respondent’s replies of his own free will because there is no interviewer to
influence him.
5. Confidential information may be given freely.
- Confidential information which the respondent may not reveal to an interviewer
may be given freely if the respondent can be made anonymous.
6. The respondents can fill out the questionnaire at will.
- The respondent can accomplished the questionnaire at anywhere and anytime
because there is no pressing him to answer.
7. The respondents can give more accurate replies.
- There has a time for the respondents to think reflectively of his replies making
them more accurate that the results of the interviews.

Disadvantages of Questionnaire

1. The questionnaire cannot be used with those who cannot read nor wriete well,
especially those who are totally illiterate.
2. If many respondents may not return the filled out copies of the questionnaire
purposely or forgetfully, considerable follow ups are necessary.
3. The respondents gives wrong information, it cannot be corrected at once.
4. A respondent may leave some or many questions unanswered because nobody
urges him to do so or he may not understand the significance of the information
he gives.
5. Some questions may be vague and so the respondent may not answer them or if
he does, he may give wrong replies.

ALDRIN JAY F. GRUY BSME 2-A

 6. The number of choices may be so limited that the respondents may be forced
to select responses that are not his actual choices. This especially true with the
yes or no questions.

3. Case Study
- Is a kind of research wherein the researcher could reflect on the problems and
perceived the situation based on the perspective of the participant in the study.
This kind of study is characterized by the holistic approach wherein all the
parts are needed in the analysis.

Importance of the Case Study

1. Case study could give literature in understanding a particular case, person or

group.
2. It could effectively describe an event or process within the system.
3. The study could carry out investigations about a specific area.
4. This study could explore the complexities beyond the scope of the controlled
boundaries.
5. This study could investigate further simce the researcher will use the
perception of those who are involved in the study.
6. This study could offer analysis from the inside of view.

Methods in Case Study

1. Interview
2. Observation
3. Document Analysis
4. Record Analysis
5. Analysis of Work samples

Kinds of Evidence in the Case Study

A. Documents.
- This will provide a framework for your study.
B. Records
- This could provide background information about the study.
C. Interviews
D. Participant Observation
- The researcher will need to make a narrative on the behavior of a particular
person or group.
E. Physical Artifacts
F. Research Log

Steps in Writing Case Study

ALDRIN JAY F. GRUY BSME 2-A

1. Choose your topic. It could be person, a group of person, institution,
organization and even an event in History.
2. Reading of the related literature and related study.
3. Background check of your topic.
4. Observation and collection of data.
5. Prepare research log. It is necessary because observation is one of the
important evidence in a case study and the researcher should have a
permanent record of all his observation with the date, time and place of
observation.
4. Survey
- Survey is defined as the act of examining a process or questioning a selected
sample of individuals to obtain data about a service, product, or process. Data
collection surveys collect information from a targeted group of people about
their opinions, behavior, or knowledge.

Steps in Administering a Survey

1. Determine what you want to learn from the survey and how you will use the
results.
2. Determine who should be surveyed by identifying the population group. If they
are too large to permit surveying everyone, decide how to obtain a sample.
Decide what demographic information is needed to analyze and understand the
results.
3. Determine the most appropriate type of survey.
4. Determine whether the survey’s answers will be numerical rating, numerical
ranking, yes-no, multiple choice or open-ended, or a mixture.
5. Brainstorm questions and, for multiple choice, the list of possible answers.
Keep in mind what you want to learn, and how you will use the results. Narrow
down the list of questions to the absolute minimum that you must have in
order to learn what you need to know.
6. Print the questionnaire or interviewer's question list.
7. Test the survey with a small group. Collect feedback.
a. Which questions were confusing?
b. Were any questions redundant?
c. Were answer choices clear? Were they interpreted as you intended?
d. Did respondents want to give feedback about topics that were not
included? (Open-ended questions can be an indicator of this.)
e. On average, how long did it take for a respondent to complete the
survey?
f. For a questionnaire, were there any typos or printing errors?
8. Test the process of tabulating and analyzing the results. Is it easy? Do you have
all the data you need?
9. Revise the survey based on test results.
10. Administer the survey.
11. Tabulate and analyze the data. Decide how you will follow through. Report
results and plans to everyone involved. If a sample was involved, also report
and explain the margin of error and confidence level.

ALDRIN JAY F. GRUY BSME 2-A

 5. Portfolio
- A portfolio is a systematic collection of student work that represents student
activities, accomplishments, and achievements over a specific period of time in
one or more areas of the curriculum.

Advantages of a portfolio

1. Enables faculty to assess a set of complex tasks, including interdisciplinary

learning and capabilities, with examples of different types of student work.
2. Helps faculty identify curriculum gaps, a lack of alignment with outcomes.
3. Promotes faculty discussions on student learning, curriculum, pedagogy, and
student support services.
4. Encourages student reflection on their learning. Students may come to
understand what they have and have not learned.
5. Provides students with documentation for job applications or applications to
graduate school.

Disadvantages of a portfolio

1. Faculty time required to prepare the portfolio assignment and assist students
as they prepare them. Logistics are challenging.
2. Students must retain and compile their own work, usually outside of class.
Motivating students to take the portfolio seriously may be difficult.
3. Transfer students may have difficulties meeting program-portfolio
requirements.
4. Storage demands can overwhelm (which is one reason why e-portfolios are
chosen).

6. Critical Incident

- The term critical incident refers to a communication situation, which the

participants (or one participant) consider as problematic and confusing, even amusing.
Critical incidents are occasions that stay in mind. Typically, critical incidents consist
of examples of cultural clash events - situations where unexpected behavior occurs -
with suggestions on how to solve these situations.

