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What Is Data?: QUALITATIVE DATA: Is Everything That Refers To The

The document discusses the concepts of data, information, and knowledge. It defines data as facts such as numbers, words, measurements, and observations. Data can be qualitative, quantitative, categorical, discrete, or continuous. Primary data is collected directly, while secondary data is collected by others. As data is collected and structured, it becomes more useful and meaningful, transforming into information and eventually knowledge. The highest level is wisdom, which comes from understanding. The document also outlines techniques for data collection such as observations, tests, surveys, and document analysis.

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Bong Relox
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34 views

What Is Data?: QUALITATIVE DATA: Is Everything That Refers To The

The document discusses the concepts of data, information, and knowledge. It defines data as facts such as numbers, words, measurements, and observations. Data can be qualitative, quantitative, categorical, discrete, or continuous. Primary data is collected directly, while secondary data is collected by others. As data is collected and structured, it becomes more useful and meaningful, transforming into information and eventually knowledge. The highest level is wisdom, which comes from understanding. The document also outlines techniques for data collection such as observations, tests, surveys, and document analysis.

Uploaded by

Bong Relox
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DATA COLLECTION

What is Data?
Data is a collection of facts, such as numbers, words, measurements,
observations or even just descriptions of things
Data is all around us. But what exactly is it?
Data is a value assigned to a thing.

Color, Shape, Number,


Condition, Size

QUALITATIVE DATA : is everything that refers to the


quality of something: A description of colours,
texture and feel of an object, a description of
experiences, and interviews are all qualitative data.

QUANTITATIVE DATA : is data that refers to a


number. E.g. the number of golf balls, the size,
the price, a score on a test etc
Categorical Data : puts the item you are describing into a
category: For example, the condition “used” would be
categorical and also categories such as “new”, “used”,
”broken” etc

Discrete Data : is numerical data that has gaps in it: e.g.


the count of golf balls. There can only be whole numbers
of golf ball (there is no such thing as 0.3 golf balls).

Continuous Data : is numerical data with a continuous


range: e.g. size of the golf balls can be any value (e.q.
10.53mm or 10.54mm but also 10.536mm). In
continuous data, all values are possible with no gaps in
between.
Primary Data
Secondary Data
From Data to Information to Knowledge
Data, when collected and structured becomes more useful and meaningful.

Color White

Category Sport - golf

Condition Used

Diameter 43 mm

Price (per ball) RM2.00


PhD

WISDOM
MSc

KNOWLEDGE
BSc

INFORMATION

DATA
LINEAR MODEL FOR RESEARCH PROCESS
Testing validity

Intrepetation

Data Collection

Sampling

Operationalization

Hypothesis

Theory
Data Collection Techniques

Observations,
Tests,
Surveys,
Document analysis
Experiments
Basic Issues
• Main questions:
* Study objectives?
* What is being investigated?
* Attributes & variables involved?
* Variable measurement?
* Method of data collection?
• Main problems with data:
* Sufficient amount but irrelevant
* Relevant but insufficient
* Too much data, some useless
• Implications:
* Waste of resources
* Loose analysis
* Non-fulfilling objectives
* Unresolved research questions
* Lack of quality thesis
Determining Data
• Research issue, objectives, hypotheses?
* Maintaining the “thesis”
* What are involved in maintaining your idea, testing
hypotheses, etc.
* What “answers” to be required
• In what way research issue is to be operationalised?
* What cause-and-effect phenomenon to be explained?
* What variables are involved?
* What data required for the variables?
* How to measure them?
• Types of data
* Primary
* Secondary
* others
Principles of Data Collection
• Understanding and knowing what types of data required
• Collect only relevant data
• Determine methods of data collection
* Survey/questionnaire
* Observation, participatory
* Standard instruments
* Content analysis, etc
• Where, who, how, and when to collect
* Research design
* Sampling procedure
* Prepare field work schedule/data plan
* Conduct preliminary investigation
• Assess situation and prepare further strategies
Data plan

Scope of data Type Method Source

1. Geography Secondary MPJBT, UTM

2. Jemaah Primary Sample Mosque in


Skudai
3. Tenants Primary Sample Residential area
in Skudai
4. Patrons Primary Sample Shops in Skudai

