Classification of Data According to Source

Research won’t be possible without data, so it is important to know what and where we gather data. Data are
classified according to source.

Primary Data. It is also referred to as raw data. These are information collected directly or first-hand from subjects
being studied. The data may come directly from the natural world, individuals, physical materials, groups or
organizations, legitimate practices and belief system, laws and policies and personal records. In this case, you are the
first person to interact with and draw conclusions from such data, which makes it more difficult to interpret it.

Secondary Data. Collected information from available sources like books, newspapers, publications, transcripts,
recent censuses, or data collected by large scale national or worldwide surveys, such as agriculture and industry
surveys, demographic and health surveys, data of completed studies are forms of secondary data
The Research Instruments/Tools

Many of the available sources may give you various methods of collecting data. The choice of research instruments is
one of the major decisions that the researcher will have to do. This is crucial since the instrument will be the channel
through which the researcher will be able to gather the data that are needed in forming answers to the research
problems.

Mechanical Devices. These include almost all tools available in different laboratories for various disciplines and areas.
Cameras, recorders, tapes and films are only a few devices that may be used in collecting data for a historical or social
science research. Meanwhile, microscopes, telescopes, flasks, tubes, thermometers and other apparatuses are some
instruments for a scientific and experimental research. Each discipline has its own designed devices for its operation
research work.

Clerical Tools. In the study if perceptions, emotions, feelings, attitude and judgments, clerical tools like questionnaire,
interview, testing and other materials are applicable. Most clerical tools are researcher-made which are checked and
validated by experts and acceptable validation procedures. The following are the common methods involved in
clerical tools: 1. The questionnaire method
2. The interview method
3. The testing method
4. The experimental method
5. The library method
Characteristics of Good Data Collection Instrument
The heart of the research is its data. That is why the instrument that will be used to gather the needed data should
bear the following characteristics (Clemente, Julaton and Orleans, 2016).
Characteristic s of a Good Data Collection Instrument
Brief and Effective
Systematically Sequential
Valid and Reliable Researcher & SampleFriendly
Efficient
1. Brief and Effective. The data collection instrument should not be too long to be completed or accomplished by both
the researcher and the respondents. However, it should contain rich prompts and fields to gather rich information as
well. Time is always important, so making it short without compromising the target data is ideal.
2. Efficient. The instrument should be able to collect information afar from what is available and accessible to the
researcher.
3. Systematically sequential. The content of the instrument should be arranged systematically from an increasing
difficulty or complexity of information being asked. Easy and less sensitive questions should be placed first before the
complex and confidential ones.
4. Valid and Reliable. In order to attain these characteristics, the developed instrument should undergo tests of
validity and reliability through processes like pilot testing and the like.
5. Researcher and Sample-friendly. The data shat will be collected from the material should be easy to be provided by
the sample and easy to handle in the part of the researcher. The tabulation, analysis and interpretation of the data
should not complicate the tasks of the researcher.
Common Data Collection Instruments

1. Documentary Review. This is the process of obtaining information from relevant documents. It is practical and
efficient since the data can be manageable enough which can come from public records, personal documents and
physical evidences.

2. Interview. Its basic definition, interview is the process of asking questions to key informants or respondents about
the topics of the research. The researcher should have enough training and background in administering this kind of
data-gathering. This can be done through face-to-face, over the telephone or computer-assisted.

A. Structured Interview. The researcher would have to construct and organize questions which the respondents will
answer. The researcher does not ask other questions aside from what has been prepared prior to the interview.

B. Unstructured Interview. In this type of interview, the researcher holds only an outline of topics. The questions will
be spontaneously asked to form a conversation with the interviewee. Probing skills in questioning is highly necessary.

C. Semi-Structured Interview. This is a blend of the two previous types of interview. It is where the researcher
prepares questions and still asks follow up questions to the interviewee for a sort of elaboration in order to form a
indepth probing.

3. Observation. Tracking physical, behavioral and other aspects from the target sample over a period of time is the
major concern of the researcher in this method.

A. Naturalistic Observation. The researcher observes the subjects in their actual setting or natural environment
without the intrusion or involvement of the researcher.
 B. Participative Observation. This interview requires the researcher to be involved in the activities of the subjects. In
this way, the researcher would directly know and feel what the subject experiences.

C. Non-naturalistic Observation. In this interview, the subjects are taken away from their usual situation and will
experience the ideal conditions set by the researcher.

4. Questionnaire-Checklist. This is one of the commonly used data collection instruments among other.
Questionnaire-checklists are easy to administer and efficient in gathering large volume of data. Basically, the
respondents would provide answers to the prepared set of questions like the following:

A. Tag Questions. These questions are answerable by yes or no. Example: Do you have food allergies? ______Yes
_______No

B. Multiple Choice. This is the usual way of getting answer/response from the respondents basically by giving a
question and options to choose from. Example: How do you reach your school? a. walking b. public transportation
(commuting) c. private vehicle

C. Open-ended Questions. The respondents would have to continue an incomplete statement. Example: I prefer to
study online because ______________________________.

D. Coding/Ranking. In this type, the respondents are asked to rank or give numerical rating for the information
required of them. This may come in a form of a checklist with a scale. Example:

Indicator 4 Always
3 Often
2 Seldom
1 Never
1. I use my cellular/mobile phone to communicate with others.

E. Short-responses Questions. These are subjective questions that require short answers. This gives the respondents
the freedom to express their ideas and opinions. Example: What is your opinion about Education 4.0?

F. Combination. This refers to the combination of the different form of questions in a single questionnaire.

5. Focus Group Discussion (FGD). It is composed of totally diverse set of individuals to express their personal views
about the topic. They can agree or disagree with each other about the issues. FGD is a way to understand the
perspectives which cannot be explained by statistical data. The researcher should be skilled in moderating and
documenting the conduct to gather the needed data.