Advantages
Cit method has been described by service researchers as offering a number of benefits:

1. The data collected is from the respondent's perspective and in his or her own
words
2. Provides a rich source of data by allowing respondents to determine which
incidents are the most relevant to them for the phenomenon being investigated
3. Allows respondents to provide as free a range of responses as possible within an
overall research framework
4. There is no preconception or determination of what will be important to the
respondent

ALDRIN JAY F. GRUY BSME 2-A

5. Does not restrict observations to a limited set of variables or activities
6. Offers a lot of information of little known phenomenon’s and explains them
thoroughly.
7. Often used to create hypothesis, allowing for subsequent research on the topic
8. Suggests areas for improvements to the managers
9. Really well suited for assessing customers from other cultures.
10. Allows researchers to minimize their bias because respondents decide what
incidents are the most relevant.
11. Second the research process in inductive: it may generate the novel
descriptions of previously undocumented phenomenon’s, conceptual structures
and research questions that may be tested in the future.

Disadvantages

1. Some academics have criticized CIT on its lack of reliability and validity.
2. Incidents can be misinterpreted or misunderstood.
3. Criticized for having a design that may be flawed by recall bias and memory
lapses.
4. Events may be reported incorrectly or untruthfully by the researcher.
5. Abbreviated and incomplete description of the incident.
6. Researchers may misunderstand and misinterpret people's stories.
7. During data analysis, ambiguity with regards to categories and code may arise
and it will be impossible to ask for clarifications.
8. Because CIT is retrospective, data validity may be affected by recall bias
because respondents may forget important details.

7. Observation
- As a mean of gathering information for research, maybe defined as perceiving
data through the senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. The sense of
sight is the most important and the most used among other senses.
Observation is the most direct way and the most widely used in studying
behavior.

Types of Observation

1. Participant and non-participant Observation

In participant observation, the observer takes active part in the activities of the
group being observed. While in non-participant observation, the observer is a
mere bystander observing the group he is studying about. He does not
participate in the activities of the group.
2. Structured and unstructured observation
- Structured observation concentrates on a particular aspect or aspects of the
variable being observed, be it a thing, behavior, condition, or situation. While,
in unstructured observation, the observer does not hold any list of the items to
be observed.

ALDRIN JAY F. GRUY BSME 2-A

 3. Controlled and uncontrolled observation
-controlled observation is usually utilized in experimental studies as well as the
non-experimental variables are controlled by the researcher, on other hand
uncontrolled observation is usually utilized in natural settings. No control
whatsoever is placed upon any variable within the observation area

Advantages of Observation

1. The investigator is able to gather directly, first-hand information about the

subject of the study.
2. The researcher can observe his subjects for as long as he needs the time and as
many times as he can for greater accuracy and validity in description and
interpretation.
3. Observation is a superior technique of collecting information from nonverbal
behavior and inanimate objects.
4. The subjects of the inquiry can be observed in their natural settings and this
will exclude artificially in description and interpretation.

Disadvantages of Observation

1. In observation in natural settings, there is lack of control upon extraneous

variables which may adversely affect the validity of attributing certain causes
upon certain effects.
2. There is a smaller size of sample if the universe covers a very wide area and the
researcher cannot afford to observe a substantial area.
3. It is difficult to quantify data for standard tabulation especially in unstructured
observation and when recording is done in the essay form.
4. Sometimes it is hard to gain entry into the area to be observed.
5. Lack of anonymity makes the observed subjects withdraw or keep secret some
vital but sensitive and controversial information.

8. Experiment
- It is a controlled study of a group. The researcher controls how members are
placed study groups and which treatment each group receives.

Advantages of Experiment

1. It has a unique ability to isolate causal factors, since an experiment is highly

controlled.
2. This method promises more accuracy in the study.
3. Reliable data can be controlled.
4. Experiment is more suitable to the problem with heterogeneous influencing
factors.

Disadvantages of Experiment

ALDRIN JAY F. GRUY BSME 2-A

 1. The controlled variables may distort the validity of the obtained results, and
especially the ecological validity.
2. This is the very costly method.
3. This is unsuitable to simple problems with limited scope.
4. Experiment is a time consuming method.

9. Focus Group

- A focus group is a market research method that brings together 6-10 people in a
room to provide feedback regarding a product, service, concept, or marketing
campaign. A trained moderator leads a 30-90-minute discussion within the group that
is designed to gather helpful information.

Advantages of Focus Group

1. Are generally lower cost than other methods

2. Can generate results very quickly
3. Are easy to conduct
4. Can supplement verbal responses with body language and other non-verbal
cues
5. Information gathered is in respondents’ own words, which is more accurate
6. Technique is flexible and can be adjusted based on group behavior

Disadvantages of Focus Group

1. Because a focus group involves multiple participants, the downsides of using

this technique are generally related to the interactions between participants
2. Participants can be influenced by others in the group
3. Domineering participants can skew the results
4. Results from a small group can’t always be generalized to a larger population

ALDRIN JAY F. GRUY BSME 2-A

References:

Books:

1. Francisco M., Francis, V., & Arlos, A. Practical research 1: Qualitative research
2. Calderon, J., & Gonzales, E. Methods of research and technical writing.
3. Scheaffer, R., Mulekar, M., & McClave, J. Probability and statistics for
Engineering students.

Internet:

For critical Incident:

https://www.jyu.fi/viesti/verkkotuotanto/kp/ci/introduction.shtml

https://mycriticalincidentassignmentman6706.weebly.com/advantages-and-
disadvantages-of-the-technique.html

For Focus Group:

https://www.shopify.com/encyclopedia/focus-group

For Portfolio

https://www.manoa.hawaii.edu/assessment/resources/how-to/using-portfolios-in-
program

For Survey:

https://asq.org/quality-resources/survey

ALDRIN JAY F. GRUY BSME 2-A