Methods of

Research
-Lookouts
and Instruments
GLARISSA P. FUMAR
MAED ASE
 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
INSTRUMENTS
O THE OBSERVATION
-Writing down information of a
phenomenon or event that is taking
place at that very moment.
- The direct observation begins with
the first interaction the researcher has
with the phenomenon to be studied.
-It is divided in structured and
unstructured observation.
What is the difference between
structured and unstructured
observation?
a. Structured Observation
- is carried out with an observation
guide and it is nonparticipant.

b. Unstructured Observation
-it does not need an observation
guide and can be participant or
nonparticipant.
 Advantages:
(1) Simplest Method
(2) Useful for Framing Hypothesis
(3) Greater Accuracy
(4) An Universal Method
(5) Observation is the Only Appropriate Tool for
Certain Cases
(6) Independent of People’s Willingness to
Report
Limitations of Observation:
(1) Some of the Occurrences may
not be Open to Observation
(2) (2) Not all Occurrences Open to
Observation can be Observed
when Observer is at Hand
(3) Not all Occurrences Lend
Themselves to Observational
Study
(4) Lack of Reliability
(5) Faulty Perception
(6) Personal Bias of the Observer
(7) Slow Investigation
(8) Inadequate Method
(9) Difficulty in Checking Validity
O INTERVIEW
- interviewing involves asking
questions and getting answers
from participants in a study.
- It has a variety of forms
including: individual, face-to-face
interviews and face-to-face
group interviewing.
- Interviews can also be
structured, semi-structured or
unstructured”
- There are also other
interviews as in-depth
interviews, clinical interviews,
history stories and life stories.
a. In-depth interview
An In-depth interview is the one that
takes place when you interview the
studied population (individually or in
groups) so that it freely expresses
any idea, feelings and motivations
about the topic being studied
(Oxman C.1998:9).
b. Face to face interview
- A face to face interview is a
version of an in-depth interview. It
is used in an English oral exam, in
a market, custom research or in a
qualitative research. It is useful for
targeting detailed perceptions,
opinions, and attitudes.
c. Clinical interview
- Therapeutic or clinical
interviews are another special
kind of professional interview, in
which the purpose is to increase
understanding and produce
change in the person being
interviewed.
d. Semi-structured interview
- is more commonly used in health
care-related qualitative research. Such
an interview is characteristically based
on a flexible topic guide that provides
a loose structure of open-ended
questions to explore experiences and
attitudes.
e. History, stories and life tells

- This is a social science technique

where an individual lets us know
directly or indirectly about his life,
surrounding, environment, education,
work, social status, religion, believes,
history and personal social factors
related to his life.
f. group discussion
- is the one where an interviewer asks
a series of structured questions to the
participants which have been selected
according to the units of observation,
indicators and objectives. The
participants answer the questions
individually without being interrupted
by the others social pressure.
g. Focus group
- a focus group is the one where
once more interviewer answer
questions in a group and where
group member can easily interrupt
them mean while they are answering
the question.
 Advantages
1. Easy correction of speech
2. Development of relationship
3. Selection of suitable candidate
4. Collection of primary information:
5. Sufficient information:
6. Less costly:
7. Increasing knowledge:
8. Explore cause behind the
problem:
9. In depth analysis:
10. Flexible:
 Limitations

O Lack of attention:
O Time consuming:
O Biases of interviewer:
O Inefficiency of the interviewer:
O Not suitable for personal matters:
 QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
INSTRUMENTS
O the most used quantitative research
technique is the survey. In a quantitative
survey you may use a short answer
responses or dichotomous questions,
multiple choice answers, paragraph,
check boxes, drop down, linear scale,
multiple choice grid and more.
a. The Dichotomous Question
This type of questions are generally
answered “yes/no”.

For example:
Have you traveled to Guatemala?
Yes
No
b. The Multiple Choice Questions

for this type of question it is important to

consider including an "other" category
because there may be other avenues by
which the person first heard about your site
that you might have overlooked” (Question
Pro Survey Software, 2017).
c. Rank Order Scaling
Rank order scaling questions allow
a certain set of brands or products
to be ranked based upon a
specific attribute or characteristic.
d. The Rating Scale
A rating scale question requires a
person to rate a product or brand
along a well-defined, evenly
spaced continuum. Rating scales
are often used to measure the
direction and intensity of
attitudes.
e. The Staple Scale
The staple scale asks a person
to rate a brand, product, or
service according to a certain
characteristic on a scale from +5
to -5, indicating how well the
characteristic describes the
product or service.
OTypes of
surveys
There are several types of
surveys such as:
1. telephone survey
2. online survey
3. In-person surveys, and
4. mobile surveys.
 a. Telephone Survey
Advantages:
1. High Accessibility
2. Good Quality Control
3. Anonymous Respondents
4. Quick Data Processing and
Handling
Limitations of Telephone Survey:
1. Time-Constrained Interviews
2. Hard-to-Reach Respondents
 b. Online Survey
Advantages:
O Low costs.
O Automation and real-time access.
O Less time.
O Convenience for respondents.
O Design flexibility.
O No interviewer.
Limitations
O Limited sampling and respondent
availability.
O Possible cooperation problems.
O No interviewer.
 c. In-person Survey
Advantages:
O Accurate screening. .
O Capture verbal and non-verbal
cues.
O Keep focus.
O Capture emotions and behaviors.
Limitations
O Cost.
O Quality of data by
interviewer.
O Manual data entry.
O Limit sample size.
d. Mobile Survey