5. Public users Primary Sample Public facilities in


Skudai
Instrumentation

• A process of selecting and developing research tool for the


purpose of data collection
• Examples of instrument:
* Questionnaire
* Interview checklist
* Observational form
* Attitude/view scale
* Content analysis form
* Researcher-designed achievement test
* Field Tools and equipments
• Depends on method of study
Important aspects of instrumentation
• Reliability: can it produce consistent results?
• Validity: can it fulfill the required function?
• Feasibility: can it fulfill the need of the
researcher→ Reliable? Valid?
• Calibration needed
Questionnaire

• Crystallise research issue and objectives


• List specific questions, the issue & objectives
• Identify & list key words and their relationships
• Identify cause-and-effect explanation by relating all the
keywords
• Identify how to operationalise the issue
* define concepts
* identify variables
* variable measurement
• Construct questionnaire table
* Related questions that address issue & objectives
Primary and Secondary Data
Secondary Data
• Secondary data – data someone else has
collected
Secondary Data – Examples of Sources
• District health departments
• Vital Statistics – birth, death certificates
• Hospital, clinic, school nurse records
• Private and foundation databases
• Federal and State governments
• Surveillance data from state government programs
• Federal agency statistics
• Dept of Environment
Secondary Data – Limitations
• When was it collected? For how long?
– May be out of date for what you want to analyze.
– May not have been collected long enough for
detecting trends.
Secondary Data – Limitations
• Is the data set complete?
– There may be missing information on some
observations
– Unless such missing information is caught and
corrected for, analysis will be biased.
Secondary Data – Limitations
• Are there confounding problems?
– Sample selection bias?
– Source choice bias?
– In time series, did some observations drop out
over time?
Secondary Data – Limitations
• Are the data consistent/reliable?
– Did variables drop out over time?
– Did variables change in definition over time?
Secondary Data – Limitations
• Is the information exactly what you need?
– In some cases, may have to make certain adjustments to
suit your data requirements. Are they reliable? Is there
correlation to what you actually want to measure?
Secondary Data – Advantages
• No need to reinvent the wheel.
– If someone has already found the data, take
advantage of it.
Secondary Data – Advantages
• It will save you money.
– Even if you have to pay for access, often it is
cheaper in terms of money than collecting your
own data.
Secondary Data – Advantages
• It will save you time.
– Primary data collection is very time consuming.
Secondary Data – Advantages
• It may be very accurate.
– When especially a government agency has
collected the data, incredible amounts of time and
money went into it. It’s probably highly accurate.
Secondary Data – Advantages
• It has great exploratory value
– Exploring research questions and formulating
hypothesis to test.
Primary Data
• Primary data – data you collect directly from
source
Primary Data - Examples
• Surveys
• Focus groups
• Questionnaires
• Personal interviews
• Experiments and field study
Primary Data - Limitations
• Do you have the time and money for:
– Designing your collection instrument?
– Selecting your population or sample?
– Pre-testing/piloting the instrument to work out
sources of bias?
– Administration of the instrument?
– Entry/collation of data?
Primary Data - Limitations
• Uniqueness
– May not be able to compare to other populations
Primary Data - Limitations
• Researcher error
– Sample bias
– Other confounding factors
Precision versus accuracy

"Precise" means sharply defined or measured.

"Accurate" means truthful or correct.


Both Accurate Accurate
and Precise Not precise

Not accurate
But precise
Neither accurate
nor precise
PhD

WISDOM
MSc

KNOWLEDGE
BSc

INFORMATION

DATA
The Data Equation
Oceans of
Data

Ocean Biodiversity
Informatics, Hamburg
29 Nov
The Data Equation
Rivers of
Information

Ocean Biodiversity
Informatics, Hamburg
29 Nov
The Data Equation
Streams of
Knowledge

Ocean Biodiversity
Informatics, Hamburg
29 Nov
The Data Equation

Drops of
Ocean Biodiversity
Informatics, Hamburg
Wisdom & Understanding
29 Nov

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