Seminar on

Data Collection
Presented by

Mohammed Ahmed Ali

Research Scholar

Mysore university

Department of Computer Science

Manasagangothri, Mysore

Content
Introduction

Methods of data collection

A) Primary data collection
1: Observation method
2: Interview
3: Questionnaire method
3: Schedule
4: other methods

B) Secondary data collection

Introduction

Data are special type of information, generally obtained through

observation, surveys, enquiries, or are generated as a result of human
activity.
Data Collection is the process of gathering and measuring
information on variables of interest, in an established
systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated
research questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes
. The task of data collection begins after a research problem has been
defined and research design .

TYPES OF DATA
1) PRIMARY DATA : Are those which are collected a fresh and for
the first time and thus happen to be original in character and
known as Primary data.
2)

SECONDARY DATA : Are those which have been collected by

someone else and which have already been passed through the
statistical process are known as Secondary data

METHOD OF COLLECTION OF
PRIMARY DATA
Observation method
Interviews
Questionnaire method
Schedule Method
other methods

OBSERVATION METHOD
Observation method is a method under which data from the field is collected with
the help of observation by the observer or by personally going to the field. In the
words of P.V. Young, Observation may be defined as systematic viewing,
coupled with consideration of seen phenomenon

ADVANTAGES:
Subjective bias eliminated (No bias info)
Information researcher gets is Current information
Independent to respondents variable (as in interview and
may be bias )

OBSERVATION METHOD
DISADVANTAGES :

It is expensive method (time requires more)

Limited information
Unforeseen factors may interfere with observational task
Data cannot be collected effectively.

Types of observation
Structured and Unstructured Observation
When observation is done by characterizing style of recording the observed
information, standardized conditions of observation , definition of the units to
be observed , selection of pertinent data of observation then it is structured
observation
When observation is done without any thought before observation then it is
unstructured observation
Structured observation is considered appropriate in descriptive studies,
whereas in an exploratory study the observational procedure is most likely to
be relatively unstructured

Types of observation
Participant Observation : In this observation, the observer is a part
of the phenomenon or group which observed and he acts as both an observer and a
participant.

Non Participant Observation When observer is observing people

without giving any information to them then it is non participant observation
Example : use of recording devices to examine the details of how people talk and
behave together

 Direct Observation : This means observation of an event

personally by the observer when it takes place. This method is flexible and
allows the observer to see and record subtle aspects of events and behaviour as
they occur. He is also free to shift places, change the focus of the observation.
Example: Observer is physically present to monitor

Indirect Observation : This does not involve the physical

presence of the observer, and the recording is done by mechanical,
photographic or electronic devices.
Example : Recording customer and employee movements by a special motion
picture camera mounted in a department of large store.

INTERVIEW METHOD
This method of collecting data involves presentation or oralverbal stimuli and reply in terms of oral-verbal responses.
Interview is the verbal conversation between two
people with the objective of collecting relevant
information for the purpose of research
There are different type of interviews as follows :
PERSONAL INTERVIEWS : The interviewer asks questions
generally in a face to face contact to the other person or persons.

Types of Personal Interview

Structured Interview

Un-Structured Interview

Predetermined questions

No Predetermined questions

Standardized techniques of recording

Flexibility in asking questions

Interviewer follows rigid procedure laid

No Standardized techniques of

down i.e. asking recording questions in

form & order prescribed
Time required for such is less than non
Un-structured interview
Not necessary of skill or specific
knowledge
Analysis of data become easier because
inf is collected in prescribed manner

recording
Interviewer has freedom to ask ,omit ,
add questions in any manner
Ask questions without following
sequence
Analysis of data is difficult prescribed
manner

Merits of Personal Interview

Information at greater depth
More flexible
Interviewer by his skill can come over resistance
Non Response generally low
Samples can controlled more effectively
Personal information can be obtained
Interviewer can collect supplementary information about
respondents personal characteristics and environment which has
value in interpreting results

De
Expensive method

Merits Of Interview

Respondent may give bias information

Some Executive people are not approachable so data collected may be
inadequate
Takes more time when samples are more
Supervisors has to do complex work of selecting ,training and supervising
the field staff.

