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data collection

The document outlines various data collection techniques, including observation, interviews, and questionnaires, along with their advantages and disadvantages. It discusses the importance of variables, differentiating between qualitative and quantitative types, and explains dependent and independent variables, as well as confounding variables. Additionally, it emphasizes the significance of reliability and validity in data collection and analysis.

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2 views

data collection

The document outlines various data collection techniques, including observation, interviews, and questionnaires, along with their advantages and disadvantages. It discusses the importance of variables, differentiating between qualitative and quantitative types, and explains dependent and independent variables, as well as confounding variables. Additionally, it emphasizes the significance of reliability and validity in data collection and analysis.

Uploaded by

asiratanchamo58
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DATA COLLEC-

TION
By:Bekana Fekecha (Asst.prof. Ph.D candi-
date)

July,2023
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Data collection techniques

Advantages and disadvantages of each tech-


niques

Types of variables

Validity and reliability of data


Data Collection
• Data collection techniques – allows us to sys-
tematically collect information.

• High quality data collection method is re-


quired.
Data collection techniques
• Using available information (record review)
• Observation
• Interview
• Administering written questionnaires
• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)
• Other data collection methods
1. Using available data
• Morbidity reports
• Mortality reports
• Epidemic reports
• Epidemic investigations
• Laboratory data
• Special surveys
• Demographic data (census)
Sources of available data
• Health facilities
– Health center, hospital
• Immunization
• Childhood diseases
• MCH clinics
• etc
Advantages and disadvantages
• Collection is inexpensive
• May not always be complete and precise
2. Observation
• Involves systematically selecting, watching,
and recording behavior and characteristics.
• Give additional, more accurate information
on behavior than interviews or question-
naires.
• Checklists or a list of question are usually
used.
3. Interviewing
• Involves oral questioning of respondents, either
individually or as a group.
• Answers are recorded by writing them or by
tape recording the responses.
• High degree of flexibility
– Open-ended questions
• Low degree of flexibility
– Closed-ended questions
• Two types interview
– Face-to-face interview
– Telephone interview
4. Administering written questionnaires

• Also known as self-administered questionnaire


• Written questions are presented to be an-
swered by the respondents in written form.
• A written questionnaire can be administered in
many ways, for example:
– Sending questionnaires by mail with clear instruc-
tions,
– Gathering all or part of the respondents in one
place at one time, giving oral or written instruc-
tions, and letting the respondents fill out the ques-
tionnaires; or
– Hand-delivering questionnaires to respondents and
collecting them later.
5. Focus group discussions (FGDs)

• A group discussion on a specific topic


• Will be discussed (Qualitative research)
• Combination of different data collection tech-
niques:
– Can improve the quality of data
– Minimize the chance of bias
• Example: the use of health facility records and house-
hold survey or FGDs
Data can be made more reliable by:
• Training of data collectors
• Use of different techniques
• Use multiple sources of information
– Questionnaires
– Direct measurements
– Observation
• Pre-testing
• Ensuring high participation rates
• Supervision
Variable
• A VARIABLE is a characteristic of a person, ob-
ject or phenomenon on which observation
or measurement is made.
– Weight, height, age, income, etc., all are vari-
ables.
• Assumed to take any value
Types of variables
1. Qualitative (or categorical) or
2. Quantitative (or numerical variables).
• Qualitative variable: A variable or characteristic
which can not be measured in quantitative form but can
only be sorted by name or categories

– The notion of magnitude is absent or implicit.

• Quantitative variable: A variable that can be


measured and expressed numerically.
– Has the notion of magnitude.
Quantitative variable is divided into two:
• Discrete variable: It can only have a finite number
of values in any given interval.
• Characterized by gaps or interruptions in the values.

• Continuous variable: It can have an infinite num-


ber of possible values in any given interval.
• Does not possess the gaps or interruptions
Why Does It Matter?
• Categorical or qualitative and quantitative
variables are:
• statistically summarized in different
ways!
Operationalizing Variables
• Some variables may not have meaningful categories as
categorical or quantitative variables
• Level of knowledge
• You may have a series of questions (e.g., 10)
• Nutritional status of under five children
• Choose appropriate indicator
– Weight for age
– Weight for height
– Height for age
– MUAC
Dependent and Independent Variables

• Variables can also be classified based on the


cause- effect relationships.
– DEPENDENT
– INDEPENDENT
Independent variables
• Describe or measure the factors that are as-
sumed to cause or at least influence the prob-
lem.
• Does a drug cause improvement of a medical health
problem?
• Does smoking cause lung cancer?
• The presumed cause = the independent vari-
able
• Exposure variable, explanatory variable
Dependent variables
• Known as outcome variables
• Are those which depend on the status or po-
sition of the other variable.
• Are the variables the researcher is interested
in understanding, explaining, or predicting.
• The presumed effect = the dependent vari-
able.
• Variability in the dependent variable depends
on variability in the independent variable.

Independent Dependent
variable variable
Confounding Variable
• Confounding = Distortion of the estimate of
the effect of an exposure of interest by the ef-
fect of some extraneous factor.
Confounding variable:
• Associated both with outcome and cause of
the outcome.
• Either strengthen or weaken the relationship.

Cause (Independent Effect/outcome


Variable) Dependent variable

Other factor
(Confounding
Variable)
Confounding variable:
• Relationship between low level of mother’s
education and malnutrition in under five
children

Mother’s
Education Malnutrition
(Independent) (Dependent)

Family Income
(Confounding
Variable)
Control of Confounding
• Design phase (Preventive strategies)
– Randomization
– Restriction
• Selecting into the study only individuals with homoge-
neous levels of potential confounders
– Matching
• Analysis phase
– Stratification
– Multivariate analysis
Reliability and Validity
• Two common sources of error to be controlled
• Reliability: If repeated measurements produce
the same result
• Validity: If it measures what it is supposed to
measure
– The degree to which it actually measure or record
what have to measure
Internal and external validity
• Internal validity refers to the extent that observed
differences on the dependent variable is attributable
to the independent variable and is not the result of
some other (confounding) variable.

• External validity refers to the degree to which study


results can be generalized beyond the setting in
which it is conducted (Target population).

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