Methods and Techniques

UNIT 4 METHODS AND TECHNIQUES OF of Data Collection

DATA COLLECTION
Objectives
After studying this unit, you should be able to:
 Discuss the necessity and usefulness of data collection.
 Distinguish between primary and secondary data.
 Describe different methods of collecting primary data with their merits
and demerits.
 Design questionnaire for collection of primary data.
 Develop skills in conducing interview.
 Identify the sources of secondary data.
 Examine the reliability, suitability, and adequacy of secondary data.
Structure
4.1 Introduction
4 2 Primary and Secondary Data
4.3 Methods of Collecting Primary Data
4.4 Merits and Demerits of Different Methods of Collecting Primary Data
4.5 Designing a Questionnaire
4.6 Pretesting a Questionnaire
4.7 Editing of Primary Data
4.8 Technique of Interview
4.9 Collection of Secondary Data
4.10 Scrutiny of Secondary Data
4.11 Summary
4.12 Key Words
4.13 Self-assessment Exercises
4.14 Answers
4.15 Further Readings

4.1 INRODUCTION
The increasingly complex nature of business and government has focused
attention on the uses of research methodology in solving managerial problems.
The credibility of the results derived from the application of such methodology
is dependent upon the up-to-date information about the various pertinent
characters included in the analysis. To illustrate, the demand of disc records has
dropped dramatically after cassettes have entered the market commercially. This
information must be taken into consideration for formulating marketing strategy 55
Data Collection and by a dealer selling musical products. Information expressed in appropriate
Measurment
quantitative form are known as data. The necessity and usefulness of information
gathering, or data collection cannot be overemphasized in government policies.
The government must be aware of the actual scenario of the acceptance of family
planning before it can formulate any policy in this matter. The components of
this scenario are provided by appropriate data to be collected from various
families. In industrial disputes regarding wages, cost of living index, a data-
based indicator of inflation is often accepted as a guideline for arbitration.
In short, neither a business decision nor a governmental decision can be made in
a casual manner in the highly involved environment prevailing in this age. It is
through appropriate data and their analysis that the decision maker becomes
equipped with proper tools of decision making.

4.2 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DATA

The primary data are those which are collected afresh and for the first time, and
thus happen to be original in character. Such data are published by authorities
who themselves are responsible for their collection.
The secondary data, on the other hand, are those which have already been
collected by some other agency and which have already been processed. Generally
speaking, secondary data are information which have previously been collected
by some organisation to satisfy its own need, but it is being used by the department
under reference for an entirely different reason. For example, the census figures
are published every tenth year by the Registrar General of India. But the census
figures are also used by demographers and other social scientists for planning
and research. Thus, the officials of the department of Registrar General will
visualise the census figures as primary data. But a demographer using the same
census figures to prepare a mortality table will consider them as secondary data.
Even when an organisation is interested to collect primary data it is necessary to
take help of various types of secondary data to design a proper sampling scheme.
This aspect of the use of secondary data will be covered in the next unit.
Activity 1
State whether the following data are primary or secondary?
i) The Secretary, Merchant Chamber of Commerce is using the figures published
in “Reserve Bank of India Bulletin” (Published monthly by Reserve Bank of
India) as the basis of forecasting money supply during the next month.
........................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................
ii) The Secretary, department of mines is writing a report on various types of
mining accidents using the data available in the “Annual Report of the Chief
Inspector of Mines in India” issued by the Office of the Chief Inspector of
Mines.
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56 ........................................................................................................................
iii) The Textile Commissioner is preparing a report on the prospect of textile Methods and Techniques
of Data Collection
export based on the data available in “Indian Textile Bulletin” published by
his own office.
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iv) National Thermal Power Corporation is examining the supply of coal to
their thermal power stations using the data available in “Monthly Coal
Bulletin” published monthly by the office of the Chief Inspector of Mines.
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v) A work study inspector decides about the time taken to perform a particular
job on an assembly line on the basis of random observations collected by
him.
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vi) The Presidency Surgeon is examining the relationship between cigarette
smoking and heart disease based on the data published in “Indian Medical
Journal”.
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4.3 METHODS OF COLLECTING PRIMARY DATA

