Tools for Data Collection

Various tools
Observation schedule Interview guide Interview schedule Mailed questionnaire Rating scale Check list Inventories

Functions of tools
Translate research objectives into specific questions/items Provide responses for data analysis Conveys to respondent requirements of research Provides description of characteristics of respondents/institutions .. useful for measuring variables pertaining to study.

Observation schedule
Form on which observations are recorded Items to be observed are structured and grouped with possible alternatives. Space is provided for encircling or checking or recording. Units must be simple, w/o bias, or misinterpretation, enable precise recording.

Interview guide
Used for non-directive and depth interview Does not contain complete list of items only broad areas to be covered Serves as guide/prompter Helps focus attention to salient points and secure comparable data from different interviews/ interviewers. Flexible method.

Interview schedule & Mailed questionnaire

Widely used in surveys Complete lists of questions. One asked and filled by interviewer F2F Other filled by respondent w/o presence of interviewer.

Rating scale
Used for measuring individuals attitudes, aspirations, and other psychological and behavioral aspects.

Check List
Prepared list of items relating to a study. Requires checking the presence or absence of a item. Simple to use. Pre testing must.

Inventories
A list that respondent is asked to mark or check.
List of interest List of spare time activities List of personality traits Forms part of questionnaire /schedule.

Process of Construction of schedule / questionnaire

1. Data need determination: done by thorough analysis of research objectives, hypotheses, concepts used.. 2. Preparation of Dummy tables to ensure adequate coverage of data required. Helps ascertaining adequacy of data & identify gaps. 3. Determination of respondents levelpossess adequate knowledge, require spl knowledge, choice of words to be used.

4. Data collection method decision F2F interview or mailed questionnaire. Question structure depends on the mode of communication. 5. Instrument drafting first draft broad outline, list categories and group questions a. identification data, b. Brand awareness c. brand choice d. purchase decision e. brand loyalty f. personal information. secondly sequence the groups logically, third compile relevant questions under each group.

6. Evaluation of the draft instrument consult other qualified persons. evaluation based on relevance, appropriateness of type of question, clarity and unambiguity, practicality of eliciting information. (does not demand knowledge or information that respondent does not possess, not leading or loaded questions.) 7. Pre-Testing revised draft must be pre tested to identify weakness.

8. Specification of instructions Instructions relating to use must be specified. Interview schedule must specify procedure to be followed, concepts defined variables given. A good covering letter must be attached. 9. Designing the format Carefully clearly laid out, bold types and capitals for headings, divided into sections, numbered, space for Reponses,

Question construction
A. Question relevance & content relevance, coverage or scope, single idea or double-barreled, knowledge of respondent, not loaded, whether it would required correct response. b. Question wording no jargons for lay people, clear understanding of concept, exactness, simplicity, neutrality, embarrassing questions.. c. Response forms or types of questions --

Types of Questions
Open-ended questions are unstructured ones, providing free scope to the respondents to reply with their own choice of words and ideas. They are useful in studies where discovery is the objective. They help arouse the interest of the respondents, useful to start an in-depth interview. Difficult for compilation & classification.

 Closed questions are structured ones. They contain standardized answers. Simple & easy to administer. Easy to code and analyze. Lacks flexibility and spontaneity, limited alternatives may not cover all view points. Dichotomous or two-choice questions can be answered in one of the two responses yes or no.

Have you ever purchased a product or service from our website?

o Yes o No

 Multiple choice questions contain more than two alternatives How did you first hear about our web

site?

o o o o o o o

Television Radio Newspaper Magazine Word-of-mouth Internet Other: Please Specify _______________

Types of questions to be avoided

Leading questions You would like to own a new car. Dont you? Loaded questions one that suggests an automatic feeling of approval / disapproval. Ambiguous questions Double-barreled questions- two ideas Long questions double negatives

Mechanics of the form

Mandatory items name of orgn collecting data, title of study, date, serial no., page numbers, mailing address. Instructions, Pre-coding, sectionalization, spacing, paper, printing, margins, thank you note.. Characteristics of a good questionnaire ?

