Scribd
Upload
12 views

Data Collection Methods

The document discusses quantitative data collection methods. It begins by defining data as the numerical results of applying measures to concepts or constructs. Once obtained, data is analyzed to inform decision making. The document then discusses key concepts in quantitative research including: - Concepts and constructs, and how concepts can be measured as constructs - Types of variables that can be measured including directly observable, indirectly observable, and constructs - The process of operationalizing concepts so they can be observed and measured - Types of variables including independent, dependent, and attributes - Common methods for collecting quantitative data like tests, questionnaires, interviews, observation, and secondary data - Methods for measuring concepts including nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales

Uploaded by

sikuna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
12 views

Data Collection Methods

The document discusses quantitative data collection methods. It begins by defining data as the numerical results of applying measures to concepts or constructs. Once obtained, data is analyzed to inform decision making. The document then discusses key concepts in quantitative research including: - Concepts and constructs, and how concepts can be measured as constructs - Types of variables that can be measured including directly observable, indirectly observable, and constructs - The process of operationalizing concepts so they can be observed and measured - Types of variables including independent, dependent, and attributes - Common methods for collecting quantitative data like tests, questionnaires, interviews, observation, and secondary data - Methods for measuring concepts including nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales

Uploaded by

sikuna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 24

Data Collection methods for Quantitative

Data Plural of datum, and it is the Numerical results of applying measures

Once data is obtained, it is then analyzed to become the basis for informed
decision making
Concept versus Construct

• Concept
1.Term (nominal definition) that represents an idea that you
wish to study;
2.Represents collections of seemingly related observations
and/or experiences
  

• Concepts as Constructs
• We refer to concepts as constructs to recognize their
social construction.
 
More on constructs
• Three classes of things that social scientists measure:
• Directly observable: # of people in a room
• Indirectly observable: income
• Constructs: creations based on observations;
cannot themselves be
directly or indirectly observed

• Example; You can treat gender as


• directly observable (gender presentation)
• indirectly observable (check box)
• a construct where you develop dimensions and indicators of
gender (which then requires much more conceptualization)
• A construct (or hypothetical construct) is a variable that is not directly observable.
Fields like psychology are full of them, as is your everyday life. For instance,
motivation, love, intelligence, politeness, time, self confidence, wealth, etc.
As you form the aspects of a concept, you begin to see the dimensions; terms that
define subgroups of a concept.

With each dimension, you must decide on indicators; signs of the presence or
absence of that dimension. (Dimensions are usually concepts themselves).
• A variable is any characteristics, number, or quantity that can be measured or
counted.  Age, income and expenses, country of birth, capital expenditure, class
grades, eye colour and vehicle type are examples of variables. It is called a variable
because the value may vary between data units.
• Numeric variables have values that describe a measurable quantity as a
number, like 'how many' or 'how much'. Therefore numeric variables are
quantitative variables.
• Categorical variables have values that describe a 'quality' or 'characteristic' of
a data unit, like 'what type' or 'which category'. Therefore, categorical variables
are qualitative variables and tend to be represented by a non-numeric value.
Operationalizing Choices
• The process of creating a definition(s) for a concept
that can be observed and measured
• The development of specific research procedures
that will result in empirical observations
• Examples
• SES is defined as a combination of income and education
and I will measure each by…
• The development of questions (or characteristics of data in
qualitative work) that will indicate a concept
 
Independent and Dependent Variables

• Independent variable is • Dependent variable is


what is manipulated what is affected by the
independent variable
• a treatment or program or
cause • effects or outcomes

• ‘Factor’ • ‘Measure’

• ‘Explanatory Variable’ • ‘Response Variable’


Variable Attribute Choices
• Variable attributes need to be exhaustive and
exclusive

• Represent full range of possible variation

• Degree of Precision
• selection depends on your research interest, but if
you’re not sure, it’s better to include more detail
than too little

• Level of Measurement
Data Collection methods

The type and amount of data to be collected depends


on the nature of the study together with its research
objectives. [ Quali/Quanti/or mixed)
• If the study is exploratory the researcher is likely to
collect narrative data through the use of focus groups,
Personal Interviews, or by observing behavior or
events. This type of data is Qualitative data
• If the study is descriptive or Casual in nature, the
researcher is likely to require a large amount of
Quantitative data, obtain through the large scale
survey or access to numeric scales
Methods of Data Collection

•1. Test
•2. Questionnaire
•3. Interviews
•4. Focus group
•5. Observation
•6. Secondary or existing data
Measurement and Scaling: How we measure Concepts

• Measurement involves assigning numbers to a variable


according to certain rules.
•
The assigned numbers must reflect the characteristics of
the phenomenon being measured
Nominal
• The lowest measurement level you can use, from a statistical point of
view, is a nominal scale.

