Practical Research

• Qualitative data


  Data collected from different sources of information, such as books, encyclopedias, websites, and firsthand information from people
• Sources of primary data

  • Data taken personally through interview
  • Personally observing people to get visual data
• Sources of secondary data


  • Information from your barangay census on the number of population in the area
• Data collection instruments

  • Interviews
  • Observations
  • Questionnaires
  • Focus Group Discussions
• Structured interview


  Has a set of predetermined questions that are ready to use
• Unstructured interview


  No set of pre-made questions, but rather an outline of the kind of questions the researcher wants to ask
• Semi-structured interview


  A mix of structured and unstructured interview, with a set of prepared questions but also allowing for follow-up questions
• Naturalistic observation


  • Researcher observes the behavior of a group of people in their natural setting without putting any external disturbances
• Participative observation


  • Researcher takes part in the activities of the group of people they are observing
• Non-naturalistic observation


  • Researcher takes respondents out of their natural environment and puts them in an environment of the researcher's choice
• Closed-ended questionnaires


  Similar to a structured interview, with pre-prepared questions and boxes for respondents to check
• Open-ended questionnaires


  Leave a blank space for respondents to give their point of view
• Combination questionnaires


  Combine both closed-ended and open-ended questions
• Focus group discussion


  • Focuses on groups of people being interviewed at the same time, with the researcher as the moderator or facilitator
• Participative observation requires the researcher to be involved in the usual activities of the subjects they are researching
• Interviews are a data gathering instrument where the researcher personally asks the respondents about the information they need