B-BANA321LC – BUSINESS ANALYTICS 1

Module 4: Data Collection

MODULE
IV

DATA COLLECTION

Module Author
JUDE CAPONPON, CPA, MBA, CTT

Accountancy Department
College of Business Administration and Accountancy
De La Salle University – Dasmarinas

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Module 4: Data Collection

Contents
TODAY’S GOSPEL ......................................................................................................................................... 3

Task......................................................................................................................................................... 4

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: ............................................................................................................................... 5

Data Collection – What to Measure ............................................................................................................. 5

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 5

Activating Prior Knowledge ..................................................................................................................... 6

Analysis ................................................................................................................................................... 6

Acquiring New Knowledge....................................................................................................................... 7

WHAT TO MEASURE ............................................................................................................................ 7

Data collection procedures .................................................................................................................. 9

Primary Data Collection .................................................................................................................... 10

Secondary Data Collection ................................................................................................................ 10

Data Collection Methods ................................................................................................................... 11

Application ............................................................................................................................................ 12

References: ............................................................................................................................................... 12

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Module 4: Data Collection

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Psalm 23:1-6
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me
beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name‟s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod
and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You
anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the
days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

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Task
Write a brief reflection about the Gospel. (5 pts)

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
While going through the module, the students are expected to:

1. Write a brief reflection about the Gospel;

2. Answer the motivation question;
3. Explain the basic principles and concepts in the research process
4. Demonstrate initial observation in conducting a study
5. Generate theory and hypothesis based on the research problem
6. Demonstrate concepts and principles in data collection process

Data Collection – What to Measure

Introduction
We have identified in the previous unit that data collection is vital for testing theories. When we
collect data, we need to decide on two things: (1) what to measure, (2) how to measure it.

In a research, descriptive method of research was used to gather information about the existing
condition. The purpose of employing this method is to describe the nature of a situation as it exists
at the time of the study, and to explore the cause/s of particular phenomena. The researcher opted
to use this kind of research considering the desire of the researcher to obtain first-hand data from
the respondents so as to formulate rational and sound conclusions and recommendations for the
study.

The qualitative method permits a flexible and iterative approach. The value of qualitative research
can best be understood by examining its characteristics. One of the primary advantages of
qualitative research is that it is more open to the adjusting and refining of research ideas as an
inquiry proceeds.

The researcher should not attempt to manipulate the research setting but rather seeks to understand
naturally occurring phenomena in their naturally occurring states. Inductive reasoning, as opposed
to deductive reasoning, is common in qualitative research, along with content or holistic analysis in
place of statistical analysis (Meyer et al., 1995).

You can utilize interview questionnaires that were commonly used in conducting an audit for the
data gathering process to get qualitative data.

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Activating Prior Knowledge
The research process involves identifying, locating, assessing, and analyzing the information you
need to support your research question, and then developing and expressing your ideas. These are
same skills you need any time you write a report, proposal, or put together a presentation.

In determining the research question, some of the points you need to consider are:

1. Be clear. It must be understandable to you and to others.

2. Be researchable. It should be capable of developing into a manageable research design, so
data may be collected in relation to it.
3. Connect with established theory and research. There should be a literature on which you
can draw to illuminate how your research question(s) should be approached.
4. Be neither too broad nor too narrow. It must contain brief explanation of the narrowing
process and how a research question, purpose statement, and hypothesis are interconnected.

Upon selecting a research problem, select a general topic that‟s interesting to you. Once identified,
you‟ll need to narrow it.

Doing some exploratory reading is a big advantage because it will help you to support the research
you want to pursue and to gain additional insights in order to develop a research question, purpose
statement and hypothesis, if applicable.

Analysis
Data collection is defined as the procedure of collecting, measuring and analyzing accurate insights
for research using standard validated techniques. A researcher can evaluate their hypothesis on the
basis of collected data. In most cases, data collection is the primary and most important step for
research, irrespective of the field of research. The approach of data collection is different for
different fields of study, depending on the required information. The most critical objective of data
collection is ensuring that information-rich and reliable data is collected for statistical analysis so
that data-driven decisions can be made for research.

What are the pros and cons of different collection methods such as In-person interviews, mail
surveys, and phone surveys?

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Acquiring New Knowledge

WHAT TO MEASURE

Independent and Dependent Variables

To test hypotheses, we need to measure variables. Variables are just things that can change or vary,
either between people, location or even time. Most hypotheses can be expressed in terms of two (2)
variables: a proposed cause and a proposed outcome. For example, if we take the scientific
statement „Coca-Cola is an effective spermicide‟ then proposed cause is „Coca-Cola‟ and the
proposed effect is dead sperm. Both the cause and the outcome are variables; for the cause, we
could vary the type of drink and for the outcome, these drinks will kill different amounts of sperm.
The key to testing such statements is how to measure these variables.

Some important terms in Data Collection

Levels of Measurement
The relationship between what is being measured and the numbers that represent what is being
measured is known as the level of measurement. Broadly speaking, variables can be categorical or
continuous, and can have different levels of measurement .

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Levels of Measurement

Measurement Error
We have seen that to test hypotheses we need to measure variables and it is important to measure it
accurately. Ideally we want our measure to be calibrated such that values have the same meaning
over time and across situations such as weight or it can be directly measured such as profit, weight
or height, or indirect measures such as self-report, questionnaires and computerized tasks.

There will often be discrepancy between the numbers we use to represent the thing we‟re
measuring and the actual value of the thing we‟re measuring (i.e the value we would get if we
could measure it directly). This discrepancy is known as Measurement Error.

