📊

2 - Collection of Data
Motivation
Collection of data is important for government and private industries

Analysis of these unveils valuable information that is essential in solving real life
practical problems

LEVELS OF MEASUREMENT

Measurement

process of determining the value or label of the variable based on what has been
observed

measurement system depends on the objectives

it depends on the relationship among the values used in the system

this classification is called the Levels of Measurement

Levels of Measurement

important in the interpretation of the value that the variable takes on

2 - Collection of Data 1
 help us decide on the appropriate statistical technique to use in analyzing the
collected data

4. Ratio Level
it is the strongest level of measurement

has all of the following properties:

a. the numbers in the system are used to classify a person or object into
distinct, nonoverlapping, and exhaustive categories;

Two objects assigned the same value must belong in the same category
Two objects assigned different values must belong in different categories

Allows us to count how many observations belong in each category

Operation: = and ≠

Example:

b. the system arranges the categories according to magnitude;

arrangement of the categories can be from smallest to largest, or the other

way around

ascending order: smallest assigned numbers must possess less of the

characteristic of interest

allows to organize the data meaningfully by arranging the observations

according to magnitude

Operation: > and <

Example:

2 - Collection of Data 2
 c. the system has a fixed unit of measurement representing a set size
throughout the scale; and

one-unit difference must have the same interpretation wherever it appears

in the scale

ratio scale uses a unit of measure that depicts a fixed and determinate
quantity

allows us to compute and interpret differences and totals

Operation: + and -

Example:

d. the system has an absolute zero

a measure of 0 is the absence of the characteristic being measured

allows us to compute and interpret the ratio between two measures

Operation: × and ÷

Example:

2 - Collection of Data 3
 Example:
• the allowance of a student (in pesos)
• distance traveled by an airplane (in kms)
• the speed of a car (in kms/hr)
• height of an adult (in cms)
• weight of a newborn baby (in kgs)

3. Interval Level
has all of the following properties:

a. the numbers in the system are used to classify a person or object into
distinct, nonoverlapping, and exhaustive categories;

Example:

b. the system arranges the categories according to magnitude; and

Example:

c. the system has a fixed unit of measurement representing a set size

throughout the scale

Example:

2 - Collection of Data 4
 d. the zero point is NOT an absolute zero

Example:

Difference between ratio and interval levels

the zero point in the interval level is not an absolute zero unlike in ratio

the zero has an arbitrary interpretation and does not mean the absence of the
property
we are measuring

Example:
• Temperature readings in degrees centigrade/Fahrenheit
• Intelligence quotient (IQ)
• Calendar dates whether Gregorian, Hebrew, or Islamic (ex: BC, AD)

Remarks:

Levels of measurement are not used to classify variables, rather to classify the
system or scale used to measure the variable

Example: If we measured temperature in degrees Centigrade or degrees

Fahrenheit, then we will be using the interval level. However, if we measured
temperature using the Kelvin scale then we are already using the ratio level.

2 - Collection of Data 5
 2. Ordinal Level
has all of the following properties:

a. the numbers in the system are used to classify a person or object into
distinct, nonoverlapping, and exhaustive categories;

b. the system arranges the categories according to magnitude;

you can use numbers in this system of scale to classify object into categories, and
this can be arranged in some low-to-high or high-to-low manner

but the differences between numbers cannot be interpreted accurately because

there is no fixed unit of measure throughout the scale

Example:
• Performance rating of a salesperson measured as follows: 1 for Excellent, 2
for Very Good, 3 for Good, 4 for Satisfactory, and 5 for Poor
• Faculty rank of a teacher measured as follows: 1 for Professor, 2 for
Associate Professor, 3 for Assistant Professor, and 4 for Instructor

• Ranking of a student in a class according to his academic performance as

1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on

1. Nominal Level
weakest level of measurement because symbols or numbers are only used for the
sole purpose of classifying an object into different categories

has all of the following properties:

