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• Data collection


  The process of gathering and measuring information on variables of interest, in an established systematic fashion that enables one to answer queries, stated research questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes
• Deciding on data collection

  • Which data to collect
  • How to collect the data
  • Who will collect the data
  • When to collect the data
• Types of data


  • Primary data
  • Secondary data
• Primary data


  Data that have been collected from first-hand experience
• Secondary data


  Data collected from a source that has already been published in any form such as books, records, biographies, newspapers, data archives, internet articles, etc.
• Research instrument


  A device used to collect data that facilitates variable observation and measurement
• Ways of searching for research instrument

  1. Read professional journals

  2. Read books

  3. Talk with other researchers

  4. Combine or adapt one or more tools

  5. Develop your own instrument
• Questionnaire


  A series of questions designed to elicit information which is filled in by all participants in the sample
• Advantages of questionnaire


  • Relatively less complex method of obtaining data
  • Time can be maximized and is less consumed
  • The researcher can gather data from a widely scattered sample
• Disadvantages of questionnaire


  • Responses lack depth
  • Respondent may omit or disregard any item
  • Some items may force the subject to select responses that are not their actual choice
  • Length is limited to the respondent's interests
  • Printing may be costly
  • Data are limited to the information that is voluntarily supplied by the respondents
  • Some items may be misunderstood
  • The sample is limited to those who are literated
• Techniques for developing questionnaire

  1. Researcher may read literatures, look through available questionnaires or obtain help from experts

  2. Open-ended questions are preferable than closed questions

  3. If yes-no questions are used, additional information may be gained by leaving space for respondent's own idea

  4. The possibility of middle ground statement is also important

  5. Every item in a questionnaire should relate to the topic under study
• Criteria of a good questionnaire


  • Clarity of language
  • Singleness of objective
  • One-to-one correspondence
  • Correct grammar, spelling, and construction
• Degree of structured questions


  • Open-ended questions
  • Closed-ended or fixed alternative
• Specific types of close-ended questions

  • Dichotomous questions
  • Multiple questions
  • Cafeteria questions
  • Rank-order questions
  • Rating questions
• Checklist


  Items that comprise several questions on a topic and require the same response format
• Interview


  Involves either structured or unstructured verbal communication between the researcher and subject during which information is obtained for a study
• Types of interview


  • Unstructured interviews
  • Structured interviews
• Observation


  Most commonly used in qualitative research, uses the different senses to obtain an observation and data
• Types of observation


  • Unstructured observation
  • Structured observation
• Records


  All the numbers and statistics that institutions, organizations, and people keep as a record of their activities
• Advantages of records


  • Records are unbiased, often cover a long period of time and inexpensive
• Disadvantages of records


  • There is no assurance of the accuracy of the records, no one can be sure of the conditions under which records were collected
• Experimental approach


  A powerful design for testing hypothesis of causal relationships among variables
• Observation


  Using the different senses to obtain an observation and data
• Types of Observation


  • Unstructured Observation
  • Structured Observation
• Unstructured Observation


  • A method of collecting research data that has both opponents and proponents
• Structured Observation


  • Preparation of record-keeping forms such as category systems, checklists, and rating scales
• Sources of Records


  • Census data
  • Educational records
  • Hospital and clinic care
• Advantages of Records


  • Unbiased, often cover a long period of time and inexpensive
• Disadvantages of Records


  • No assurance of the accuracy of the records, no one can be sure of the conditions under which records were collected
• Experimental Approach


  A powerful design for testing hypothesis of causal relationships among variables, researcher controls the independent variable and watches the effect on the dependent variable
• Two Groups of Experimental Approach

  • Treatment/Experimental Group
  • Control Group
• Survey Approach


  Non-experimental type in which the researcher investigates a community or a group of people, also called as formulative or exploratory research
• Advantages of Survey Approach

  • Can provide information about the possibilities of undertaking different types of research methods, provides data about the present, has a high degree of representativeness and easy to get respondents and information often do not express their true reactions to the questions
• Disadvantages of Survey Approach

  • Yields a low degree of control over extraneous variables and verbal behavior is quite unreliable and that people