The collection of primary data for business research is of paramount importance
to assist management in making decisions. Generally, information regarding a
large number of characteristics are necessary to analyse any problem pertaining
to management. For instance, a study relating to employment in rural areas
requires data on income, wages, types of crops and land holdings. The collection
of primary data thus requires a great deal of deliberation and expertise. Depending
upon the nature of information necessary the following methods of collecting
primary data are available.
1) Observation Method
The investigator collects the requisite information personally through observation.
For example, in order to study the conditions of students residing in a university,
the investigator meets the students in their hostels and collects necessary data
after a personal study. The information about the extent of damage caused by
natural calamities like flood can be collected by personal observation by a trained
investigator. As the investigator is solely responsible for Collection of data by
this method, his training, skill, and knowledge play an important role on the
quality of primary data.
A slight variation of this procedure is indirect oral investigation where data are
collected through indirect sources. Persons who are likely to have information
57
Data Collection and about the problem are interrogated and on the basis of their answers, primary
Measurment
data become available. Most of the Commissions of Enquiry or Committees
appointed by Government collect primary data by this method. The accuracy of
the primary data collected by this method depends largely upon the type of persons
interviewed and hence these persons have to be selected very carefully.
2) Questionnaire Method
A popular and common method of collection of primary data is by personally
interviewing individuals, recording their answers in a structured questionnaire.
The complete enumeration of Indian decennial census is performed by this
method. The enumerators visit the dwellings of individuals and put questions to
them which elicit the relevant information about the subject of enquiry. This
information is recorded in the questionnaire. Occasionally a part of the
questionnaire is unstructured so that the interviewee can feel free to share
information about intimate matters with the interviewer. As the data are collected
by the field staff personally it is also known as personal interview method.
Much of the accuracy of the collected data, however, depends on the ability and
tactfulness of investigators, who should be subjected to special training as to
how they should elicit the correct information through friendly discussions.
3) Mailed Questionnaire Method
A set of questions relevant to subject of enquiry are mailed to a selected list of
persons with a request to return them duly filled in. Supplementary instructions
regarding the definitions of terms used and the methods of filling up the forms
should also accompany the questionnaire. This method can only be used when
the respondents are literate and can answer the questions in writing. The questions
should be very clear without any ambiguity keeping in mind that there is no
investigator to help the respondent.
The method of collecting data by mailing the questionnaires to the respondents
is most extensively employed in various business and economic surveys. This
method saves both time and cost and can cover a large area. The absence of an
investigator, however, renders the responses less reliable. The method also suffers
from a large degree of non-response.
4) Telephone Interview
This method of collecting information consists in contacting respondents on
telephone itself. This method is inexpensive but limited in scope as respondents
must possess a telephone. The telephone interview method is used in industrial
surveys specially in developed regions.

4.4 MERITS AND DEMERITS OF DIFFERENT

METHODS OF COLLECTING PRIMARY DATA
The conditions under which the data are to be obtained will predetermine the
method of data collection. If a relatively few items of information are sought
quickly covering a number of industries and funds are limited telephone interviews
should be recommended for collection of data. If depth interviews and probing
58 techniques are to be employed, it is necessary to employ investigators to collect
data. Thus, each method has its uses and none is superior in all situations. The Methods and Techniques
of Data Collection
joint use of more than one data collection method is sometimes preferred for a
variety of reasons. When a wide geographic area is being covered, the use of
mail questionnaires supplemented by personal interviews will yield more reliable
results than either method alone.
Two tables, Table 1 reviewing the relative merits and demerits of the principal
methods of data collection and Table 2 under different resource level are presented
below:
Table1 : Comparison of Principal Methods of Data Collection

Personal Interview Mailed Questionnaire Telephone Interview

with Questionnaire Advantages

i) Most flexible method of i) Wider and more i) Wider and more

obtaining data representative coverage representative coverage
possible at the same cost possible at the same cost

ii) Identity of respondent ii) No field staff is required ii) No field staff is required
known

iii) Nonresponse very low iii) Cost per questionnaire iii) Cost of response low
relatively low

iv) Supervision and control iv) No bias of interviewers iv) Quick way of obtaining
possible data

v) Respondents can answer

directly

Disadvantages

i) Most expensive method i) High degree of non- i) Non telephone owners

of collecting data response and those with unlisted
numbers cannot be
reached

ii) Considerable supervision ii) Questions which require ii) Interview period is short
necessary probing cannot be asked

iii) Bias of the investigators iii) Slowest of all methods of iii) Questions which require
present in the responses data collection probing cannot be asked

iv) Assumes that respondent

is educated

Table 2: Preferred Data Collection Methods

Funds Time Type of data Personal Mail Telephone

Interview

Restricted Restricted Few Items ×

Restricted Restricted Much Information ×

Restricted Ample Few Items × ×

Restricted Ample Much Information × ×

Ample Restricted Few Items × ×

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Data Collection and
Measurment Ample Restricted Much Information ×

