Data Collection Techniques in Research
Data Collection Techniques
Observation
Note:
- Definition: Observation involves intentionally watching a situation or behavior to understand its facts and aspects. It entails paying attention to everything that happens and then writing down or recording the observations.
Steps:
- Determine the purpose, situation, or event to be observed.
- Determine the objectives of the observation (what you want to learn).
- Determine how you will record the data.
- Observe carefully and critically.
- Record the observed data.
- Analyze and interpret the data.
- Develop conclusions.
- Develop the observation report (this step can be omitted if other research techniques are also used, in which case the report includes the results obtained throughout the research process).
Types:
- Open Comment: This type of observation seeks to explore and describe environments.
- Direct Observation: Provides descriptions of what is happening.
- Performing: Offers interpretations of the facts.
- Theme: Presents hypotheses, speculations, and questions from the observer’s perspective, shedding light on the facts.
- Personal: Reflects the feelings and emotions of the observer.
Characteristics:
- There is a specific target of research for the observation.
- It is planned systematically.
- It is recorded systematically.
- Methodological controls are conducted to ensure reliability and validity.
Advantages:
- Provides a more complex description of the event investigated.
- Uncovers unexpected elements that can support hypotheses or reveal new aspects.
- Allows analysis of events within a global vision.
- Enables researchers to obtain data directly from empirical reality without intermediaries or distortions of information.
- Facts are collected directly, without any intermediation, i.e., as they occur naturally.
- The event, phenomenon, or behavior is described as it occurs, independent of any other element.
Disadvantages:
- The researcher has to select exactly what they aim to observe.
- The observer must be present at the time events occur.
- The presence of the observer can alter the behavior of those observed, especially in the human sciences, affecting the reliability of the data.
- In the humanities, it is challenging to observe aspects such as knowledge, feelings, and preferences. It is difficult to observe personal and intimate activities.
- The observed behavior patterns or facts should have a short duration, occur frequently, or be predictable to avoid increased costs or time.
Inquiry (Survey)
Concept:
A survey involves developing a set of questions that are administered to a specific group of people to gather information about the behavior, attitudes, or thoughts of a selected sample.
Advantages:
- Low cost.
- More accurate (better quality) than a census because the smaller number of enumerators allows for better and more selective data collection.
- Allows for the introduction of scientific methods and objective measurements to correct errors.
- Faster results.
- Widely used technique for obtaining information from almost any population.
- Provides information on past events from the respondents’ perspectives.
- High ability to standardize data, enabling computer processing and statistical analysis.
- Relatively inexpensive for the amount of information obtained.
- Helps you understand the perspectives and experiences of the individuals surveyed.
Disadvantages:
- The planning and execution of survey research are often more complex than a census.
- Requires professionals with strong theoretical knowledge and practical skills for design and implementation.
- Increased risk of sample bias.
Interview
Interviews are used to gather information orally through questions posed by the analyst.
Types:
- Structured Interview: Also known as a formal or standardized interview. It is characterized by rigidly standardized questions asked in the same order to each participant. Participants choose their answers from two, three, or more provided alternatives.
- Unstructured Interview: More flexible and open-ended. The research questions, content, order, depth, and design are entirely in the hands of the interviewer.
- Depth Interview: A technique for obtaining an individual’s personal definition of a situation, conveyed orally to the interviewer.
- Focused Interview: Similar to a depth interview but specifically directed toward specific situations.
- Group Interview: A type of in-depth interview conducted with a group of people.
Advantages:
- Effective technique for obtaining relevant and meaningful data from the perspective of social sciences.
- Information obtained through interviews is richer than written responses.
- Oral and verbal communication allows for capturing gestures, tones of voice, and emphasis, providing valuable information about the topic and interviewees.
- Social actors provide data on their behavior, opinions, desires, attitudes, and expectations, which are difficult to observe externally.
Disadvantages:
- Limitations in oral expression by both the interviewer and interviewee.
- Difficult to give equal weight to all responses, especially from individuals with strong verbal skills but limited information or scientific value.
- Potential for respondents to lie, distort, or exaggerate responses. Discrepancies can exist between what is said and done.
- Some individuals may feel inhibited during interviews, hindering their ability to respond openly and honestly.
- Taboo topics can lead to rejection when answering specific questions, such as those related to sexual, political, economic, or social issues.
Features:
- Interviewers should possess good conversational skills, sensitivity, flexibility, and imagination to engage participants effectively.
- Interviews should always have a clear purpose.
- Preparation is crucial before conducting an interview.
- Thorough understanding of the topic is essential.
- Punctuality and courtesy are vital.
- Flexibility in asking questions is necessary, allowing for deviations from the planned order.
- Persistence is key to obtaining comprehensive information.
Data Collection
A technique used for in-depth and intensive study of an individual or group. It involves carefully designed questions or a specific case study to elicit opinions or answers.
Features:
- Tested and validated solutions.
- Operation under normal conditions.
- Direct management by those who operate them.
- Clear improvements in income, assets, and/or job performance.
- Results stemming from technological, managerial, methodological, and/or conceptual innovation.
Advantages:
- Useful for studying rare diseases.
- Suitable for studying diseases with long latency periods.
- Allows for studying rare manifestations always associated with the disease.
- Enables the assessment of multiple risk factors for a single disease.
- Relatively short duration.
Disadvantages:
- Prone to systematic errors in group selection and data collection.
- Establishing a temporal sequence between exposure and disease can be challenging.
- Not ideal for studying multiple diseases simultaneously.
- Incidence or prevalence rates cannot be calculated.
Test
Consists of a set of standardized items or reagents administered to an individual or group to determine the presence or absence of specific skills or knowledge.
Advantages:
- Cost-effective.
- Objective.
- Aids in forecasting, even with a margin of error.
- Facilitates accurate and meaningful communication among professionals.
Disadvantages:
- Concerns about the representativeness of test items.
- Social and cultural biases can influence test results.
- Verbal and cultural loading of tests should be considered, ensuring the sample’s characteristics align with the target population.
- Ethical considerations regarding privacy intrusion.
Test Characteristics:
- Standardized: Uniform application procedure and scoring.
- Valid: Measures what it intends to measure.
- Reliable: Produces consistent results when administered multiple times to the same individual.
- Accurate: Provides objective scores that allow for individual placement within a population.