SCHOOL OF GLOBAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH

TO : MR LAZALO

FROM : CHARITY MANYUNGWA (BScCHN/21/20)

: MACLONELY MALUWA (BScCHN/21/17)

: BLESSINGS MANYAKA (BScCHN/21/18)

: PRISCA MANYASA (BScCHN/21/19)

: INNOCENT MALENGA (BScCHN/21/16)

PROGRAM : CHILD HEALTH NURSING

COURSE : RESEARCH AND STATISTICS (RES 311)

ASSIGNMENT : DATA COLLECTION METHODS AND MANAGEMENT

DUE DATE : 14TH APRIL 2023.

 DATA COLLECTION METHODS AND MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION

Data collection is the major part of the research process.it involves gathering,
analyzing data from reliable sources to be used in answering questions and solve
problems. On the other hand, data management refers to handling of collected
data during or after research.

DATA COLLECTION METHODS

There are two main methods of data collection, which are; quantitative and
qualitative methods.

1. QUALITATIVE METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION

 It’s descriptive as well as discrete and ideas are collected through

questioning and observation.
• This allows the researcher to gain an insight into the world of the research
participants and the meaning they attach to the things that happen there.
• Most commonly used methods include interviews and focused group
• Others include secondary research (record keeping), observational studies
and case studies.

a) Interviews
• These are data collection techniques in which the researcher interacts
directly with the participants one-on-one via a telephone or in person
(Houser, 2008).
• The format of the interview can either be highly structured or loosely
structured depending on the information the research needs. Types and
questions may be open-ended, close-ended or probing questions.
 • The types of questions than can be asked during an interview are:
Information or knowledge questions, Opinion questions, Application
questions, Analysis questions, Synthesis questions.

Types of interviews

• Structured Interviews
• Semi-structured Interviews
• Unstructured Interviews
Structured Interviews

• In this type, questions are prepared in advance before the interview in the
set order.
• The interviewers have a list of questions they want to ask and ask them.
• These questions are in closed ended form.
Advantages
• Saves time and resources since questions are close ended.
• Reduce bias as questions to be asked are already prepared and participants
are asked the same questions.
• Helps gather data that is useful and avoid digressions since the researcher
asks questions directly from those he already prepared.
• It reminds the interviewer which questions to ask in case he or she forget as
questions are prepared in advance and can refer to them.
Disadvantages
• They tend to gain less full responses from the interviewees as the answers
given are constrained by the type and nature of the questions asked

Semi-structured Interviews

• Involves asking participants a set of open ended question and following

them up with probing questions to explore further their interest and ideas
(Richards and Morse, 2013).
• There is formal interview
• The interviewer follows a guide.
 Advantages
• It’s flexible, as the interviewer can change questions depending on
interviewee’s response.
• Provide reliable data and easy to analyze, since the interviewer allows the
interviewee to respond in his own ways and the interviewer is able to ask
for clarification that’s making the data collected more reliable and easier to
analyze.
• Encourage a two way communication.
• Provides a comparable data for past and future data depending on what the
recent participants are responding.
Disadvantages

• It time consuming to sit down with respondents and conduct an open

ended interview.

• It requires extensive resources

• It’s tiresome as you need to interview more people to draw conclusions and
make comparisons

• It can be challenging to find an interviewer with the right amount of

training to conduct the interview properly.

Unstructured Interviews

• This is an interview that does not use set questions instead uses open
ended questions that are related to the research topic.
• The flow of the idea is similar to natural conversation
• The interviewer modifies his/her questions to suit the specific experiences
of the candidates.
 Advantages
– Helps researcher to know if the interviewee has understood, as the
interviewee is given a chance to speak in depth in his or her own
words.
– It has increased validity because the interviewer is given a chance to
probe more since he/she ask for clarification from the interviewee.
– Flexibility - interviewer change questions depending on the
interviewee’s responses.
Disadvantages
• Time consuming since the participants are allowed to explain in their own
ways.
• It’s bias, as interviewer may ask different questions to different people.
• Expensive, to train and employ interviewer who have skills e.g. creation of a
rapport.

b) Focus Groups
This is an interview with a small group of people that have been specifically
selected to represent a target group (Ellis, 2010). A researcher (moderator)
create list of questions which act as prompts to the focused group. Instead
of asking the whole question, the moderator let a natural conversation
among the participants based on the prompt and only redirects the
conversation back to the topic.