Types of Personal Interview

Telephonic interview : Contacting samples on telephone Uncommon
method may be used in developed regions
structured interviews : in this case, a set of pre- decided questions are
there.
unstructured interviews : in this case, we dont follow a system of
pre-determined questions.
focused interviews : attention is focused on the given experience of
the respondent and its possible effects.

Types of Personal Interview

group interviews : a group of 6 to 8 individuals is interviewed.
qualitative and quantitative interviews : divided on the basis of
subject matter i.e. whether qualitative or quantitative.
individual interviews : interviewer meets a single person and
interviews him.
selection interviews : done for the selection of people for
certain jobs

QUESTIONNAIRE METHOD
A questionnaire is a set of questions for gathering
information

from

questionnaires

by

individuals.
mail,

You

telephone,

can

using

administer
face-to-face

interviews, as handouts, or electronically (i.e., by e- mail or

through Web-based questionnaires).
A questionnaire is a series of questions asked to individuals
to obtain statistically useful information about a given
topic.

When

properly

constructed

and

responsibly

administered, questionnaires become a vital instrument by

which statements can be made about specific groups or
people or entire populations

Merits of
Questionnaire
There is low cost
even when the universe is large and is widely
spread geographically
It is free from the bias of the interviewer; answers are in
respondents own words
Respondents have adequate time to give well thought out
answers.
Respondents, who are not easily approachable, can also be
reached conveniently.
Large samples can be made use of and thus the results can be

demerits of this system

1. Low rate of return of the duly filled in questionnaires; bias due to no-response is often
indeterminate.
2. It can be used only when respondents are educated and cooperating.
3. The control over questionnaire may be lost once it is sent.
4. There is inbuilt inflexibility because of the difficulty of amending the approach once
questionnaires have been dispatched.

5. There is also the possibility of ambiguous replies or omission of replies altogether to certain
questions; interpretation of omissions is difficult.
6. It is difficult to know whether willing respondents are truly representative.
7. This method is likely to be the slowest of all.

Types of questionnaires and questions

Structured questionnaires (Closed Ended Questions) are based
predominantly on closed questions which produce data that can be
analyzed quantitatively for patterns and trends. The agenda is entirely
predetermined by the evaluator and provides little flexibility for
respondents to qualify their answers.
A closed question can be answered with either 'yes' or 'no'.
Yes/No Questions
1. Do you have a library membership card?
Yes ( )
No (

Structured questionnaires
Multiple Choice Questions
What purpose do you visit the library? (Multiple choices)
( ) To read news papers
( ) To refer books
( ) To borrow and return books
( ) To brows Internet
Scaled questions - Responses are graded on a continuum (example: rate
the appearance of the product on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the
most preferred appearance). Examples of types of scales include the
Likert scale, semantic differential scale, and rank-order scale

A likert scale is commonly used in survey research it is

often used to measure respondents attitudes by asking the
extent to which they agree or disagree with a particular
question or statement.
Example: To what extent the information obtained from
the web based resources are useful to you? (Likert Scale)
Sl. No.

Extent

Unsatisfied

Somewhat satisfied

Neutral

Satisfied

Extremely satisfied

Rankings:
Please rank the following web based resource usefulness in
order of preference (starting from 1 is least preferred and
10 is most preferred).
Sl. No.

Web based resources

Ranking
(1.10)

E-books

E-journals

Discussion forums

Databases

Unstructured questionnaires (Open-ended)

Non-structured questions, or open-ended questions,
are questions where there is no list of answer
choices from which to choose. Respondents are
simply asked to write their response to a question.
Here is an example:
An open question is likely to receive a long answer.
Example of a Non-structured Question
1. What are the facilities and services do you
expect from your library?
___________________________________________
___________________________________________

2. What are the benefits for automating a library

housekeeping functions?
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
It is best to use non-structured questions when you are
exploring new ideas and you don't really know what to
expect from the respondents.

