Engineering and

Computing
Department of
Electronics and
Communication
Engineering
Engineering Research
and Development
By
Methodology

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1

Engineering Research and Development

Chapter 5: Methods of Data Collection
5.1 Meaning of Data collection

5.2 Data collection methods

5.3 Data Collection Techniques and Tools

5.4 Approaches to Data Collection

5.5 Types of Data

5.6 Data collection methods

6
5.7 The Questionnaire
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5.8 Ways of Administering a Questionnaire Nonlinear Chiral Fiber

 5.1 Meaning of Data collection
 Data collection can be defined as the process of collecting and measuring

information on specific variables in order to provide the answer to the research

problem which also determine the type of answer to generate as findings

 The process of gathering raw facts or evidence about a subject of interest in a

systematic way, that enables one to answer stated research questions and

evaluate outcomes.

 It can also be defined as gathering of accurate information (figures, words or

responses) that describes some situation from which conclusions can be drawn.

 Fair and accurate data collection is critical to enhance the integrity of any kind

of research. Poorly collected data will not be able to provide answer to

Research problem and leads to faulty findings 10/22/2024

 5.2 Data collection methods
 Data-collection methods allow us to systematically collect

information about our objects of study (people, objects) and

about the settings in which they occur.

Cutting of vegetables- knife
Measuring of Body temp

 Data collection tools are instruments that are used hand in hand

with the data collection methods to collect/retrieve data.

 To avoid confusion in the use of terms, the following table points

out the distinction between techniques and tools applied in data

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collection. 10/22/2024
 5.3 Data Collection Techniques
and Tools
Techniques Tools Types
• Questionnaire. •Open format ( how abt work)
•
( prepared by experts)
•Close format ( exam)
Questioning

• Interview schedule •Structured : Fixed Questions,

•
•Unstructured: Personality test
Interviewing

•Rating Scale – •Structured observation

•
Amazon •Unstructured observation
Observation •Checklist – i.e food •Participant observation – football , self
•Eyes and other inspector playing
senses, pen/paper, •CCTV •Non Participant observation – football, by
microscope
watching
 5.3 Data Collection Techniques
and Tools
Technique Tools
s

• In Vivo •What happening inside the body

• Bio
Measurement i.e BP , during i.e Corona
physiologi In Vitro Measurement •In Vivo the measurement &
cal – procedure is done with in the body
only
methods
•In vitro blood test , urine test

•Projective technique •Show one pic and ask your idea

Other
methods
Data collection plays a very crucial role in the statistical
analysis. In research, there are different methods used to gather
information, all of which fall into two categories, i.e. primary
data, and secondary data.
5.4 Approaches to Data Collection
 There are many approaches to gathering information
about a situation, person, problem or phenomenon.
 Sometimes, information required is already available
and need only to be extracted.
 However, there are times when the information must
be collected fresh from field.
 Based upon these approaches to information
gathering, data in scientific research are categorized
as;
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 5.5Types of Data
◦ Secondary data
◦ Primary data

Secondary data: Data that previously may have been

collected for other purposes but can be used in the immediate
study.
 Examples of secondary sources include the use of population
census data to obtain information on age-sex structure of a
population, use of organizations‘ records, use of hospitals
records, and collection of data from sources such as journals,
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magazines, books and other periodicals.
 5.5.1 Primary Data
 Primary data: Raw data that has been
originally collected by the researcher
specifically for the study at hand.
 Examples of information from primary sources
include; interviewing community inhabitants to find
out their attitudes towards health services, using
questionnaires to determine the level of job
satisfaction of employees in an organization,
observing students behaviors in class etc
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
 Primary data Vs Secondary Data
Meanin Primary data implies the Secondary data refers to the
g data gathered by the data used in research by the
researcher or his/her investigator, which is originally
team directly from the gathered by some other person
source of origin, for a or organization for some other
definite purpose purpose
Nature Real time data Past Data
Form Pure and Raw Refined
Cost Expensive Economical
Source Survey, experiment, Book, journal, news papers,
interview, observation, internal records, news papers,
questionnaire internet websites
Accuracy More Comparatively Less
&
Reliabilit
y
Informati First hand Second hand
on
Process Time consuming Quick and easy
Collector Same person Different person
5.6 Data collection methods Summary

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SOURCES

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 5.7 The Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a written list of questions, the answers
to which are recorded by respondents.
 In questionnaire respondents read the question, interpret
what is expected and the write down the answers.
 Unlike an interview guide in which the researcher may
explain the meaning of some questions, in the case of
questionnaire, there is no one to explain the meaning of
questions to respondents.
 Therefore questions in a questionnaire must be clear and
easy to understand.
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 5.8 Ways of Administering a Questionnaire

A questionnaire can be administered in different ways..

◦ A mailed questionnaire – one approach to collecting
information is to send the questionnaire to prospective
respondents by mail. Obviously, this method
presupposes that you have access to their address.
One of the major problem with this approach is the low
response rate.
◦ Collective administration – one of the best ways of
administering questionnaires is to obtain a captive
audience such as students in a class room, people
attending a function, or people assembled in one place.
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 Contents of a questionnaire cover letter
 It is essential that you write a cover letter to accompany your
questionnaire. It should very briefly:

Introduce you and the institution you are representing.

Describe in two or three lines the main objective of the
study.
Convey any general instructions.
Assure respondents of the anonymity of the information
provided by them.
Provide a contact number incase they have questions.
Give them a return address for the questionnaire and a
deadline for its return.
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 Questionnaires…
Advantages Disadvantages

•Less expensive to administer •Limited application.

mostly if the collective method
is used.
•Able to collect information from •Lack of opportunity to clarify
a larger sample issues.

• it offers greater anonymity. •Low response rate.

•It is possible to consult others.

• Spontaneous responses may

not be possible mostly if it’s a
mailed questionnaire.
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 Forms of questions in a questionnaire

 In a questionnaires, questions may be formulated as;

◦ Closed ended or

◦ Open ended
 In a closed-ended question, the possible answers are set out
in the questionnaire and the respondent ticks the category that
best describes the respondents answer. E.g.
◦ Please tick the type of research you would love to undertake.

Applied research Basic Research descriptive research

quantitative

 In open ended questions, the possible responses are not

given. The respondent writes down the answers in his/her
words. E.g.
◦ Please explain why you opted for a Bachelors degree in Information
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 The wording and the tone of your question is important because
the information and its quality largely depend upon these factors.
 It is therefore important to be careful about the way you formulate
questions.
 Some considerations to keep in mind when formulating questions
are as follows;
 Always use simple and everyday language. Take extra care to use
words that your respondents will understand as you may no have
the opportunity to explain questions to them. Words like; “is your
family a dipsomaniac” may be hard for respondents to interpret.
 Do not ask double barrelled questions. A double barrelled question
is a question within a question. E.g. “How often and how much
time do you spend in the computer lab”?
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 ◦ Do not ask leading questions – these are questions in which, by
their nature, contents, structure or wording leads a respondent
to answer in a certain direction. E.g. “unemployment is
increasing at a very high rate isn’t it” or “smoking is bad isn’t
it?”
◦ The order of questions also matters. Questions should follow a
logical progression based upon the objectives of the study.

Course-work specifications
 Font size - 12
 Font style - Times New Roman
 Line Spacing – 1.5
 Maximum number of pages – 6
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Thank You