Data Collection Methods for Descriptive Research Design Survey and Observation Techniques

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Data Collection Methods for Descriptive Research
Design Survey and Observation Techniques
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Surveys

• survey involves interviews with a large number of
  respondents using a predesigned questionnaire.
• Four basic survey methods
• Person-administered surveys
• Computer-assisted surveys
• Self-administered surveys
• Mixed-mode (hybrid) surveys

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Advantages of Surveys

• Standardization
• Ease of administration
• Ability to tap the unseen
• Suitability to tabulation and statistical
  analysis
• Sensitivity to subgroup differences

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Four Alternative Data Collection Modes

• Person-administered an interviewer reads
  questions, either face-to-face or over the
  telephone, to the respondent and records his or
  her answers
• Computer-administered computer technology plays
  an essential role in the interview work

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Four Alternative Data Collection Modes

• Self-administered the respondent completes the
  survey on his or her own
• Mixed Mode a combination of two or more methods

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Person-Administered Surveys(Without Computer
Assistance)

• A person-administered survey is one in which an
  interviewer reads questions, either face-to-face
  or over the telephone, to the respondent and
  records his or her answers.
• Primary administration method for many years
  until development of communications systems and
  advancement in computer technology

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Person-Administered Surveys(Without Computer
Assistance)

• Advantages
• Feedback
• Rapport
• Quality control
• Adaptability

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Person-Administered Surveys(Without Computer
Assistance)

• Disadvantages
• Humans make errors
• Slow speed
• High cost
• Interview evaluation apprehensive they are
  answering the question correctly. Feel they are
  being evaluated. Especially a problem with
  sensitive topics such as hygiene, finances,
  political opinions, etc.

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Computer-Administered Surveys

• A computer-assisted survey is one in which
  computer technology plays an essential role in
  the interview work.

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Computer-Administered Surveys

• Advantages
• Speed
• Error-free interviews
• Use of pictures, videos, and graphics
• Real-time capture of data
• Reduction of interview evaluation concern in
  respondents

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Computer-Administered Surveys

• Disadvantages
• Technical skills required
• High set-up costs

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Self-Administered Surveys

• A self-administered survey is one in which the
  respondent completes the survey on his or her
  own.
• Traditional paper pencil survey

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Self-Administered Surveys

• Advantages
• Reduced cost
• Respondents control pace at which they answer
• No interview-evaluation apprehension

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Self-Administered Surveys

• Disadvantages
• Respondent controls the survey do not send in on
  time, do not send in!
• Lack of monitoring no one to explain or
  encourage respondents
• High questionnaire requirementsit must be
  perfect!

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Mixed-Mode (Hybrid) Surveys

• Mixed-mode surveys use multiple data collection
  methods.
• It has become increasingly popular to use
  mixed-mode surveys in recent years.

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Mixed-Mode (Hybrid) Surveys

• Advantages
• Multiple advantages to achieve data collection
  goal
• Example May use online surveys to quickly reach
  portion of population with Internet access and
  may use telephone calling to reach those without
  Internet access.

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Mixed-Mode (Hybrid) Surveys

• Disadvantages
• Mode affects response?
• Additional complexity.

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Ways to Gather Data
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Person-Administered SurveysIn-Home Interview

• Key Advantages
• Conducted in the privacy of the home, which
  facilitates interviewer-respondent rapport

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Person-Administered SurveysIn-Home Interview

• Key Disadvantages
• Cost per interview can be high
• Interviewers must travel to respondents home
• Comment
• Often much information per interview is gathered

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Person-Administered SurveysMall-Intercept
Interview

• Key Advantage
• Fast and convenient data collection method

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Person-Administered SurveysMall-Intercept
Interview

• Key Disadvantages
• Only mall patrons are interviewed
• Respondents may feel uncomfortable answering the
  questions in the mall
• Comment
• Mall-intercept company often has exclusive
  interview rights for that mall

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Person-Administered SurveysIn-Office Interview

• Key Advantage
• Useful for interviewing busy executives

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Person-Administered SurveysIn-Office Interview

• Key Disadvantages
• Relatively high cost per interview
• Gaining access is sometimes difficult
• Comment
• Useful when respondents must examine prototypes
  or samples of products