Ample Ample Few Items × ×

Ample Ample Much Information ×

Activity 2
State with reason the type of data collection method to be followed in the following
cases.
i) A severe drought has damaged the crop in the country. You are required to
determine the extent of damage for remedial measures.
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ii) A railway accident occurred at a distance of 20 km from New Delhi railway
station. You are asked to ascertain the cause of the accident and the extent of
disaster.
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iii) The Directorate of Cottage and Small-Scale Industries desires to find out the
reasons for non-payment of loan taken by a number of artisans and small
traders. You are asked to find out the reasons of non-repayment.
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iv) The new General Manager claims that the telephone service of the city has
become vastly improved during the last one year. You are assigned the
responsibility of providing a data-based report on this claim expeditiously.
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v) A manufacturer of a certain type of electronic product is interested to collect
worldwide data on similar product with limited fund. You have to recommend
him a suitable data collection method.
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60
vi) It has been claimed by the Department of family welfare that the publicity Methods and Techniques
of Data Collection
over the media has increased the practice of family planning in the rural
area. You are asked to collect data to-support or refute the claim.
........................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................
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vii) A company selling a type of household appliance is interested to know the
performance of its product from the customers with known addresses who
are actually using it. The company is interested to collect data in an appropriate
manner.
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Activity 3
Answer true or false
i) Indian decennial census is conducted by personal interview with
questionnaire…
ii) A great deal of interviewer bias is present in mailed questionnaire method of
data collection………………………………………………………………
iii) The use of telephone interview method is limited as the interview period is
short.
iv) The highest degree of non-response occurs in mailed questionnaire method.
........................................................................................................................
v) With restricted funds and ample time mailed questionnaire method is the
suitable procedure for data collection…………………………………………
vi) If the type of data to be collected is sensitive in nature, one should adopt
telephones interview........................................................................................
vii) Personal interview with questionnaire should be used to find out-the average
number of persons visiting a post office per day............................................
........................................................................................................................

4.5 DESIGNING A QUESTIONNAIRE

A questionnaire is a proforma containing a sequence of questions to elicit
information from the interviewees. The questionnaire is used for personal
interview. At the same time the questionnaire is also mailed to individuals who
are requested to write the answers against each question and to return the
completed proforma by post.
The questionnaire is the heart of the primary data collection technique. Hence,
its drafting requires utmost skill. The questions must be clear, simple and to the 61
Data Collection and point. They must be well organised from the point of view of the respondent and
Measurment
be formulated in such a manner as to provide the data in so far as possible in the
desired form. This is specially true of a mail questionnaire which essentially has
to speak for itself. If it is not clear; not only the replies may be vague and of little
value, but many potential respondents may not bother returning the questionnaire
at all.
A questionnaire may be said to possess three main aspects:
1) The General Form
2) The Question Sequence
3) The Question Wording
1) The General Form
The form of a questionnaire will depend partly on the type of data being sought
and partly on the data collection method to be used. The choice lies between two
extremes. On the one hand, there is the highly structured questionnaire in which
all questions and answers are specified and continents in the respondents’ own
words are held to a minimum. At the other end is the unstructured questionnaire
in which the interviewer is provided with a general brief on the sort of information
to be obtained but the exact question is largely his own responsibility.
The unstructured questionnaires are useful in carrying out in depth interviews
where the aim is to probe for attitudes and reasons. They may also be effectively
employed in pretesting, the result of which can be used as a basis for constructing
a structured questionnaire at a later stage. Thus, in order to ascertain the
expectation of the television viewers about a programme interviews may be
conducted with unstructured questionnaires. The resulting range of answers may
then be used to prepare a structured questionnaire for use in the main part of the
study.
The main disadvantage with any unstructured questionnaire is that it requires
personal interview. It cannot be used in the mailed questionnaire method of data
collection.
A structured questionnaire usually has fixed alternative answers to each question.
They are simple to administer and relatively inexpensive to analyse. The
questionnaires have, however, their limitations. It is not possible to record the
responses made by the respondent in their own words. They are considered
inappropriate in investigations where the aim happens to be to probe for attitudes
and feelings.
2 The Question Sequence
The introduction to the questionnaire should be as short and simple as possible.
The introductory letter accompanying the mailed questionnaire should also be
made very brief. The introduction lays the foundation for establishing the rapport
with the respondent in addition to making the interview possible.
Once the rapport is established the questions will generally seek substantive
information of ‘ value to the study. As a general rule, questions that put too great
62
a strain on the memory or the intellect should be reserved till later. Likewise, Methods and Techniques
of Data Collection
questions relating to personal wealth and personal character should be avoided
in the beginning.

