Methods of Data Collection

At the
end of
this
OBJEC
lesson,
you
TIVE are
expected
to:
gather
Elaborate on the topic of the mind map you are creating here.
informati
on from
surveys,
experime
nts, or
 INTRODUCTION
The most common methods used are experiments, observations, and
surveys. The purpose of this lesson is for you to explore methods of
data collection, how they work in practice, the purpose of each,
when their use is appropriate, and what they can offer to your
research.
 VOCABULARY LIST
• measure characteristics of interest about a population using
selected sample without making connections between the data.
• researchers determine whether an existing condition called a
factor is related to a characteristics of interest
• information gathered from the respondents/participants
• researchers create a condition by applying a treatment
and seeing if it has any effect on characteristics of
interest.
• a group of individuals, institutions, objects and so forth
with common characteristics that are the interest of a
researcher.
• the wording may lead the respondent to think a certain
way.
• is the group that does not get the treatment or is
not given special instructions to follow.
• is the group that gets the treatment or is given
special instructions to follow.
• it is when a curve appears distorted in a statistical
distribution.
 SURV
EY
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, behaviour, or knowledge.
In doing a survey, the researcher must understand the right
mode of inquiry for establishing an inference whether in a
large group of people or from a small number of people in a
group. The very aim of conducting a survey is to present and
explain the actual experiences of a certain population.
An example of a survey is the open-ended questions. This is placed in
a box form and will permit your respondents to provide a unique
answer. This kind of approach is able to provide the respondents the
freedom to say what they feel about a topic, which provided you with
an exploratory data that may unleash important issues, opportunities,
issues, or quotes. (Buensuceso, Dacanay, Manalo, and San Gabriel,
2016, p101)
 NTAG
ES OF
SURV
EY
• time and cost efficient
• capable of collecting data from a large number of
respondents
• numerous questions can be asked about a subject,
giving extensive flexibility in data analysis
 AGES
OF
SURV
EY
• respondents may not feel encouraged to provide
accurate, honest answers
• very likely to get biased responses that results in
skewed data
• customized surveys can run the risk of containing
certain types of errors
 OF
COND
UCTIN by email
GA
SURV
EY
telephone

personal interview
STEPS
TO
1. Determine who will participate
COND in the survey
UCT A 2. Decide the type of survey
SURV (mail, online, or in-person)
EY 3. Design the survey questions
and layout
4. Distribute the survey
5. Analyze the responses
6. Write up the results
 OBSE
RVATI
ON
You gather knowledge of the researched phenomenon
through making observations of the phenomena, as and
when it occurs. You should aim to focus your observations
on human behaviour, the use of the phenomenon and
human interactions related to the phenomenon.
According to Buensuceso, Dacanay, Manalo, and San Gabriel
(2016), Observation may take place in natural settings and involve
the researcher taking lengthy and descriptive notes of what is
happening. It is argued that there are limits to the situations that
can be observed in their ‘natural’ settings and that the presence of
the researcher may lead to problems with validity.
 ES OF
OBSE
RVATI
•
ON
can offer a flavor for what is happening
• can give an insight into the bigger picture
• can demonstrate sub-groups
• can be used to assist in the design of the rest of the research
• sometimes, the researcher becomes or needs to become a participant
observer, where he/she is taking part in the situation in order to be accepted
and further understand the workings of the social phenomenon
 OF
OBSE
RVATI
• ON
change in people’s behavior when they know they are being observed.
• a ‘snap shot’ view of a whole situation
• think Big Brother…
• the researcher may miss something while they are watching and taking
notes
• the researcher may make judgments, make value statements or
misunderstand what has been observed
 written description
OBSE
RVATI
ON video recordings
TECH
NIQUE photographs and
S artifacts

documentation
 TEN
DESC
RIPTI
The ON
researcher makes written descriptions of the people, situations or
environment.
Limitations include
• researcher might miss out on an observation as they are taking notes
• the researcher may be focused on a particular event or situation
• there is room for subjective interpretation of what is happening
 VIDEO
RECO
RDIN
G
Allows the researcher to also record notes
Limitations may include
• People acting unnaturally towards the camera or
others avoiding the camera
• The camera may not always see everything
 PHS
AND
ARTIF
ACTS
Useful when there is a need to collect observable
information or phenomena such as buildings,
neighborhoods, dress, and appearance.
Artifacts include objects of significance –
memorabilia, instruments, tools and others.
 DOCU
MENT
ATION

Any and all kinds of documentation may be used to

provide information – a local paper, information on a
notice board, administrative policies and procedures.
 AN
OBSE 1. Identify objective
RVATI 2. Establish recording method
ON 3. Develop questions and
techniques
4. observe and take notes
5. analyze behaviors and
inferences
 EXPE
RIME
NT
where a researcher change some variables and observe
their effect on other variables. The variables that you
manipulate are referred to as independent while the
variables that change as a result of manipulation are
dependent variables
 ES OF
EXPE
RIME
NT
• researchers have firm control over variables to obtain results
• the control group reduces bias
• the results are specific
• researchers can identify the cause and effect of the hypothesis
and further analyze this relationship to determine in-depth ideas
 OF
EXPE
RIME
NT
• time consuming because you’re going have two different
groups
• this method always have to be concerned with ethics
• does not always create an objective view
• can experience influences from real-time events.
 AN
EXPE 1. Pose a testable question
RIME 2. Conduct background research
NT 3. State your hypothesis
4. Design experiment
5. Perform your experiment
6. Collect data
7. Draw conclusions
8. Publish findings (optional)
ANAL
YZE !!
Paul wants to know if listening to music using head
phones for more than 60 minutes per day affects
hearing. Would a survey, an observational study, or an
experiment be more useful?
ation.
2.
Analyz TRUE OR FALSE
ing a
result
should
be
done
after
gatheri
ng of
steps
in
conduc
ting an
experi
ment.
5.
Primar
y data
are
 QUIZ

1. Which data gathering method is utilized to collect, analyze and

interpret the views of a group of people from a target population?
a. survey
c. experiment
b. research
d. observation
2. The primary purpose of conducting survey is to .
a. find cause and effect relationships
b. compare groups to determine differences
c. determine and describe the way things are
d. predict the way things will be based on the way things are
3. Which of the following is NOT a method in conducting
survey?
a. email
b. telephone
c. personal interview
d. video chats
4. What type of survey question encourages an answer phrased
in the respondent's own words?
a. scan –ended
b. close-ended
c. open-ended
d. talk-ended
5. This method is time-consuming and it can be difficult to
observe somebody for a longer period of time.
a. survey
b. research
c. expiremnt
d. observation
6. An experiment generally tests how one is affected by
another.
A. test
B. option
c. scientist
d. variable
7. The variable that affects the dependent variable is called
the variable.
a. optional
c. dependent
b. scientific
d. independent
8. Which of the following is NOT something one needs to consider
when conducting an experiment?
a. The scientist's biases
b. The errors induced by measurement
c. Other variables that may not be under the scientist's control
d. Whether the results of the experiment will confirm the hypothesis