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Person-Administered SurveysCentral Location
Telephone Interview

• Key Advantages
• Fast turnaround
• Good quality control
• Reasonable cost

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Person-Administered SurveysCentral Location
Telephone Interview

• Key Disadvantage
• Restricted to telephone communication
• Comment
• Long-distance calling is not a problem

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Computer-Administered SurveysCATI

• Key Advantages
• Computer eliminates human interviewer error
• Simultaneous data input to computer file
• Good quality control

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Computer-Administered SurveysCATI

• Key Disadvantage
• Setup costs can be high
• Comment
• Losing ground to online surveys and panels

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Fully Computerized Surveys(not online)

• Key Advantages
• Respondent responds at his or her own pace
• Computer data file results

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Fully Computerized Surveys(not online)

• Key Disadvantage
• Respondent must have access to a computer or be
  computer literate
• Comment
• Many variations and an emerging data collection
  method with exciting prospects

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Fully Computerized SurveysOnline Questionnaire

• Key Advantages
• Ease of creating and posting
• Fast turnaround
• Computer data file results

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Fully Computerized SurveysOnline Questionnaire

• Key Disadvantage
• Respondent must have access to the Internet
• Comment
• Fastest growing data collection method very
  flexible online analysis available

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Self-Administered SurveysGroup Self-Administered
Survey

• Key Advantages
• Cost of interviewer eliminated
• Economical for assembled groups of respondents

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Self-Administered SurveysGroup Self-Administered
Survey

• Key Disadvantage
• Must find groups and secure permission to conduct
  the survey
• Comment
• Prone to errors or self-administered surveys good
  for pretests or pilot tests

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Self-Administered SurveysDrop-Off Survey

• Key Advantages
• Cost of interviewer eliminated
• Appropriate for local market surveys
• Key Disadvantage
• Generally not appropriate for large-scale
  national survey
• Comment
• Many variations exist with respect to logistics
  and applications

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Self-Administered SurveysMail Survey

• Key Disadvantages
• Low response rates
• Self-selection bias
• Slow
• Comment
• Many strategies to increase response rate exist

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Data-Collection
Methods
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Choice of Survey Method

• In selecting a data collection mode, the
  researcher balances quality against
• The survey data collection time horizon
• telephone, online, mall intercept
• The survey data collection budget mail new
  online such as Insight Express

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Choice of Survey Method

• In selecting a data collection mode, the
  researcher balances quality against
• Incidence rate Screen by online or telephone
• Cultural/infrastructure considerations
  Scandinavia dislike strangers in homes. Canada
  is more open. In India, lt10 have phones

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Choice of Survey Method

• In selecting a data collection mode, the
  researcher balances quality against
• Type of respondent interaction required verbal
  only telephone static stimulus then can use
  mail or online nonstatic online/mall/personal

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Observation Techniques

• Observation methods techniques in which the
  researcher relies on his or her powers of
  observation rather than communicating with a
  person in order to obtain information

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Observation Techniques

• Types of observation
• Direct versus indirect
• Disguised versus undisguised
• Structured versus unstructured
• Human versus mechanical

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Observation TechniquesDirect versus Indirect

• Direct observation observing behavior as it
  occurs
• Indirect observation observing the effects or
  results of the behavior rather than the behavior
  itself
• Archives
• Physical traces
• Structured versus unstructured
• Human versus mechanical

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Observation TechniquesDisguised versus
Undisguised

• Disguised observation subject is unaware that he
  or she is being observed
• Undisguised observation respondent is aware of
  observation

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Observation TechniquesStructured versus
Unstructured

• Structured observation researcher identifies
  beforehand which behaviors are to be observed and
  recorded
• Unstructured observation no restriction is
  placed on what the observer would note all
  behavior in the episode under study is monitored

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Observation TechniquesHuman versus Mechanical

• Human observation observer is a person hired by
  the researcher, or, perhaps the observer is the
  researcher
• Mechanical observation human observer is
  replaced with some form of static observing
  device

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Observation TechniquesAppropriate Conditions for
Use

• Short duration
• Public
• Faulty recall conditions

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Observation TechniquesAdvantages of
Observational Data

• Insight into actual, not reported, behaviors
• No chance for recall error
• Better accuracy
• Less cost

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Observation TechniquesLimitations of
Observational Data

• Small number of subjects
• Subjective interpretations
• Inability to pry beneath the behavior observed
• Motivations, attitudes, and other internal
  conditions are unobservedwe dont know why?