Following the opening phase should come the questions that are really vital to
the interview. Even here, substantive questions should be surrounded by more
interesting ones in order that the attention does not slip. Awkward questions,
which create the risk that the respondent may discontinue the interview are usually
relegated toward the end. By the time the interview has been terminated, some
information is already available with the interviewer.

Ideally, the question sequence should conform to the respondents’ way of thinking,
and this is where unstructured interviews are highly advantageous. The interviewer
can rearrange the order of the questions to fit the discussion in each particular
case. With structured questionnaire the best that can be done is to determine with
pretesting the question sequence which is likely to produce good rapport with
most people.

3) The Question Wording

It has been stated that the question wording and formulation are more of an art
than a science. Science does enter, however, in testing the stability and the
adequacy of replies for business and management decisions. The wording of the
questions should be impartial so as not to give a biased picture of the true state of
affairs. Colourful adjectives and undue descriptive phrases should be avoided.
In general, the questions should be worded such that (a) they are easily understood
(b) they are simple Cc) they are concrete and conform to respondents’ way of
thinking.

Multiple choice questions constitute the basis of a structured questionnaire,

particularly in a mailed questionnaire method. But in addition to these questions
various open-ended questions are generally inserted to provide a more complete
picture of the respondent’s feelings and attitudes.

A questionnaire with an objective to collect information concerning the loanees

who have taken loan from a bank during the last five years under the Self
Employment to Educated Unemployed Youth Scheme is presented below. Note
that the first few questions make the interviewer familiar with the subject. The
substantive information commences from question 9 but the two embarrassing
questions 11 and 12 is followed by a Sympathetic question 13. Although the
questionnaire is structured an unstructured part has been included in the answer
of question 14 to record the diversity of replies.

BANK OF NEW DELHI

Self-Employment to Educated Unemployed Youth Scheme

1. Questionnaire No……………………………………………………………

2. Name of the Loanee…………………………………………………………

3. Address……………………………………………………………………..
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Data Collection and 4. Educational Qualifications: (General)
Measurment

Below Matriculation

Matriculation and above but below Graduate

Graduate and above

5. Educational Qualifications: (Technical)

None

Technical Diploma

Technical Degree
6. Date of Birth....................................................................................................
7. When did you start your Business?.....................................................................

Not yet started Less than one year backOne year above but less

than two years back Two years and above but less than three

years back Three years and above but less than four years back

Four years and above but less than five years back

8. Type of Business
Agro based Supply of Material
Manufacturing Retail Selling
Chemical Transport
Service Other, please specify
9. From which branch of the bank did you borrow?
Batch A Batch B Branch C Branch D
10. When did you borrow money?

Less than one year back

One year and above but less than two years back

Two years and above but less than three years back

Three tears and above but less than four years back

Four years and above but less than five years back
64
11. What was the amount of loan? Methods and Techniques
of Data Collection

