Data Gathering Techniques

Data Gathering

Techniques

Data Gathering Techniques
Interview
• Interviews can be conducted in person or over the telephone.
• Questions should be focused, clear, and encourage open-ended responses.
• Interviews are mainly qualitative in nature.

Data Gathering Techniques
Advantages of interviews
The main advantages of interviews are:
• they are useful to obtain detailed information about personal feelings, perceptions and opinions
• they allow more detailed questions to be asked
• they usually achieve a high response rate
• respondents ' own words are recorded
• ambiguities can be clarified and incomplete answers followed up
• interviewees are not influenced by others in the group
• some interviewees may be less self-conscious in a one-to-one situation. Data Gathering Techniques
Disadvantages of interviews
The main disadvantages of interviews are:
• they can be very time-consuming: setting up, interviewing, transcribing, analysing, feedback, reporting
• they can be costly
• different interviewers may understand and transcribe interviews in different ways.

Data Gathering Techniques
Questionnaires and Surveys
• Responses can be analyzed with quantitative methods by assigning numerical values to
Likert-type scales.
• Results are generally easier (than qualitative techniques) to analyze.
• Pre-test/Post-test can be compared and analyzed. Data Gathering Techniques
Advantages of questionnaires
The main advantages of questionnaires
• Practical
• Large amounts of information can be collected from a large number of people in a short period of time and in a relatively cost effective way
• Can be carried out by the researcher or by any number of people with limited affect to its validity and reliability
• The results of the questionnaires can usually be quickly and easily quantified by either a researcher or through the use of a software package
• Can be analysed more 'scientifically ' and objectively than other forms of research
• When data has been quantified,