• A nominal scale, as the name implies, is simply some placing of data


into categories, without any order or structure. Eg: gender, race,
personality type.

• In research activities a YES/NO scale is nominal. It has no order and


there is no distance between YES and NO.

The statistics which can be used with nominal scales are in the non-parametric
group. The most likely ones would be:
Ordinal
An ordinal scale is next up the list in terms of power of measurement.

• The simplest ordinal scale is a ranking. When a market researcher asks


you to rank 5 types of drink from most flavorful to least flavorful,
he/she is asking you to create an ordinal scale of preference.

• There is no objective distance between any two points on your


subjective scale. For you the top Juice may be far superior to the
second preferred beer but, to another respondent with the same top and
second juice, the distance may be subjectively small.

Ordinal data would use non-parametric statistics. These would include:


Median and mode, rank order correlation, non-parametric analysis of
variance
Modeling techniques can also be used with ordinal data
Interval
The standard survey rating scale is an interval scale.

• When you are asked to rate your satisfaction with a piece of software on a 7
point scale, from Dissatisfied to Satisfied, you are using an interval scale.

• It is an interval scale because it is assumed to have equidistant points between


each of the scale elements. This means that we can interpret differences in the
distance along the scale.

• Has arbitrary zero. ( 0 doesn’t mean no heat. difference 0-20 degree same as
40-60 degrees)

• We contrast this to an ordinal scale where we can only talk about differences in
order, not differences in the degree of order.

• Interval scale data would use parametric statistical techniques:


• Mean and standard deviation; Correlation – regression, Analysis of variance
Factor analysis, Plus a whole range of advanced multivariate and modelling
techniques
Ratio
• A ratio scale is the top level of measurement and is not often
available in social research.

• The factor which clearly defines a ratio scale is that it has a true
zero point. Means changes in proportion.

• The best way to contrast interval and ratio scales is to look at


temperature. The Centigrade scale has a zero point but it is an
arbitrary one.

• 80 degree centigrade is twice as warm 40 degree centigrade


• But when converted into fahrenheit 40 F=5.4 C and 80 F=26.7
BI-POLAR SCALE
Ranked in order of difficulty
Goodness of Measurement Instrument
The use of better instruments will ensure more accuracy in results,
which in turn, will enhance the scientific quality of the research.
Hence, in some way, we need to assess the “goodness” of the measure
developed.
Reliability
Reliability: The consistency or stability of the test score. Or the extent to
which the instrument yields the same results on repeated trials.

How to compute?
• Test-retest: A measure of the consistency of scores overtime
• Equivalent forms: A consistency of a group of individuals’ scores on
alternative forms of a test measuring the same thing
• Internal consistency: The consistency with which the items on a test measure
a single construct.
Split half: It is obtained from two equivalent halves of the same test ( spearman-Brown)
• Or
• Cronbach alpha

• One more type: Interscorer reliability.


Types of Validity
• Content
• Face
• Criterion
• Construct
Validity
Validity is the ability of an instrument (for example measuring an attitude) to measure what it is
supposed to measure Validity – extent to which the instruments is ‘truthful” and allows
inferences to made.
Content validity: Items give information of thing you are trying to measure
Face validity - The looks of the test/ social judgment or approval (non statistical)

•Criterion-related validity: When scores match with the criterion set.

• Concurrent evidence: is a type of evidence that can be gathered to defend the use of a test for
predicting other outcomes (SAT results and School GPA). Or administer 2 test at the same time.
• Predictive evidence: is the extent to which a score on a scale predicts scores on some criterion
measure at one point in time and later. (will drop out and did dropout).
Construct validity: Construct validity refers to the degree to which a test measures what it claims, or
purports, to be measuring. ( autonomy….measure choice or happiness…measure finance

•Convergent evidence: Convergent validity can be established if two similar constructs correspond with one
another( teacher feedback and test score)
•Discriminant evidence:tests whether concepts or measurements that are supposed to be unrelated are, in fact,
unrelated.
Factor analysis: It tell correlations among test items. It tells whether the test is uni or multi dimensions.
Convergent Validity
Discriminant Validity

You might also like