For example, imagine that you know as an absolute truth that you weight 83 kg. Then one day,
when you went for a physical check-up, your actual weight is 80 kg, hence there is a difference of 3
kg using the measurement tool such as weighing scale. Measurement tools such as weighing scales
could produce a very small amount of measurement errors. Self-report measures do produce
measurement error because factors other than the one you are trying to measure will influence how
people respond to your measures. For example, when someone is trying to ask you whether you
have stolen a ballpen from a classmate, would you tell the truth or make a lie?

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Validity and Reliability

One way to try to ensure that measurement error is kept to a minimum is to determine properties of
the measure that give us confidence that it is doing its job properly.

 Validity - the first property, which is whether an instrument actually measures what it sets
out to measure
 Criterion Validity – is whether the instrument is measuring what it claims to
measure. In an ideal world, you could assess this by relating scores on your measure
to real-world observations. For example, we could take an objective measure of how
helpful lecturers were and compare these observations to student‟s rating.
 Content Validity – with self-report measures/questionnaires we can also assess the
degree to which individual items represent the construct being measured, and cover
the full range of the construct.
 Reliability – the second property, which is whether an instrument can be interpreted
consistently across different situations.

Test-retest reliability – validity is a necessary but not sufficient condition of a measure. A second
consideration is reliability, which is the ability of the measure to produce the same results under the
same conditions. To be valid the instrument must first be reliable. The easiest way to assess
reliability is to test the same group of people twice: a reliable instrument will produce similar
scores at both points in time. Sometimes, however, you will want to measure something that varies
over time (e.g. exam scores, productivity rate). Statistical methods can also be used to determine
reliability.

Data collection procedures

Data collection is a methodical process of gathering and analyzing specific information to proffer
solutions to relevant questions and evaluate the results. It focuses on finding out all there is to a
particular subject matter. Data is collected to be further subjected to hypothesis testing which seeks
to explain a phenomenon.

Hypothesis testing eliminates assumptions while making a proposition from the basis of reason.
For collectors of data, there is a range of outcomes for which the data is collected. But the key
purpose for which data is collected is to put a researcher in a vantage position to make predictions
about future probabilities and trends.

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The core forms in which data can be collected are primary and secondary data. While the former is
collected by a researcher through first-hand sources, the latter is collected by an individual other
than the user.

Primary Data Collection

Primary data collection by definition is the gathering of raw data collected at the source. It is a
process of collecting the original data collected by a researcher for a specific research purpose. It
could be further analyzed into two segments; qualitative research and quantitative data collection
methods.

Qualitative Research Method

The qualitative research methods of data collection does not involve the collection of data that
involves numbers or a need to be deduced through a mathematical calculation, rather it is based on
the non-quantifiable elements like the feeling or emotion of the researcher. An example of such a
method is an open-ended questionnaire.

Quantitative Method
Quantitative methods are presented in numbers and require a mathematical calculation to deduce.
An example would be the use of a questionnaire with close-ended questions to arrive at figures to
be calculated mathematically. Also, methods of correlation and regression, mean, mode and
median.

Secondary Data Collection

Secondary data collection, on the other hand, is referred to as the gathering of second-hand data
collected by an individual who is not the original user. It is the process of collecting data that
already exists, be it already published books, journals and/or online portals. In terms of ease, it is
much less expensive and easier to collect.

Your choice between Primary data collection and secondary data collection depend on the nature,
scope and area of your research as well as its aims and objectives.

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Data Collection Methods

Interview
An interview is a face-to-face conversation between two individuals with the sole purpose of
collecting relevant information to satisfy a research purpose.

a. Structured interviews - a verbally administered questionnaire. In terms of depth, it is

surface level and is usually completed within a short period. For speed and efficiency, it
is highly recommendable, but it lacks depth.

b. Semi-structured interviews - several key questions subsist which cover the scope of
the areas to be explored. It allows a little more leeway for the researcher to explore the
subject matter.

c. Unstructured interviews - an in-depth interview that allows the researcher to collect a

wide range of information with a purpose. An advantage of this method is the freedom
it gives a researcher to combine structure with flexibility even though it is more time-
consuming.

Questionnaires
This is the process of collecting data through an instrument consisting of a series of questions and
prompts to receive a response from individuals it is administered to. Questionnaires are designed to
collect data from a group.
For clarity, it is important to note that a questionnaire isn't a survey, rather it forms a part of it. A
survey is a process of data gathering involving a variety of data collection methods, including a
questionnaire.
On a questionnaire, there are three kinds of questions used. They are; fixed-alternative, scale, and
open-ended. With each of the questions tailored to the nature and scope of the research.

Reporting
By definition, data reporting is the process of gathering and submitting data to be further subjected
to analysis. The key aspect of data reporting is reporting accurate data because of inaccurate data
reporting leads to uninformed decision making.

Existing Data
This is the introduction of new investigative questions in addition to/other than the ones originally
used when the data was initially gathered. It involves adding measurement to a study or research.
An example would be sourcing data from an archive. Page
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Observation
This is a data collection method by which information on a phenomenon is gathered through
observation. The nature of the observation could be accomplished either as a complete observer, an
observer as a participant, a participant as an observer or as a complete participant. This method is a
key base of formulating a hypothesis.

Focus Groups
The opposite of quantitative research which involves numerical based data, this data collection
method focuses more on qualitative research. It falls under the primary category for data based on
the feelings and opinions of the respondents. This research involves asking open-ended questions
to a group of individuals usually ranging from 6-10 people, to provide feedback.

Combination Research
This method of data collection encompasses the use of innovative methods to enhance participation
to both individuals and groups. Also under the primary category, it is a combination of Interviews
and Focus Groups while collecting qualitative data. This method is key when addressing sensitive
subjects.

Application
Gather data (by group) with a minimum of 100 respondents based on the research problem you are
exploring and present it next meeting.

References:
Field, A. (2017). Discovering Statistics, 5th Edition. North America: SAGE Publications Ltd.

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