Lesson 2 Data Collection
Lesson 2 Data Collection
Data Collection: is a process of collecting information from all the relevant sources to find
answers to the research problem.
Primary data collections:A primary data source is an original data source, that is, one in
which the data are collected firsthand by the researcher for a specific research purpose or
project. Primary data collection is quite expensive and time consuming compared to
secondary data collection. Notwithstanding, primary data collection may be the only
suitable method for some types of research.
Difference between Primary and secondary data collection:
The most important difference is that primary data is factual and original whereas
secondary data is just the analysis and interpretation of the primary data.
BASIS FOR
PRIMARY DATA SECONDARY DATA
COMPARISON
Meaning Primary data refers to the first Secondary data means data
hand data gathered by the collected by someone else earlier.
researcher himself.
Specific Always specific to the researcher's May or may not be specific to the
needs. researcher's need.
• Quantitative data is information about quantities; that is, information that can be
measured and written down with numbers.
Methodological:
Methodological:
• Interviews.
• Questionnaires
• Surveys.
• Observations.
• Focus Groups.
Interviews:
• One-on-one conversation with parent of at-risk youth who can help you understand
the issue
Questionnaires:
• Closed-ended questions are those which can be answered by a simple "yes" or "no,"
while open-ended questions are those which require more thought and more than a
simple one-word answer
Surveys
• resultant data that is collected from a sample of respondents that took a survey.
This data is comprehensive information gathered from a target audience about a
particular topic of interest to conduct research on the basis of this collected data.
• There are main survey data collection methods – Telephonic Surveys, Face-to-face
Surveys and Online Surveys.
Observation:
• Allows for the study of the dynamics of a situation, frequency counts of target
behaviors, or other behaviours as indicated by needs of the evaluation