Method for Data Collection

Primary Sources
Primary data is the data collected by the researcher themselves by:
 Interview
 Observation
 Focus group discussions
 Questionnaires/Instruments
 Secondary Sources
 Secondary sources are data that already exists.
 Official statistics (World bank)
 Government reports (economic survey of Pakistan,
Handbook of statistics)
 Web information
Data Collection in Qualitative Research

 Interviews
 Structured Interview
 Unstructured Interview
 Semi-structured Interview
 Focus group
 Observations
 Structured Interview
 This is also known as a formal interview (like a job interview).
 Defined as a “verbally administered questionnaire”
 The questions are asked in a set / standardized order.
 The interviewer will not deviate from the interview schedule or probe
beyond the answers received (so they are not flexible).
 The advantage of such an approach is that this extra structure allows
for the interview to be administered quickly.
 These are based on structured, closed-ended questions.
 Unstructured Interview

 They are the In-depth interviews, also known as informal interviews.

 An interview schedule might not be used.
 They contain open-ended questions that can be asked in any order.
 Some questions might be added / missed as the Interview progresses.
 Morse & Corbin (2003) describe the unstructured interview as a
shared experience “in which researchers and interviewees come
together to create a context of conversation in which participants feel
comfortable telling their story”.
 Unstructured Interview
Strengths
 More flexible as questions can be adapted and changed depending on the
respondents’ answers.
 The interview can deviate from the schedule.
 Generates qualitative data through the use of open questions.
 Allows the respondent to talk in some depth, choosing their own words.
 Helps the researcher develop a real sense of a person’s understanding of a
situation.
 Increases validity by giving the opportunity to probe for a deeper
understanding.
Limitations
 Time consuming to conduct and analyze the qualitative data.
 Employing and training interviewers is expensive.
 Semi-structured Interview
 The final interview approach is the semi-structured interview.
 This is a medium between structured and unstructured interviews.
 Defined as an interview that has several key questions which help
to define the areas to be explored.
 Also allow the researcher the flexibility to pursue an idea in a
response in more detail.
 Focus Group
 This refers to interviews where a dozen or so respondents are
interviewed together – also known as a ‘group interviews’.
 The group is homogeneous, such as a group of students, an athletic
team, or a group of teachers.
 Role of the interviewer is to make sure the group interact with each
other and do not drift off topic.
 A researcher must be highly skilled to conduct a group interview.
 For example, certain skills may be needed by the interviewer
including the ability to establish rapport and knowing when to probe.
 Focus Group
Strengths
 Generates qualitative data through the use of open questions.
 Allows the respondents to talk in some depth, choosing their own
words.
 This helps the researcher develop a real sense of a person’s
understanding of a situation.
 Increases validity because some participants may feel more
comfortable being with others as they are used to talking in groups
in real life (i.e. it's more natural).
 Focus Group
Limitations
 Keeping the interviewees details confidential and respecting
their privacy becomes difficult.
 Group interviews are less reliable as they use open questions and
may deviate from the interview schedule making them difficult
to repeat.
 Group interviews may sometimes lack validity as participants
may lie to impress the other group members.
 They may conform to peer pressure and give false answers.
 Observation
 Observation involves spending a prolonged amount of time in the setting.
 Field notes are taken throughout the observations and are focused on what is
seen.
 Many researchers also record notes to assist in determining what the observed
events might mean.
 Although some researchers use cameras to record what is occurring at the
research site, that method is uncommon.
 One major drawback to observation methods is its obtrusiveness.
 Data Collection in Quantitative Research
Typical quantitative data gathering strategies include:
 Administering surveys with closed‐ended questions
 Experiments/clinical trials
 Observing and recording well‐defined events (e.g., counting the number
of patients waiting in emergency at specified times of the day)
 Obtaining relevant data from management information systems
Data Collection in Quantitative Research

Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a research instrument
consisting of a series of questions and other prompts
for the purpose of gathering information from
respondents. It can be
 open-ended
 closed-ended
 Open Format Questions or Open-ended Questions
 It gives the audience an opportunity to express their opinions in a
free-flowing manner. These questions don't have predetermined set
of responses and the respondent is free to answer whatever he/she
feels right. By including open format questions in your
questionnaire, you can get true, insightful and even unexpected
suggestions.
 Qualitative research fall under this category.
 Closed Format Questions

 Multiple choice questions, where respondents are restricted to

choose among any of the given multiple choice answers are
known as closed format or closed-ended questions. There is no
fixed limit as to how many multiple choices should be given; the
number can be even or odd.
 Closed-ended questions can be further classified into 7 types.
Leading Questions
 In a leading question, all the answers would be equally
likely. An example of a leading question would be a
question with choices such as, fair, good, great, superb,
excellent etc.
Importance Questions
 In importance questions, the respondents are usually asked
to rate the importance of a particular issue, on a rating
scale of 1 to 5.
 Dichotomous Questions

 These are simple questions that ask respondents to answer in a

yes or no.
Bipolar Questions
 Bipolar questions are the ones having two extreme
answers written at the opposite ends of the scale. The
respondents are asked to mark their responses between
those two.
 Rating Scale Questions
 In rating scale questions, the respondents are asked to rate
a particular issue on a scale that ranges between poor to
good. Rating scale questions usually have an even
number of choices
Buying Propensity Questions

 Buying propensity questions try to assess the future

intentions of customers and determine respondent's buying
intention.
 Likert Questions

Likert questions can help you ascertain how strongly your

respondents agree to a particular statement. Such type of questions
also help you assess how your customers feel towards a certain
issue, product or service.
S. No Items S.D.A D.A N.S A S.A

A Facebook Intensity
1. Facebook is part of my everyday activity.

2. I am proud to tell people I am on Facebook.

3. Facebook has become part of my daily

routine.
4. I feel out of touch when I haven’t logged
onto Facebook for a while.
5. I feel I am part of the Facebook community.
 Survey Questionnaire
Advantages
 Practical
 Information can be collected in a short period of time and in a relatively
low cost.
 The results of the questionnaires can usually be quickly and easily
quantified.
 Can be analyzed more 'scientifically' and objectively than other forms of
research.
 Survey Questionnaire
Disadvantages
 Is argued to be inadequate to understand some forms of
information - i.e. changes of emotions, behavior, feelings.
 Lacks validity
 There is no way to tell how truthful a respondent is being.
 The respondent may be forgetful or not thinking within the full
context of the situation.
 People may read differently into each question and therefore
reply based on their own interpretation of the question.