What is “Data Collection”?
Data
collection is a process of gathering
information. It is an important component
in any kind of research. The process of data collection brings forth various
pool of information and helps the researchers to formulate a notion for a
research. Depending on the nature of information to be gathered, different instruments
are administered for different data collection process.
The instruments that are
employed to collect new information or facts are called tools or
research tools. Different tools are used to collect different types of
data.
The use of a particular
research tool depends on the type of research. The researcher may use one or
more of the tools in combination to collect data. Such tools or method of data
collection include checklist, tests, interviews, questionnaire, observation,
focus groups, etc.
Questionnaire:
Questionnaire, which was
invented by Sir Francis Galton, is a self-report data collection instrument. It
consists of a set or series of questions. Each research participants fills out
the questionnaire as part of a research study. According to John W. Best, a
questionnaire is used when factual information is desired.
The following are the key
principles of questionnaire construction:
- Make sure the questionnaire items
match your research objectives
- Understand your research
participants.
- Use natural and familiar language.
- Write items that are clear,
precise, and relatively short.
- Do not use “leading” or “loaded”
questions: [A leading or loaded question biases the response the
participant gives to the question. A loaded question is one that contains
emotionally charged words (words that create a positive or negative
reaction). A leading question is one that is phrased in such a way
that it suggests a certain answer. For example, don’t you agree that teachers
should earn more money than they currently earn? The options are: (a) Yes,
they should earn more (b) No, they should not earn more, (c) Don’t know/no
opinion.The phrase “Don’t you agree” leads the participant. A more neutral
wording of this question would be as follows: Do you believe teacher
salaries are lower than they should be, higher than they should be, or at
the right amount? The options are: (a) Teacher salaries are lower than
they should be (b) Teacher salaries are higher than they should be (c)
Teacher salaries are at the right amount, (d) Don’t know/no opinion.]
- Avoid double-barreled questions:
[A double-barreled question combines two or more issues or objects in a
single item. For example: Do you think that teachers should have more
contact with parents and school administrators? You can easily notice that
this single item asks about two different issues. The question is indeed
asking, “Do you think that teachers should have more contact with parents?
and “Do you think that teachers should have more contacts with school
administrators? In such a double-barreled question, once someone
answers the question, it is impossible for the researcher to know which barrel of
the question was answered.]
- Avoid double negatives
- Determine whether an open-ended or
a closed-ended question is needed: [An open-ended question enables
participants to respond in any way that they please. Open-ended questions
take you into the natural language and worlds of your research
participants. Therefore, open-ended questions provide primarily
qualitative data. A closed-ended question requires participants to choose
from a limited number of responses that are predetermined by the
researcher. Closed-ended questions provide primarily quantitative data.]
- Use manually exclusive and
exhaustive response categories for closed-ended questions.
- Consider the different types of
response categories available for closed-ended questionnaire items.
- Use multiple items to measure
abstract constructs.
- Consider using multiple methods
when measuring abstract constructs.
- Use caution if you reverse the
wording in some of the items to prevent response sets in multi-item
scales.
- Develop a questionnaire that is
properly organized and easy for the participants to use.