Types of focus groups

1. Dual moderator – It involves two moderators. The first moderator
ensures smooth implementation (execution) and the other one facilitate
questions.
2. Two-way – This comprises two different groups who are given a similar
topic to tackle and present it at different times. When one group
presents the findings, the other group just observes and when it’s their
turn they go deeper into the concepts presented by the previous group.
 Advantages
 It gives a chance to dive deeper into issues that can come up
during the discussion
 Discover the decision making process
 It enables an interviewer hear participant feedback in their own
words and voices
 It promotes comfortability as people may get used to one another.
Disadvantages
 It takes time since the decision requires the group to agree first
 It results in digression
 The privacy is not guaranteed, since not all participants will be
able to keep secret as many people, it will hard to keep sensitive
issue.

QUANTITATIVE DATA COLLECTION

• This is the method where data is expressed in numbers and the data is
analysed using statistical methods.

METHODS OF QUANTITATIVE DATA COLLECTION

1. PROBABILITY SAMPLE
• A technique in which a researcher chooses samples from larger population
based on the probability theory. For someone to be called probability
sample has to be selected randomly. The responses from the selected
sample predict that all their responses will much the overall population. It
allows the researcher to collect data from a representative of the
population of their interest.

TYPES OF PROBABILITY SAMPLE

A. SIMPLE RANDOM SAMPLING

• Participants are chosen from the population at random. There is an equal

chance that a member can be chosen from the population. Large
 percentage of data is collected from the selected participants
(http://www.scribbr.com).

B. CLUSTER SAMPLING

• A population is divided into smaller groups and random samples are

selected from those groups.

C. SYSTEMIC SAMPLING

• In this type, members from population are selected randomly at the starting
point but with a fixed periodic interval.

D. STRATIFIED SAMPLING

• In this type, subjects are divided into subgroups based on characteristics

they share, and then each subgroup is randomly sampled using another
probability method.

2. INTERVIEWS

• This method uses a standardized structured interview, where the

researcher asks only a standard set of questionnaires and nothing more.
• It is analyzed by assigning numerical values to participants' responses and
usually contain close ended questions that are delivered in the same format
and order for every respondent.
• Forms of interviews used in this method include; telephone interviews, face
to face interviews and computer assigned personal interview.

3. SURVEY /QUESTIONAIRE

• It's a method that uses structured question that aims to describe features
of a very large group e.g. census.

4. OBSERVATION
 • Data is collected through systemic observation by using techniques like
counting of number of people present at particular place and time during
an event.

5. DOCUMENT REVIEW

Data is collected from existing documents. This method is more efficient and
effective more especially when the data is collected from the documents are
examined by authorized publishers. It is a practice source to get qualified data
from the past.

ADVANTAGES OF QUANTITATIVE DATA COLLECTION

.It helps to collect reliable and accurate data because there is use of numbers.

.It’s easy to analyse because numbers are used.

.It covers a wider scope of data analysis.

.it allows you to reach a higher sample size hence the conclusion is a true
reflection of the population.

.It eliminates bias since randomization is used to select sample.

DATA MANAGEMENT
Data management refers to handling of research data during or after research.
Data handling involves collection, organization, Validation, storage, preservation,
documentation and sharing of research data.

1. DATA COLLECTION

This is the process of gathering and measuring information from reliable sources
in systematic way that enables one to answer a research question or test a
hypothesis.

2. DATA ORGANIZATION

This is the practice of classifying data in logical way in order to ease accessibility
to the users for instance, arranging different types of data in different folders.

3. DATA VALIDATION

This is the process where the collected data is examined for quality and accuracy
before processing or analyzing it. It also confirms the completeness of the
research data.

4. DATA STORAGE

It refers to the use of recording media to retain data so that it can be retrieved in
the future. The recording media include, computers and other devices.

5. DATA PRESERVATION

This is the act of conserving and maintaining safety and integrity of data in order
to maintain the existence and reuse of the data over time. It involves data backup
and security. Data backup is the process of keeping copies of your data in case the
data is lost. The data copies can be stored in either flash disks or physically in safe
house. On the other hand, data security refers to the activities aiming at
protecting data from being accessed by unauthorized users for instance, use of
passwords policies such as, setting strong passwords.
6. DOCUMENTATION

This refers to the process of recording all aspects of research design, sampling,
data collection and analysis. It enables other people to understand how you
conducted your research as it answers questions like, how data collection was
done, what type of approach was used as well as how the data was analyzed.

7. DATA SHARING

This is the practice of providing partners with access to research results that
they can’t access in their own data systems (http://aisp.upenn.edu).

References

Houser, j. (2008). Nursing research. Jones and Bartlett publishers ltd.

Ellis, p. (2010). Understanding research for nursing students. Learning

matters ltd.

Richards, L. and Morse, J.M. (2013).Read me first for user’s guide to

qualitative methods. (3rd ed.). SAGE publication, Inc.
https://aisp.upenn.edu/introduction-to-data-sharing

http://www.scribbr.com./methodology/simple-random-sampling/