Up to Rs 10, 000

Above Rs 10, 000 but less than or equal to Rs 25, 000

Above Rs 25, 000 but less than or equal to Rs 50, 000

Above Rs 50, 000

12. How many instalments have you paid so far?

None

Up to five

More than five but less than or equal to ten

More than ten

13. What difficulties are you facing in your project?

Lack of customer demand

Lack of raw material

Lack of power

Lack of skilled worker

Difficulty in procuring trade license and other Govt. papers

Other, please specify

14. Your suggestions to overcome these difficulties

........................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................
Signatureof the investigator ...........................................................................
Name of the Investigator ................................................................................
Date of Interview ............................................................................................
Activity 4
The following paragraph shows an unstructured questionnaire
We want to know about ‘major purchases of goods and services (over Rs 1000)
made by the respondent or his family during the last five years. What were the
prices and how were they paid for, e.g. cash, instalment, borrowing etc.? Of
particular interest are the following:
Television, Refrigerator, Vacation, Children’s education.
We are also interested to know if the respondent or members of his family
are planning to spend money on any of the-above items during the next two
65
Data Collection and years. If they do, we want to have an indication of its cost and its mode of
Measurment
payment.
Prepare a structured Questionnaire on the basis of this unstructured questionnaire.
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Activity 5
A local newspaper wants to ascertain the extent to which the inclusion of a daily
stock market page might increase its circulation. Prepare a questionnaire to collect
the pertinent information.
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Activity 6
Explain what is wrong in the following forms of questions in a questionnaire.
i) Have you a Savings Account?
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ii) What is the profession of your husband?
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iii) What is the price you paid for a piece of soap Brand A’? Why do you prefer
it?
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66
iv) Is the bus service reasonably good? Methods and Techniques
of Data Collection
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
v) Isn’t this a nice colour?
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vi) How many razor blades do you use annually?
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vii) Did you decide to buy the scooter after the loan was approved?
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viii) Do you believe borrowing from personal finance companies is faster and
more pleasant than borrowing from banks?
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4.6 PRETESTING A QUESTIONNAIRE

The pre-test is a valuable indicator of the effectiveness of a questionnaire to
collect data. The pretesting of questionnaire consists in selecting, approaching,
and interviewing a small segment in the same manner to be followed in the full-
scale operation and then analysing the results in the light of the objectives f the
study.
We can understand from the pretest whether the replies provide the type of
information needed or whether the respondents are misinterpreting any of the
questions. In addition, results obtained in a pretest can at times suggest new
ideas or hypotheses worthy of further examination.
If a pre-test indicates any change of importance, a further pretest may be warranted
to review, the questionnaire. Thus, the mere fact that the wording of a question
originally misunderstood has been changed does not of itself ensure the clarity
of the new form. A few interviews with the new question form are highly desirable.
Pretests are sometimes conducted in an informal Manner.
Activity 7
You have drafted a questionnaire to find out why employees leave a given
company. Pretest your questionnaire and in the light of the results obtained, list
out where you would like to make modifications in the questionnaire.
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67
Data Collection and ................................................................................................................................
Measurment
................................................................................................................................

4.7 EDITING OF PRIMARY DATA

Editing involves reviewing the data collected by investigators to ensure maximum
accuracy and unambiguity. It should be done as soon as possible after the data
have been collected. If the size of the data is relatively small, it is desirable that
only one person edit all the data for the entire study. The different steps of editing
are indicated below.
i) Checking legibility: Obviously, the data must be legible to be used. If a
response is not presented clearly, the concerned investigator should be
asked to rewrite it.
ii) Checking completeness: An omitted entry on a fully structured
questionnaire may mean that no attempt was made to collect data from
the respondent or that the investigator simply did not record the data. If
the investigator did not record the data, prompt editing and questioning
of the investigator may provide the missing item. If an entry is missing
because of the first possible cause, there is not much that can be done,
except to make another attempt to get the missing data. Obviously, this
requires knowing why the entry is missing.
iii) Checking consistency: The editor should examine each questionnaire
to check inconsistency or inaccuracy if any, in the statement. The income
and expenditure figures may be unduly inconsistent. The age and the
date of birth may disagree. The area of an agricultural plot may be unduly
large. The concerned investigators should be asked to make the necessary
corrections. If there is any repetitive response pattern in the reports of
individual investigators, they may represent investigator bias or perhaps
attempted dishonesty.
Activity 8
To find out why employees leave a given job, you have administered a
questionnaire to collect the relevant data. Edit all the data for the study before
you proceed to analyse it.
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4. 8 TECHNIQUES OF INTERVIEW
The general qualities that an interviewer should possess can be identified as
68 extroversion, impartiality to different points of view, friendliness without getting
personal, ability to remain calm under many different circumstances, Methods and Techniques
of Data Collection
conscientiousness, perseverance, accuracy of reporting and adaptability. In
addition, the interviewer must plan in advance and should fully know the problem
under consideration. He must choose a suitable time and place so that the
interviewee may feel at ease during the interview. In order to establish proper
rapport specially in the rural areas if a significant part of the respondents are
women, female interviewer’ must be employed to obtain the responses. If the
language of the questionnaire is English, translation in the regional languages
must be available so that the interviewer has no ambiguity about the questions.
While collecting data regarding various industrial problems, the interviewer
should proceed very cautiously and systematically as the success of his project
would depend entirely on the co-operation of the others. The interviewer is also
expected to be familiar with all the material already published by the organisation.
In an administrative hierarchy, it is preferable to begin interviews by contacting
the officials at the middle and lower levels and to collect all relevant material
available with them.
The selection, training and supervision of interviewers are very important
administrative functions for collection of reliable data.

