CHAPTER-2

DATA COLLECTION METHODS

Compilation and interpretation of primary
and secondary sources of information.
The integration of different sources will
consolidate the write up of the report.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Primary Source

Data is collected by
researcher himself
Data is gathered
through questionnaire,
interviews,
observations etc.

Secondary Source

Data collected,
compiled or
written by other
researchers eg. books,
journals, newspapers
Any reference must
be acknowledged

STEPS TO COLLECT DATA

REVIEW
REVIEW&
&COMPILE
COMPILESECONDARY
SECONDARYSOURCE
SOURCEINFORMATION
INFORMATION
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PLAN
PLAN&
&DESIGN
DESIGNDATA
DATACOLLECTION
COLLECTIONINSTRUMENTS
INSTRUMENTS
TO
TOGATHER
GATHERPRIMARY
PRIMARYINFORMATION
INFORMATION

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DATA
DATACOLLECTION
COLLECTION
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

METHODS USED
TO COLLECT
PRIMARY SOURCE DATA
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Interviews
Questionnaires
Survey
Experimentation
Case Study
Observation

However, for a small-scale study, the most commonly used

methods are interviews, survey questionnaires and observations.

Effective way
of gathering
information

Involves verbal
and non-verbal
communications

INTERVIEW
Can be conducted
face to face, by telephone,
online or through mail

Steps To An Effective Interview

Prepare your interview schedule

Select your subjects/ key informants

Conduct the interview

Analyze and interpret data collected from the interview

The most common

data collection instrument

Useful to collect
quantitative and qualitative
information

Survey
Questionnaire

Should contain 3 elements:

1. Introduction to explain the objectives
2. Instructions must be clear, simple language & short
3. User-friendly avoid difficult or ambiguous questions

2 Basic Types of survey

questions:
1.

Open-ended Questions

Note:

Free-response
(Text Open End)
Fill-in relevant
information

2.

Close-ended Questions

Dichotomous question
Multiple-choice
Rank
Scale
Categorical
Numerical

For specific examples and students activities on each question style,

please refer to the notes on Data Collection in the e-learning.

Steps To An Effective Survey Questionnaire

Prepare your survey questions
(Formulate & choose types of questions, order them, write instructions, make copies)

Select your respondents/sampling

Random/Selected

Administer the survey questionnaire

(date, venue, time )

Tabulate data collected

(Statistical analysis-frequency/mean/correlation/% )

Analyze and interpret data collected

A sample of complete survey questionnaire
http://www.custominsight.com/demo/form_widgets.rtf

Observe verbal &

non-verbal communication,
surrounding atmosphere,
culture & situation

Need to keep
meticulous records of
the observations

Observations

Can be done through discussions,

observations of habits, rituals,
review of documentation,
experiments

Steps To An Effective Observation

Determine what needs to be observed
(Plan, prepare checklist, how to record data)

Select your participants

Random/Selected

Conduct the observation

(venue, duration, recording materials, take photographs )

Compile data collected

Analyze and interpret data collected

DATA ANALYSIS
Summary sheet
1. To analyse data from interviews and observation, use
Checklist
Manually
2. To analyse data from questionnaires, use
SPSS
3. In a small scale study, the most common forms of statistical
analysis presented are:
Frequency
Mean
Percentage

DATA INTERPRETATION
1. It involves 2 terms
Results
presentation of data/findings (statistics)
Discussion interpretation of data/findings
2. Things to consider when interpreting your data:
Interpret findings based on the purpose and
objectives of your study
Relate the findings to real life context
Use persuasive language to convince your readers
to see the research from your point of view.
Order your interpretation to highlight the most important
findings
Include limitations to your research.
Use simple, clear language

Field work plan

"Fieldwork is most effective when
it is deliberately structured to be engaging
and meaningful" Nundy, 1999
However, like other educational experiences,
a successful and enjoyable fieldwork activity
is often one that involves the Researcher in
identifying issues, making decisions and
taking responsibility for their learning.

Issues based fieldwork

The approach to structuring a local fieldwork episode is
threefold:
Qualitative. Identify a local issue of relevance to the
students through, for example, emotional mapping
Quantitative. Determine a quantitative approach to data
collection in order to investigate the issue, using primary
and secondary data sources
Action. Agree on a way forward- how can we make a
difference to our local area through addressing this issue?

Survey administration method

Survey administration means the way in
which a questionnaire is presented to a
respondent. There are three traditional methods
of survey administration:
mailed,
telephone and
face-to-face surveys.

1. Mailed surveys are usually selfadministered; that is, the respondents fill in
the questionnaires themselves.
2. Telephone and
3. face-to-face surveys are administered by
another person.
Choosing one of these methods depends
upon several factors: the availability of
time and funds, the sample population and
the amount and kind of information you
want to collect.

Training field investigator

A field investigator conducts investigations in the
field on behalf of an employer.
Field investigators can work in a number of
different industries, ranging from law enforcement
to insurance.
These professionals have good people skills and
deductive logic abilities, working with other field
investigators and office staff to gather as much
information as possible about a person or situation.

 In the law enforcement community, field investigators are

a very important part of the investigative team.
They gather information from scenes of crimes,
witnesses, and references who may have useful
information, preparing a report which can be combined
with analysis of physical evidence to draw conclusions
about the circumstances of a crime and who may be
responsible.
Field investigators can work for national security
agencies conducting investigations into suspected security
threats, along with a variety of law enforcement
organizations doing everything from investigating animal
cruelty accusations to solving murders.