Measurement Scales
A Likert scale (pronounced 'lick-urt') is a type of psychometric response scale often used in questionnaires, and is the most widely used scale in survey research. When responding to a Likert questionnaire item, respondents specify their level of agreement to a statement. The scale is named after Rensis Likert, who published a report describing its use (Likert, 1932).

 A typical test item in a Likert scale is a statement. The respondent is asked to indicate his or her degree of agreement with the statement or any kind of subjective or objective evaluation of the statement. Ice cream is good for breakfast 1.Strongly disagree 2.Disagree 3.Neither agree nor disagree 4.Agree 5.Strongly agree

 A Guttman scale is a psychological instrument developed using the scaling technique developed by Louis Guttman in 1944 called Guttman scaling or scalogram analysis. A primary purpose of the Guttman scaling is to ensure that the instrument measures only a single trait (a property called unidimensionality, a single dimension underlies responses to the scale). Guttman's insight was that for unidimensional scales, those who agree with a more extreme test item will also agree with all less extreme items that preceded it.

 The Guttman scale is used mostly when researchers want to design short questionnaires with good discriminating ability. The Guttman model works best for constructs that are hierarchical and highly structured such as social distance, organizational hierarchies, and evolutionary stages.

 An example of a Guttman scale - (Least extreme) 1. Are you willing to permit immigrants to live in your country? 2. Are you willing to permit immigrants to live in your community? 3. Are you willing to permit immigrants to live in your neighbourhood? 4. Are you willing to permit immigrants to live next door to you? 5. Would you permit your child to marry an immigrant? (Most extreme) E.g., agreement with item 3 implies agreement with items 1 and 2.

 A rating scale question requires a person to rate a product or brand along a well-defined, evenly spaced continuum. Rating scales are often used to measure the direction and intensity of attitudes. Which of the following categories best

describes your last experience purchasing a product or service on our website? Would you say that your experience was:
Very pleasant Somewhat pleasant Neither pleasant nor unpleasant Somewhat unpleasant Very unpleasant

o o o o o

 Ranking Scale - a respondent is presented with several items simultaneously and asked to rank them (example : Rate the following advertisements from 1 to 10.) with the rank of "one" representing the most important. This is an ordinal level technique.

 Based upon what you have seen, heard, and

experienced, please rank the following brands according to their reliability. Place a "1" next to the brand that is most reliable, a "2" next to the brand that is next most reliable, and so on. Remember, no two cars can have the same ranking .
__ __ __ __ Honda Toyota Mazda Ford

 The semantic differential scale asks a person to rate a product, brand, or company based upon a seven-point rating scale that has two bi-polar adjectives at each end. The following is an example of a semantic differential scale question.

 o o o o o o o

Would you say our web site is:

(7) Very Attractive (6) (5) (4) (3) (2) (1) Very Unattractive Notice that unlike the rating scale, the semantic differential scale does not have a neutral or middle selection. A person must choose, to a certain extent, one or the other adjective.

Pilot studies & Pre-Tests

Pilot study is a small scale replica of the main study with a small sample. It covers the entire process of research preparation of broad plan , construction of tools, collection of data, processing & analysis and report writing. Functions better knowledge of problem under study, its dimensions, helps in identification and operationalization of concepts,

 discovering nature of relationships b/w variables, formulation of hypothesis, variability in population that helps in sample design, reveals whether the sampling frame is complete, adequate, accurate, up to date, suitability of methods for collecting data, discover problems in mailing / interviewing, develop plan of analysis, probable cost, duration of study, assess the studys feasibility ..

PRE-TEST
A trial test of a specific aspect of study such as method of data collection or data collection tool (schedule, questionnaire, measurement scale) It is an empirical testing of the effectives of an instrument by administration to a sample respondents before finalization.
Purpose of Pre-testing:
Testing adequacy of data, content, clarity, wording, structure, sequence etc..