Data Collection Instruments

1. Interview
In qualitative research, doing interviews is the most common type of instrument that is being used.
Interviews are done by having a set of questions to your respondents and letting them answer as truthfully
as possible. There are mainly three types of interviews:
 Structured Interview - this type of interview has a set of predetermined questions that are ready to
use. If you are using a structured interview as your instrument to gather data, take note that you
should not ask beyond what is written in your interview questions.
 Unstructured Interview - this type of interview is the opposite of structured interview. You are not
required to make a set of pre-made questions, but rather make an OUTLINE or what kind of
questions you want to ask your respondents. Dawson (2002) calls this type of interview as life
history interview. That is because you want to understand the point of view of your respondents,
hence it is not advisable to use a pre-made questions. You want them to tell you a story, your
respondents are free to talk about what they want to share with a little guide question from you as a
researcher.
 Semi-structured Interview - this type of interview is a mix of structured and unstructured interview. It
may be one of the most common types of interviews. You have to prepare a set of questions;
however, you are also free to ask to follow up questions to your respondents if you want to clarify
something or add information that is not available to you. This type of interview is also flexible that is
why it is preferred to be used by most researchers.

2. Observations
Another data gathering instrument that is being used most in ethnography is observations. This happens
when a researcher observes and takes notes of the behavior of people that they want to be a part of their
research. There are three types of observations:
 Naturalistic Observation - this happens when a researcher observes the behavior of a group of
people in their natural setting. For example, you want to observe the behavior of students inside a
classroom without putting any external disturbances on them then you are using naturalistic
observation.
 Participative Observation - this observation happens when a researcher takes part on the activities
of the group of people that they are observing. Say for example you want to study the daily routine
of a Lumad community. To have a better understanding of what their everyday activities are, you as
a researcher decided to join a community so that you can immerse yourself in their daily life. This is
utilizing participative observation.
 Non-naturalistic Observation - this type of observation happens when you take your respondents
out of their natural environment and put them in an environment of your choice. You observe how
people behave when they are not in their usual settings. One situation for this is taking a group of
high school students and letting them attend one or two college classes where you must observe
their learning behaviors. Non-naturalistic observation is where you as a researcher decides what is
the “ideal” environment for you to complete your research.

3. Questionnaires
Questionnaires are also one of the most common types of instruments that are being used by qualitative
researchers. This is somewhat similar to interviews based on the format of questions that are being used.
There are three types of questionnaires:
 Closed-ended questionnaires - this type of questionnaire is similar to a structured interview. This is
mostly used when you want to conduct surveys on your respondents. This is mostly for statistical
purposes and the questions are already prepared for your respondents to answer. These types of
questionnaires usually have boxes for the respondents to put a checkmark.
 Open-ended questionnaires - unlike close-ended questionnaires, this type of questionnaire leaves a
blank space for the respondents to give their point of view about a specific question.
 Combination of both - this type of questionnaire combines both close-ended and open-ended
questionnaires. For example, you may want to ask a yes or no question to your respondents and
also want them to explain why they have answered yes or no.

4. Focus Group Discussion

This type of data gathering instrument focuses on groups of people being interviewed at the same time.
This relies on the respondents to give a discussion amongst themselves on the questions that you, the
researcher, give. You will serve as the moderator or facilitator. Put three or more people around a table and
give them guide questions for them to discuss among themselves. Your role as the researcher
and the facilitator is to take note of their discussions.

Triangulation
Triangulation in research is the process of using multiple research methods and perspectives to study a
particular topic. By doing so, the researcher can refine their ideas and find new ways of understanding or
interpreting a particular event or behavior. Triangulation can validate a researcher's findings and ensure
accuracy. It also helps to prevent confirmation bias, which is an error that occurs when people
unconsciously generate evidence for a position they already hold.

Researchers often add triangulation to their study to question and document their comprehensive
evaluation and analysis. This approach strengthens the validity of their research because it checks for
errors in interpretation or measurement through its multiple methods and perspectives.

Importance of triangulation in research

Triangulation in research is important because it allows researchers to check and validate their research by
comparing their ideas or studies with other people's ideas or research. Triangulation in research is vital for
discovery because it helps to strengthen the validity of the study, especially in quantitative studies. For
example, you may use triangulation in research to confirm the conclusion of a study on a medication's
efficacy. You may do this by conducting your own study and then comparing the results to a study that an
external body conducted.

7 types of triangulation in research

Here are some of the most common types of triangulation in research, with a description of each:

1. Data triangulation
Data triangulation is the process of checking data by comparing results obtained from different sources.
Researchers may use it to check the accuracy of their findings and to ensure that their results support their
hypothesis. Data triangulation is a common technique in qualitative research and usually involves
confirmation of the data by those who collected it and those who analyzed it. Often, the data is also
reviewed and verified by other scientists who specialize in a similar area or by experts in a different field.

2. Theory triangulation
Theory triangulation involves using multiple theoretical models to study a particular phenomenon or issue.
For example, a researcher may use two different psychological theories to explain the same phenomenon,
such as competitive and cooperative behavior in dogs. While one theory predicts that dogs may compete
against their owners for desirable food, the other theory predicts that dogs may cooperate with their owners
when they're competing for desirable food. By comparing these two theories, researchers can strengthen
both theories and remove any gaps between them that may prevent a complete explanation of the
phenomenon.

3. Methods triangulation
Methods triangulation is the process of using multiple methods of data collection. This helps ensure
objective analysis and prevents researcher bias in research results. It also helps to refine the study by
identifying gaps or inconsistencies. For example, to validate the results of their study, a researcher may use
different methods of data collection. They may use face-to-face interviews or phone surveys with different
groups of people.

4. Scales triangulation
Scales triangulation involves using multiple scales when assessing the same issue or behavior in order to
compare the validity of the scales. This is especially important in quantitative research because it provides
a way for researchers to check their results. For example, researchers may use two different measures of
chronic pain intensity to assess the effectiveness of pain medications for treating chronic pain. This may
help to strengthen the validity of both measures by comparing them to each other.
5. External validity triangulation
External validity triangulation is the process of comparing diverse data sets, results or research methods
about a particular issue or topic. By widening a sample group and covering more variables, a researcher's
study can be strengthened. For example, researchers may use external validity triangulation when
assessing whether people with different health conditions have similar symptoms or patterns of behavior.
By sampling people with diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and asthma, they can compare them for
similarities in their symptoms and behaviors.

6. Internal validity triangulation

Internal validity triangulation is the process of comparing diverse data sets or results in order to find
inconsistencies or differences that show weakness in the validity of research. If the process discovers any
weaknesses, it enables identification of these problems so the study can be strengthened.

For example, a study on chronic pain relief may compare chronic pain patients who were prescribed pain
medications with similar patients receiving no pain medications. In the comparison, researchers may realize
that the use of different pain scales may cause doctors to assess patient pain levels differently. This finding
leads to refinement in data collection and analysis, which eventually strengthens the results of their study.

7. Proximity triangulation
Proximity triangulation is a qualitative research technique in which researchers study events or behaviors
close in time to each other. By doing so, researchers can compare similar events or behaviors throughout a
specific time period in one setting without having to move from one source to another. This helps to
minimize the occurrence of researcher bias in the study.

For example, a research study is set up to compare how different generations in families use social media.
They find participants from different age groups, such as school children, parents and grandparents, and
interview them about their use of social media over a specific time frame. Using this method, they can
compare all age group's relationships with social media without establishing separate studies that may
introduce unwanted variables or bias.

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