4.9 COLLECTION OF SECONDARY DATA

Secondary data are data which have been collected and analysed by some other
agency. The sources of secondary data could be:
i) Various publications of Central, State and local governments: The
important official publications are Statistical Abstract, India-Annual;
Monthly Abstract of Statistics (both published by Central Statistical
Organisation); Indian Agricultural Statistics (Annual) (Published by
Ministry of Food and Agriculture ); Index Number of Wholesale Prices
in India (Weekly) (Published by Ministry of Commerce and Industry);
Reserve Bank of India Bulletin (Monthly) (Published by Reserve Bank
of India).
ii) Various publications of foreign governments or of international
bodies: The important publications are publications of international
bodies like UNO, FAO, WHO, UNESCO, ILO, Statistical Yearbook
(Published by the Statistical Office of the United Nations), Yearbook of
Labour Statistics (Published by ILO, Geneva). The secondary data
provided by such publications are authentic, but along with other things,
one must be specially careful about the units in respect of currency, weight
etc. which greatly vary from one country to another.
iii) journals of trade, commerce, economics, engineering etc. published
by responsible trade associations, Chambers of Commerce provide
secondary data in respect of some important items. Some examples of
this kind of publications are “Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of
Mines in India” (issued annually by the office of the Chief Inspector of
Mines, Dhanbad) and “Indian Textile Bulletin (issued monthly by the
Textile Commissioner, Bombay). 69
Data Collection and iv) The other sources of secondary data are books, magazines and
Measurment
newspapers, reports prepared by various universities, historical
documents, diaries, letters, unpublished biographies, and autobiographies.
Activity 9
If you were to estimate demand for vegetable oil in India, list out the variables
on which you would like to collect secondary data. Also find out the sources
where you could obtain secondary data on the variables you have listed.
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4.10 SCRUTINY OF SECONDARY DATA

Primary data are to be scrutinised after the questionnaires are completed by the
interviewers. Likewise, the secondary data are to be scrutinised before they are
compiled from the source. The scrutiny should be made to assess the suitability,
reliability, adequacy, and accuracy of the data to be compiled and to be used for
the proposed study.
1) Suitability: The compiler should satisfy himself that the data contained
in the publication will be suitable for his study. In particular, the
conformity of the definitions, units of measurement and time frame should
be checked. For example, one US gallon is different from one British
gallon.
2) Reliability: The reliability of the secondary data can be ascertained from
the collecting agency, mode of collection and the time of collection. For
instance, secondary data collected by a voluntary agency with unskilled
investigators; re unlikely to be reliable.
3) Adequacy: The source of data may be suitable and reliable, but the data
may not be, adequate for the proposed enquiry. The original data may
cover a bigger or narrower geographical region, or the data may not
cover suitable periods. For instance, per capita income of Pakistan prior
to 1971 is inadequate for reference during the subsequent periods as it
became separated into two different countries with-considerable variation
in standard of living.
4) Accuracy: The user must be satisfied about the accuracy of the secondary
data. The process of collecting raw data, the reproduction of processed
data in the publication, the degree of accuracy desired and achieved
should also be satisfactory and acceptable to the researcher.

4.11 SUMMARY
The pattern of business and industry in the present-day environment has become
70 quite complex and involved due to a variety of reasons. Any meaningful decision
to be made in this context must be objective and fact based in nature. This is Methods and Techniques
of Data Collection
achieved by collecting and analysing appropriate data. Data may broadly be
divided into two categories, namely primary data and secondary data. The primary
data are those which are collected for the first time by the organisation which is
using them. The secondary data, on the other hand, are those which, have already
been collected by some other agency but also can be used by the organisation
under consideration. Primary data maybe collected by observation, oral
investigation, questionnaire method or by telephone interviews. Questionnaires
may be used for data collection by interviewers. They may also be mailed to
prospective respondents. The drafting of a good questionnaire requires utmost
skill. The process of interviewing also requires a great deal of tact, patience and,
competence to establish rapport with the respondent. Secondary data are available
in various published and unpublished documents. The suitability, reliability,
adequacy, and accuracy of the secondary data should, however, be ensured before
they are used for research problems.

