DATA

COLLECTION
INSTRUMENTS

These are the tools that you need to use so that

you can gather your primary data when you
conduct your research. You can even choose one
or more instruments to use.
The important thing is that you are
knowledgeable to use these in such a way that it
will not become a hindrance in completing your
research.
 1. Interview
In qualitative research, doing interviews is the most common type
of instrument that is being used. Interviews are done by having a
set of questions to your respondents and letting them answer as
truthfully as possible. There are mainly three types of interview:

• Structured Interview- this type of interview has a set of

predetermined questions that are ready to use. If you are using a
structured interview as your instrument to gather data, take note
that you should not ask beyond what is written in your interview
questions.

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 • Unstructured Interview- this type of interview is the opposite of structured
interview. You are not required to make a set of pre-made questions, but
rather make an OUTLINE or what kind of questions you want to ask your
respondents. Dawson (2002) calls this type of interview as life history
interview. That is because you want to understand the point of view of your
respondents, hence it is not advisable to use a pre-made questions. You
want them to tell you a story, your respondents are free to talk about what
they want to share with a little guide question from you as a researcher.

• Semi-structured Interview- this type of interview is a mix of structured and

unstructured interview. It may be one of the most common types of
interviews. You have to prepare a set of questions; however, you are also
free to ask to follow up questions to your respondents if you want to clarify
something or add information that is not available to you. This type of
interview is also flexible that is why it is preferred to be used by most
researchers.

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 2. Observations
Another data gathering instrument that is being used most in
ethnography is observations. This happens when a researcher
observes and takes notes of the behavior of people that they
want to be a part of their research. There are three types of
observations:

Naturalistic Observation- this happens when a researcher

observes the behavior of a group of people in their natural
setting. For example, you want to observe the behavior of
students inside a classroom without putting any external
disturbances on them then you are using naturalistic observation.

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 • Participative Observation- this observation happens when a researcher
takes part on the activities of the group of people that they are observing.
Say for example you want to study the daily routine of a Lumad community.
To have a better understanding of what their everyday activities are, you as
a researcher decided to join a community so that you can immerse yourself
in their daily life. This is utilizing participative observation.

Non-naturalistic Observation- this type of observation happens when you

take your respondents out of their natural environment and put them in an
environment of your choice. You observe how people behave when they
are not in their usual settings. One situation for this is taking a group of
high school students and letting them attend one or two college classes
where you must observe their learning behaviors. Non-naturalistic
observation is where you as a researcher decides what is the “ideal”
environment for you to complete your research.

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 3. Questionnaires
Questionnaires are also one of the most common types of
instruments that is being used by qualitative researchers. This is
somewhat similar to interviews based on the format of questions
that is being used. There are three types of questionnaires:

Closed-ended questionnaires- this type of questionnaire is similar

to a structured interview. This is mostly used when you want to
conduct surveys on your respondents. This is mostly for statistical
purposes and the questions are already prepared for your
respondents to answer. These types of questionnaires usually
have boxes for the respondents to put a check mark.

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 • Open-ended questionnaires- unlike close-ended
questionnaires, this type of questionnaire leaves a
blank space for the respondents to give their point of
view about a specific question.

Combination of both- this type of questionnaire

combines both the close-ended and open-ended
questionnaires. For example, you may want to ask a
yes or no question to your respondents and also want
them to explain why they have answered yes or no.

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 4. Focus Group Discussion

This type of data gathering instrument focuses on groups

of people being interviewed at the same time. This relies
on the respondents to give a discussion amongst
themselves on the questions that you, the researcher,
give. You will serve as the moderator or facilitator. Put
three or more people around a table and give them guide
questions for them to discuss among themselves. Your
role as the researcher and facilitator is to take note of their
discussions.

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 01 How do we conduct a proper Click icon to add picture

interview?
• Find out what type of interview you will be using. If you think
that there is still lacking data from your observation, try to find
out if you may need to use other interview methods so that you
can gather more information for your research. You may choose
to use either structured, Click icon to or
unstructured, add picture
Click icon to add picture
semi-structured
interview.

• Secure a letter of communication to the people that you want to

interview. With the same protocol for the observation method,
you need to have a formal letter asking for permission to conduct

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an interview with the participants. 9
 01 How do we conduct a proper Click icon to add picture

interview?
• Make sure that you have your interview questions. Do not forget to
prepare your guide questions before conducting a proper interview.
These guide questions should be based on your research questions
so that you can get all the information that you will need for your
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study.

• Have the right equipment. Make sure that you have audio recording
devices that are fully charged. You cannot take note of every answer
of the participants so it’s better to have devices that can record the
02/22/2025 exact answer of your participant. 10
 How do we conduct a proper
01
Click icon to add picture
interview?

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 01 How do we conduct a proper Click icon to add picture

interview?
• Let the participant choose where they want the
interview to be conducted.

• Politely thank the participants afterwards.

Click icon to add picture
Click icon to add picture

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 How to establish a good
01 relationship and
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communication with your

participants?
• Treat your participants with respect.

• Wear proper and formal outfit during the interview.

• Maintain eye contact and do not be afraid to engage

Click in add
icon to a conversation
picture withto add picture
Click icon
your participant.

• Do not ask personal questions that are not related to your research.

• Do not forget to thank them for their time and participation.

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