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Home Depot An Example of Direct Observation
Shopper/Store Use Profile Average time in
store 32.4 (minutes) Customer party size 1.2
(persons) Average expenditures 57.34
(dollars) Payment method 73.0 (credit
card) Number of aisles traveled 5.7 Requests for
assistance 0.5 Stops and looks at
items 5.4 Items handled per stop 2.1 Total
items handled 9.3 Items purchased 2.5
Product Categories of Purchases Appliances 10 H
and tools 22 Electrical 31 Plumbing 14 Roofi
ng 3 Garden 35 Other 26
We know WHAT
BUT, We dont know WHY!
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QuestionnaireDevelopment
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What is a Questionnaire?

• A questionnaire is the vehicle used to pose the
  questions that the researcher wants respondents
  to answer.

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Questionnaire Design

• Questionnaire design is a systematic process in
  which the researcher contemplates various
  question formats, considers a number of factors
  characterizing the survey at hand, ultimately
  words the various questions very carefully, and
  organizes the questionnaires layout.

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The Functions of a Questionnaire

• Translates the research objectives into specific
  questions
• Standardizes those questions and the response
  categories
• Fosters cooperation and motivation
• Serves as permanent records of the research

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The Functions of a Questionnaire

• Can speed up the process of data analysis
• Can serve as the basis for reliability and
  validity measures

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Steps in the Questionnaire Development Process
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Developing Questions

• Question development is the practice of selecting
  appropriate response formats and wording
  questions so that they are understandable,
  unambiguous, and unbiased.

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Developing Questions

• Marketing research questions measure
• Attitudes
• Beliefs
• Behaviors
• Demographics

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How wording affects answers
Which generates more agreement?
Did you see
A broken headlight?
The broken headlight?
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Words to Avoid in Questionnaire Development

• All
• Always
• Any
• Anybody
• Ever
• Every
• Never

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Why Avoid These Words?

• These words all, any, anybody, best, ever,
  every, never, etc. are all EXTREME ABSOLUTES
• They place respondents in a situation where they
  must either fully agree or they must completely
  disagree with the extreme position in the
  question.
• Do you always observe traffic signs?
• Would you say all cats have four legs?

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Four Dos of Questionnaire Wording

• Question evaluation refers to scrutinizing the
  wording of a question to ensure the question is
  not biased and is worded such that respondents
  understand it and can respond to it with relative
  ease.

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Four Dos of Questionnaire Wording

• The question should be focused on a single issue
  or topic. What type of hotel do you stay in on a
  trip? Pleasure or business trip? En route or
  final destination?
• The question should be brief.
• The question should be grammatically simple, if
  possible.
• The question should be crystal clear.

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Four Do Nots of Questionnaire Wording

• The question should not lead the respondent to
  a particular answer. Dont you see any problem
  with using credit cards for online purchases?
• The question should not have loaded wording or
  phrasing. Use universal beliefsSince our
  Founding Fathers gave us the right to bear arms

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Four Do Nots of Questionnaire Wording

• The question should not be double-barreled.
• The question should not use words that overstate
  the conditiondo not use dramatics. Would you
  buy sunglasses that protect your eyes from
  harmful ultraviolent rays that cause blindness?

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What is wrong with each question?
How do you feel about Sears?
When some gasoline or electric-powered product in
your house breaks, do you call the Sears repair
service?
If the Sears repair service schedule was not
convenient for you, would you consider or not
consider calling a competing repair organization
to fix the problem you have?
How much do you think you would have to pay to
have Sears fix something that needs to be
repaired?
Shouldnt concerned parents use car seats? Should
car seats be used for our loved ones? Do good
parents and responsible citizens use car
seats? Do you believe infant car seats can
protect riders from being maimed?
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Individual Question Wording

• Dos for all questions
• Keep it focused on a single topic
• Keep it brief
• Keep it grammatically simple
• Keep it crystal clear

