Notes - Data Collection and Analysis
Notes - Data Collection and Analysis
Collecting data- is a necessary skill for any individual since data is used in a variety of situations, such as writing
up research reports in school, finding a specific item or getting necessary information for a job.
Sources of Data
Computer and Internet- It can collect a wide range of data in a short period of time.
Weakness of internet- inaccurate information or inappropriate websites for the necessary information and
finding legitimate websites takes time
Surveys- these are excellent data collection tool that requires information from a large number of people.
Interview- is a data collection method that is used to gain information about a specific subject. Interviews are
commonly given to experts in a specific field and these are commonly used to gain first -hand information about
a specific story.
Observation- This is first -hand data rather than second-hand data from another source. Observation data
collection includes specific items that are measured, seen or that others can reproduce.
Books – are primary tool for data collection. The weaknesses with collecting data from a book is locating the
necessary data and time constraints.
1. Focus groups – participants are selected by the researcher according to the specific sampling criteria.
2. Natural groups – participants belong to a group that exists independently of the study.
Data Analysis
Analysis refers to breaking a whole into its separate components for individual examination.
Data analysis is a process for obtaining raw data and converting it into information useful for decision-
making by users.
Data is collected and analyzed to answer questions, test hypotheses or disprove theories
3 Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of
discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making.
Data cleaning is the process of preventing and correcting these errors. Common tasks include record matching,
identifying inaccuracy of data, overall quality of existing data, deduplication, and column segmentation.
Exploratory data analysis
Once the data is cleaned, it can be analyzed. Analysts may apply a variety of techniques referred to as
exploratory data analysis to begin understanding the messages contained in the data.
Barriers to effective analysis
Confusing fact and opinion- You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts
Cognitive biases- there are a variety of cognitive biases that can adversely affect analysis. For example,
confirmation bias is the tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one's
preconceptions.
Stages in the Analysis of Qualitative Data
Stage 1: Immersion - The researcher intensively reads or listens to material, assimilating as much of the
explicit and implicit meaning as possible
Stage 2: Categorization - Systematically working through the data, assigning coding categories or
identifying meanings within the various segments / units of the ’text’
Stage 3: Reduction - questioning or interrogating the meanings or categories that have been developed? Are
there other ways of looking at the data? Do some codes mean the same thing? Stage 4: Triangulation -
sorting through the categories. Deciding which categories are recurring and central and which are less
significant or are invalid or mistaken
Stage 5: Interpretation - making sense of the data from a wider perspective. Constructing a model or using
an established theory to explicate the findings of the study