Contingency questions - A question that is answered only

if the respondent gives a particular response to a previous
question. This avoids asking questions of people that do
not apply to them.
1. Do you have computer knowledge?
Yes ( )
No( )
2. If yes how long have you been using?
From last 6 months ( )
From last 1 year
( )
From last 2 years
( )
From last 3-4 years ( )

Cautions regarding Questions and Questionnaires Construction

1. Question number
2. Order of Questions
3. Check the spellings of the question statements
4. Do not use offensive language
5. Avoid double-meaning Questions
6. If there are any difficult terms in the questionnaire than do explain
them
7. Avoid unnecessary questions
8. Know the academic and mental capacities of the target population
9. If there are certain personal or emotional questions ask them in the
middle or at the end
10.Don't ask for elaborate answers
11.Use polite language
12.Don't write questions that already contain the answer to the
question
13.Let the respondents know that their privacy will be ensured

SCHEDULE METHOD
It is one of the important methods for the study of social problems.
Schedules Like Questionnaires but it filled by enumerator .
Enumerators are specially appointed for filling questionnaire
Enumerators explain the aim and objective to respondent and fill the
answers in provided space .
In the words of Thomas Carson Macormic, The schedule is nothing
more than a list of questions which it seems necessary to test the
hypothesis

Schedule
Schedule is filled by enumerator or
research worker

Questionnaires
Q generally send through email and
no further assistant from sender

Costly method

Q is cheaper method

Non Response is Low

Non Response is high

Identity of respondent is not known.

It is not clear that who replies.

Information is collected well in time as they

The questionnaire method is

are filled by enumerators.

Direct personal contact is established

likely tobe very slow

No personal contact is possible in case of
questionnaire

The information can be gathered even when

the respondents happen to be illiterate

This method can be used only when

respondents are literate and cooperative.

schedule
There remains the difficulty in sending
enumerators over a relatively wider area.

Questionnaires
Wider and more representative distribution of
sample is possible.

Non Risky

Risky

It depends upon the honesty and

The success of questionnaire methods lies

competence of enumerators
Not attractive

more on the quality of the questionnaire

itself.
The physical appearance of questionnaire

Along with schedule observation method

must be quite attractive.

can also be used.

This is not possible when collecting data
through questionnaire.

Other Methods Of Data Collection

Warranty Cards:

Post card size cards sent to

customers and feedback collected through asking

questions on that card
Distributor or Store Audits Audits are done by
distributor or manufacturers salesperson. Observation
or copying information about inventory in retail shops.
Useful method for knowing market share ,market size ,
effect of in store promotion

MERIT OF PRIMARY DATA

Degree of accuracy is quite high.
It does not require extra caution.
It depicts the data in great detail.
Primary source of data collection frequently includes
definitions of various terms and units used.

DEMERIT OF PRIMARY DATA

Collection of data requires a lot of time.
Requires lot of finance.
In some enquiries it is not possible to collect primary
data.
Requires a lot of labour.
Requires a lot of skill.

Secondary Data Sources of data

Secondary data means data that are already available i.e., they refer
to the data which have already been collected and analyzed by
someone else
Publications of Central, state , local government
Technical and trade journals
Books, Magazines, Newspaper
Reports & publications of industry ,bank, stock exchange
Reports by research scholars, Universities, economist Public
Records

MERIT OF SECONDARY DATA

Use is very convenient.
Saves time and finance.
In some enquiries primary data cannot be collected.
Reliable secondary data are generally available for many
investigations.

DEMERIT OF SECONDARY DATA

Very difficult to find sufficiently accurate secondary data.

Very difficult to find secondary data which exactly fulfils the need
of present investigation.
Extra caution is required to use secondary data.
Not available for all types of enquiries.

Factors to be considered before using secondary

data
Reliability of data Who, when , which methods, at what time etc.
Suitability of data Object ,scope, and nature of original inquiry
should be studied, as if the study was with different objective then that
data is not suitable for current study
Adequacy of data Level of accuracy, Area differences then data is
not adequate for study

Selection of proper Method for collection of Data

Nature ,Scope and object of inquiry

Availability of Funds
Time Factor
Precision Required

Reference
Kothari, C. R. (2008).Research methodology. (2 ed., p.
418). New Delhi: New Age Publications.
Krishnaswamy , O. R. (2002).methodology of research in
social science. (p. 529). Delhi: Himalaya Publishing house.
Ronald , R. P., & Lynn , S. C. (2004).Basic research
methods for librarians (library and information science
text series). (4 ed., p. 200). New Delhi: Libraries Unlimited.
Taylor, E. (n.d.).Collection evaluation data: direct
observation. Retrieved from
http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/G3658-5.pdf

THANK YOU