2 - Collection of Data 6
 a. the numbers in the system are used to classify a person or object into
distinct, nonoverlapping, and exhaustive categories;

the magnitudes of the numbers and the difference between numbers have no
meaning

there is also no absolute zero point

numbers used are simply labels for the different categories of the variable and you
cannot interpret the magnitudes of these numbers

we can only say that students have different religions but not one having a “greater
religious affiliation” than the other

Example:
• Type of protected area with categories:

• Major island group of residence with categories:

• Type of movie with categories:

Remarks:

The type of analysis is limited when performed on data of a variable measured

using the nominal level

Data cannot be organized meaningfully by arranging the observations according to

magnitude

Difference between numbers and ratios of two numbers cannot be interpreted

2 - Collection of Data 7
 The only thing we can do is to count the number of observations with the same
value or label, and compute for proportions and percentages

DATA COLLECTION METHODS

Survey
method of collecting data on the variable of interest by asking people questions

the people who answer the questions in a survey are called the respondents

Census

is the study when data came from asking all the people in
the population

Sample Survey

when data came from asking a sample of people selected

from a well-defined population (which is now a sample)

Methods of Communication

1. Personal Interview

interviewers personally ask the respondents and record their answers on the
questionnaire

2. Telephone Interview

interviewers ask the respondents through the telephone

3. Self-Administered Questionnaire

respondents fill up the questionnaires themselves without any assistance from

an interviewer

not digital ata to dapat

4. Online Surveys

2 - Collection of Data 8
 respondent reads the questions and sends his responses via the internet or e-
mail

basta anything digital

5. Focus Group Discussions (FGD)

a moderator follows a focus group discussion guide to direct a freewheeling

discussion among a small group of people

Experiment
a method of collecting data where there is direct human intervention on the
conditions that may affect the values of the variable of interest

can apply only to the artificial world since controlled environment sya

most effective method in establishing cause and effect

Observation Method
observing how the variable of interest react and behaves in a given environment as
it actually happens

data collected using the observation method is usually the subjective perceptions so
difficult to analyze using formal statistical techniques

Participant Observation

the observer joins the group under study as a participating

member, whether actively or passively

this approach may introduce biases in the results of the

study when the observer becomes emotionally involved

Nonparticipant Observation

observer simply observes from the outside and does not join
the group

2 - Collection of Data 9
 usually provides unbiased results but the observer might not
be able to capture the behavior completely

QUESTIONNAIRE
a measurement instrument used in various data collection methods, particularly
surveys

used to determine and record the measurements of characteristics of the elements

in a study

Self-administered questionnaire

The respondents themselves read the questions and record

their answers

Interview schedule

An interviewer asks the questions and records the answers

of the respondent

Types of Questions
Close-ended

includes a list of response categories from which the respondent will select his
answer

Open-ended

does not include respond categories (walang choices for sagot)

Advantages and Disadvantages

2 - Collection of Data 10
 Pitfalls to Avoid in Wording Questions
Avoid vague questions

do not use words with relative connotations such as a few, sometimes, and usually

avoid using words with more than one meaning

e.g. household

always indicate a specific time reference

Avoid biased questions

avoid citing examples to clarify the meaning of your open-ended question

name-dropping can also introduce bias in the responses

provide a complete list of choice of responses for a close-ended question

Avoid confidential and sensitive questions

If you really need to include a sensitive question, you may put the sensitive question
at the latter part of the questionnaire

2 - Collection of Data 11
 gain the confidence and trust of the respondent first so they are at ease by the
end of the questionnaire

if respondent decides to terminate the interview then you were at least able to
get enough data from the respondent

Avoid questions that are difficult to answer

mga mahirap isipin na tanong na ikaw mismo di mo masagot

Avoid questions that are confusing or perplexing to answer

Avoid using double-barreled questions

Did you eat out and watch a movie last weekend?”

dalawang tanong sa isang item ng pagtanong

Avoid using double-negatives

MMDA traffic enforcers should not be required to apprehend traffic violations.

Agree or Disagree?

Keep the question short and simple

2 - Collection of Data 12