How do you feel about Sears?
Please rate each aspect of Sears
When some gasoline or electric-powered product in
your house breaks, do you call the Sears repair
service?
If you did not use Sears repair service, would
you use another repair service?
If the Sears repair service schedule was not
convenient for you, would you consider of not
consider calling a competing repair organization
to fix the problem you have?
When you need it, do you call Sears repair
service?
How much do you think you would have to pay to
have Sears fix something that needs to be
repaired?
How much do you think Sears charges for a repair
service call?
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Individual Question Wording

• Do nots for all questions
• Dont ask leading questions
• Dont ask loaded questions
• Dont ask double-barreled questions
• Dont use overstated questions

Shouldnt concerned parents use car seats?
Do you think infant car seats are useful?
Should car seats be used for our loved ones?
Do you think car seats are useful for family
members?
Do good parents and responsible citizens use car
seats?
Do you think parents who use car seats are
responsible?
Do you believe infant car sears can protect
riders from being maimed?
Do you think childrens car seats are useful?
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Questionnaire Organization

• Questionnaire organization is the sequence of
  statements and questions that make up the
  questionnaire.
• It is important because the questionnaire
  appearance and ease of flow affect the quality of
  the information gathered.

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Questionnaire Organization

• The introduction is called a cover letter if
  the introduction is written to accompany a mail
  survey or online survey.

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Questionnaire Organization

• Five functions
• Identifies the surveyor/sponsor
• Indicates the purpose of the survey
• Explains how the respondent was selected
• Requests for/provides incentive for participation
• Determines if respondent is suitable

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Questionnaire Organization
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Incentives

• Incentives are offers to do something for the
  respondent to increase the probability that the
  respondent will participate in the survey.

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Incentives

• Incentives may be monetary or non-monetary.
• Anonymity respondent assured name not identified
• Confidentiality respondents name is known by
  the researcher but not divulged to a third party
• Both are used as non-monetary incentives to
  increase participation

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Screening Questions

• Screening questions are used to ferret out
  respondents who do not meet research study
  qualifications.
• Research objectives should specify who should and
  should not be included in the research study.

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Screening Questions

• Example If you were conducting research on
  factors consumers use in selecting a new car,
  wouldnt you only want to talk to persons who
  have recently selected a new car?
• If you were doing a study to determine the
  potential for an e-zine targeting college
  students, wouldnt you only want to talk to
  college students?
• Screening or qualifying questions are asked to
  ensure you are talking to your target population.

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Question Flow

• Question flow pertains to the sequencing of
  questions or blocks of questions.
• Warm-up questions
• Transitions
• Skip questions
• Classification and demographic questions

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Question Flow in a Questionnaire

• First Questions Screens/Qualifiers
• Have you shopped at Winn-Dixie in the last month?
• Immediately following screens - Warm-ups
• How many major grocery shopping trips do you do
  in a month?

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Question Flow in a Questionnaire

• Prior to major sections - Transitions
• Did you purchase any cereal on your last trip?
• Do you use coupons for groceries?
• Middle of questionnaire - Complicated
  Difficult-to-Answer
• Rate each of the following aspects of Winn-Dixie
  on how satisfactory it is for you.

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Question Flow in a Questionnaire

• Last Section - Classification
• What is the highest level of education you have
  earned?

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Computer-Assisted Questionnaire Design

• Computer-assisted questionnaire design software
  programs allow users to use computer technology
  to develop and disseminate questionnaires
• Advantages
• Easier
• Faster
• Friendlier
• More flexibility

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• http//www.uws.edu.au/research/researchcentres/ccr
  /backpackers2

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Coding the Questionnaire

• Coding use of numbers associated with question
  responses
• Example Female 1, Male 2
• Numbers are preferred for two reasons
• Numbers are easier and faster to keystroke into a
  computer file.
• Computer tabulation programs are more efficient
  when they process numbers.

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Performing the Pretest of the Questionnaire

• A pretest involves conducting a dry run of the
  survey on a small, representative set of
  respondents in order to reveal questionnaire
  errors before the survey is launched.
• It is important to pretest on respondents that
  are representative of the target population to be
  studied.