Sunday, March 27, 2011

SG: Topic 4 Methods of Data Collection


 

Face To Face Interviews

-          Advantages

o   answers questions etc

o   probe

o   encourage participation

-          Disadvantages

o   possible interviewer bias

o   respondent may not like interviewer

o   social desirability issues with sensitive questions

o   cost

o   time consuming

-          individual interviews

o   location

§  central location à convenience à shopping centre

·         sampling

o   difficult to produce sampling frame for locations like shopping centre

o   may have a list with schools / hospitals etc

§  residential

·         advantages

o   probability sampling is possible

o   respondents more relaxed in own environment

o   privacy

o   easier to administer longer interviews

·         dis advantages

o   cost

o   difficult to locate respondents if incidence of target population low

o   stranger issues

o   interviewer safety

-          Group Surveys / Focus Groups

o   issues

§  encourages discussion

§  moderator can guide

§  increases motivation

o   Advantages

§  helpful to define survey problem

§  provide qualitative info

§  interaction between respondents à richness of discussion

o   limitations

§  need suitable location

§  coordinate

§  respondents can deviate

 

Telephone Methods

-          advantages

o   low cost

o   less interviewer bias

o   short turn around time

o   instant data entry with CATI

o   appropriate for sensitive issues

-          limitations

o   bias à those without phones

o   resistance à invasion of privacy

o   easy for respondent to terminate interview.

-          sampling

o   systematic list from directories

§  bias à unlisted numbers

o   random digit dialing

§  allows contact with unlisted numbers

§  disadvantages

·         does not distinguish between residential / business numbers

·         non – existent numbers

·         counting non-existent numbers may lead to wrong rates being calculated.

 

 

Postal Surveys

 

-          Advantages

o   inexpensive

o   short time to distribute large number of questionnaires

o   wide geographic area

o   complete survey in own time

o   no interviewer bias

o   may get better answers on sensitive questions

-          Disadvantages

o   questionnaires need to be simple / easy to follow

o   slow to resolve queries by mail

o   lower response rates

o   incomplete data

o   coding can be expensive

o   can't guarantee that correct person has completed.

-          Incentives

o   increase response rates

o   increase costs

o   do they encourage considered response

-          Advantages of hand delivering

 

 On Line Methods

 

-          e-mail surveys

o   text

o   link

-          web based

 

 

E-mail Surveys

 

-          Advantages

o   inexpensive

o   own time

o   easy to monitor / follow-up

o   short turnaround time

o   respondents do data entry

o   can incorporate visual aids

-          limitations

o   requires sampling frame of e-mail addresses

o   sampling frames not available / incomplete

o   respondents need to regularly check e-mail

 

 

Web Surveys

 

-          advantages

o   short turn around time

o   respondents do data entry

o   can incorporate visual aids

o   easier to reach wider population

o   simpler to use complex branching

o   error checking for responses / feedback

o   enforce answering

o   randomize question order

o   limited results can be available immediately.

-          limitations

o   multiple participation

o   probability sampling may not be possible

-          online packages

o   surveymonkey

o   zoomerang

o   surveygizmo

 

 

Choosing Right Method

 

 

-          choice of data collection depends on

o   purpose of research

§  may need to show samples etc

o   proposed survey questions

§  complex questions

§  open response

§  sensitive questions

§  complex sequencing

o   who will provide information

§  widely dispersed

§  certain target pops : children / illiterate

o   incidence in general pop

o   cost

o   time

 

 

Multimode Methods

 

-          eg, mix of face to face (accessible) and telephone (remote)

-          mode effects can impact

 

 

Observation Methods

 

 

-          advantages

o   no interviewer effects

o   good for relationships / interactions / children's behaviour

-          disadvantages

o   time consuming

o   may be difficult to be objective

 

 

Using Secondary Data

 

-          what is secondary data

-          why use secondary data

-          advantages

o   inexpensive

o   comparability

-          issues

o   quality

o   age

o   format can be different etc

 

 

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