4.12 KEY WORDS

Primary Data : are data collected by the organisation itself.
Secondary Data : are data collected and processed by some other
agency.
Observation Method : is the procedure through which the investigator
collects information by personal observation.
A Questionnaire : is a proforma containing a sequence of
questions to elicit information from the
interviewees.
The Questionnaire Method : is the Method of collecting data by personal
visit with a questionnaire.
The Mailed Questionnaire : is the method of collecting data by mailing
Method questionnaire.
The Telephone Interview : is the method of collecting data by contacting
Method respondents over telephone.

4.13 SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISES

1) Describe the various methods of collecting primary data and comment on
their relative advantages and disadvantages.
2) Define secondary data. State their chief sources and point out the dangers
involved in their use and the precautions necessary to use them. Illustrate
with examples.
3) Which method is most suitable for conducting enquiry regarding family
welfare programme in India? Explain its merits and demerits.
4) Examine the merits and limitations of the observation method in collecting
data. Illustrate your answer with suitable examples.
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Data Collection and 5) What are the guiding considerations in the construction of questionnaire?
Measurment
Explain.
6) You have been assigned the task of finding the various problems of railway
commuters in Bombay. Design a suitable questionnaire to be used in this
study.
7) The Chamber of Commerce has appointed you to ascertain the reaction of
the Finance Bill, 1990. Design a suitable questionnaire to be mailed to collect
information in this matter.

4.14 ANSWERS
Activity 1
(i) secondary (ii) primary (iii) primary (iv) secondary (v) primary (vi) secondary
Activity 2
i) By observation method since the remedial measures have to be adopted
quickly. There is hardly any time for questionnaire design and interview.
ii) By indirect oral investigation from the persons who were present at the time
of the accident. Since the accident took place before your arrival to the
accident scene only the testimony of the persons can provide the relevant
data.
iii) By personal interview with questionnaire as the mailed questionnaire method
is unlikely to elicit any response.
iv) Since the claim of the General Manager is relevant to the telephone owners
of the city,
v) The telephone interview method is the appropriate procedure of data
collection.
vi) With a limited fund it is not possible to visit several countries for personal
interview. So, the Mailed Questionnaire method is the appropriate method
of data collection.
vii) The data should be collected by personal interview with questionnaire.
Mailed questionnaire method is unsuitable for rural areas.
viii) As the addresses of the customers are known mailed questionnaire method
is the appropriate method of data collection. Personal interview is likely to
be quite expensive considering the purpose of the enquiry.
Activity 3
(i) True (ii) False (iii) False (iv) True (v) True (vi) False (vii) False
Activity 6
i) This question is unpleasant to the person who has none and will seem
inquisitive who has one and therefore tends to annoy him.
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ii) This question is rude. The proper way to elicit this information is to design Methods and Techniques
of Data Collection
the question as “Is your husband an engineer, a doctor, a chartered accountant,
a professor and so on T’
iii) The answer to the second question will be influenced by the first question.
The brand may be preferred or not preferred due to its price only irrespective
of the other qualities of the product,
iv) The question is suggestive, and the answer of the interviewee may be biased
out of politeness.
v) Wrong due to the same reason as in (iv).
vi) The question is unrealistic as the respondent cannot possibly remember this
number. The more realistic question will be to ask, “How many razor blades
did you use last week T’
vii) The question is ambiguous. Neither “Yes” nor “No” gives the correct
sequence of events.
viii) The question is ambiguous. It is not clear whether “Yes” means “faster”
and/or “more pleasant”. The same remark is applicable for “No”.

4.15 FURTHER READINGS

Gopal, M.H. 1964. An Introduction to Research Procedure in Social Sciences,
Asia Publishing House: Bombay.
Kothari, C.R. 1989. Research Methodology Methods and Techniques, Wiley
Eastern Limited: New Delhi.
Sadhu, A.N. and A. Singh. 1980. Research Methodology in Social Sciences,
Sterling Publishers Private Limited: New Delhi.
Wilkinson, T.S. and P.L. Bliandarkar. 1979. Methodology and Techniques of
Social Research, Himalaya Publishing House: Bombay.

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