DATA COLLECTION AND QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN

OBJECTIVES:

1.To define data and data collection.

2. To enumerate the different types of data.

3. To discuss the three general methods of data collection.

4. To describe a good questionnaire design.

5. To discuss the steps in questionnaire designs.

6. To differentiate an open-ended and closed questions.

7. To discuss scale construction and;

8. To enumerate the types of scale used in data collection.

9. To discuss about the interview manual.

10. To relay the importance of pre-testing the questionnaire.

I. The types of Data.

"Research data is defined as recorded factual material commonly retained by and accepted
in the scientific community as necessary to validate research findings; although the majority
of such data is created in digital format, all research data is included irrespective of the
format in which it is created." -Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC),
UK

A. Secondary data.
-it makes use of information already available to a researcher.
-has been collected by other people
-examples: records and reports collected by health service providers or data from
researches that may or may not have been analyzed/published.

a.1 Advantages.
- makes the data collection component inexpensive.
-saves time and effort

a.2 Disadvantages.
-not all the needed information may be found from the data sets.
-difficult to determine exactly the quality of the data which will be used.
-difficult to gain access to the information
-timeliness of the data (out of date)
 -the definitions and ways of recording data vary from institution to institution,
from research to research or from one time to another (major source of error)

B. Primary Data.
-The researcher uses data that he has collected himself.

b.1 Advantages.
- the researcher has complete control over what items of information to include
during data collection.
- the researcher can also collect and record data according to a set of definition
and rule he himself formulated.
-assured of the quality of date collected

b.2. Disadvantages.
-more effort has to be expended during data collection.
-more expensive
-needs a longer period of time to gather all the necessary data.

II. Methods of Collecting Data.

A. The Use of Documentary Sources.
-make use of data collected by others.
-uses secondary data
- example: old researches, logbooks of health units

a.1 Advantages:
-economical
-data have already been collected
-secondary data as baseline or pre-test data
-no cooperation is needed from the subjects
-only means of studying a past event
a.2 Disadvantages:
-accuracy of the data is difficult to determine and establish
- completeness is difficult to ensure
-the need to determine the definition of terms used by the original researcher
-accessibility of the records: may require special agreement or court order to
gain access to the needed document
-timeliness: data which have been previously collected may no longer represent
the current situation of the subjects

B. The Questioning Method

- The data are obtained by asking the respondents questions.

b.1 Self-Administered Questionnaire

- questionnaire technique that is to have the respondents answer the questions
by themselves
- the respondent will be left on his own to answer the questions
-the questions must necessarily be as clear and as specific as possible
 -particularly useful if the questions are closed type

b.1.a Advantages.
-wider coverage of the target population
-no need for a one-to-one interview
-administered simultaneously among many respondents
-economical
-better able to preserve anonymity thus, easier to convince people to
answer the questions
-less pressure on the part of the respondents to answer the questions
immediately

b.1.b. Disadvantages.
-low completion rate
-details regarding the answer to each question are lost
-the respondent is limited to the replies provided to the closed
questions
-sometimes, the questionnaire is answered by someone else
-answer given by the respondent cannot be validated nor supplemented

b.2. The Face-to-Face Interview.

-one makes use of an interview schedule as a guide to which questions to ask
-there is verbal interaction between respondent and researcher
-uses open-ended probing questions and the respondent is encouraged to
answer in his own words.

b.2.a Advantages.
-applicable to variable population
-ideal in gathering information from a population which has low literacy
rate
-has a higher rate of retrieval
-answers are more accurate

b.2.b Disadvantages.
-expensive
-needs to hire and train field interviewers
-limited number of respondents which can be interviewed efficiently
-the researcher’s attitude may influence the responses of the person
being interviewed

C. Making Observations.
-the data is obtained by watching the research situation.
-direct method of observation- watching the research situation as it unfolds
-example: environmental walk-through survey for garbage pile in the streets, stagnant
pools of water, clogged canals and other sources of pollution
-it is important to make the group or the respondent get used to the presence of the
observer; the observer is treated as part of the group or the situation in which the
respondent is in (participant observation)
c.1 Advantages
-very useful when the respondents are unable to provide information in
the studies
-when the respondents are resistant to answering questions or
unwilling to answer, the researcher may have to resort to an
observation of their actions and reactions to stimuli

c.2 Disadvantages
-inability to observe past events or events which have already occurred
in the absence of the observer
-opinions and attitudes cannot be directly observed
-some information may not be accurately obtained

c.3 Measuring Method

-method of measurement wherein the data are obtained through the
application of a measuring instrument on the respondent.
-example: blood pressure measurements; hemoglobin level
determination; height and weight

c.4 Sources of Variations

a. Temporal variation-observation on the same individual may vary from
one time to another
b. Intra-individual variation- physiological processes in the body may
also lead to variation in measurement in the same person as in increase
in blood pressure when the blood sugar levels decrease; pathological
changes occurring within the system of the respondent
c. Inter-individual variation-variability in measurements done among
different subjects; no two individuals have exactly the same height or
weight
d. Inter-observer variability-interpretation of ECG tracing may vary form
one cardiologist to another, observations of signs and symptoms of a
mentally ill individual may vary form one psychiatrist to another
e. Intra-observer variability-the blood pressure measurement of one
observer on the same respondent may vary from one time to the next