Data Collection Methods
Learning Outcomes
• Students should be able to determine the type
of data, the source and technique to collect
data in business research
Outlines
• Type of data: primary and secondary
• Observation, interview, and questionnaire
• Writing good questionnaire
Methods of Collecting Data
Research Data
• Research Data can be divided from its:
– Nature
• Quantitative data
• Qualitative data
– Sources
• External data
• Internal data
– The way of collecting
• Primary
• Secondary
– Timing
• Longitudinal
• Time series
Sources of Data
• Data can be obtained from primary or
secondary sources
– Primary data refer to information obtained
firsthand by the researcher on the variables of
interest for the specific purpose of the study
• Ex: individuals, focus groups, panels, unobtrusive
methods
– Secondary data refer to information gathered
from sources already existing
• Ex: company records or archives, government
publications, industry analysis, websites, the Internet
Data Collection Method
• The choice of data collection method depends on
the facilities available, the degree of accuracy
acquired, the expertise of the researcher, the
time span of study, other costs and resources
associated with and available for data gathering
• Types of data collection method:
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Questionnaires
Interviews
Observations
Panel studies
Motivational research
Questionnaires
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Definitions of questionnaires
When to use questionnaires
Advantages of questionnaires
Principles of questionnaire design
– Word content
– Measurement
– General appearance
• Questionnaire administration and data
collection
Definition of Questionnaires
• A preformulated written set of questions to
which respondents record their answers
within defined alternatives
• Questionnaires can be
– administered personally,
– mailed to the respondents,
– electronically distributed
When to Use a Questionnaire
• When researcher knows precisely what
information is needed
• When large numbers of people are to be
reached in different geographical regions
• When a group of people can be assembled in
conference rooms to whom questionnaire can
be administered and collected immediately
Advantages of Questionnaire
• Helps researcher obtain data easily
• Information is easily coded
• Benefits the scientific community if the
measures are validated and reliable
• Often is catharsis for respondents
Questionnaire Design
• Refer to such factors:
– Principles of wording
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Content and purpose of the questions
Language and wording of the questionnaire
Type and form of questions
Sequencing of questions
– Classification data or personal information
• Demographic questions to elicit information as:
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age,
educational level,
marital status,
sex,
income
Guidelines for Wording
• Purpose: to get objective facts or subjective
feelings and perceptions
• Wording and language:
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Would the respondent understand the words?
Are the questions ambiguous?
Are there double-barreled questions?
Are there loaded questions?
Are the questions leading?
Any social desirability?
Are there recall-dependent questions?
• Type of questions:
– Open-ended questions
• Allow respondents to answer the questions in any way they choose
• Could pose problem for researcher in coding the response
– Example:
» Asking respondent to state five car brand in Indonesia
» Asking what the respondent like about their supervisor and their
work environment
– Closed questions
• Ask the respondents to make choices among a set of alternatives
given by the researcher
• Respondent can make quick decision
• Easy to interpret and code
– Example:
» The researcher list 10 or 15 aspects that might seem interesting or
challenging in jobs, then ask the respondents to rank the first five
in order of their preference
• Form of questions: should be both positively and negatively
worded to reduce response bias or halo effect
• Sequencing of questions:
– The funnel approach
• From general to specific questions
• From easy to difficult questions
• Personal information or classification data or
demographic data
– Decisions on:
• Name, number required? (anonymity)
• What info required? (income, marital status, sex)
• Age, income,….should a range be given? If so, what are the
appropriate ranges?
<20
20-40
>40
• Should personal info be at beginning or end of questionnaire?
Principles of Measurement
• Appropriate to minimize bias
• Appropriate to test the hypotheses
• Consider scales and scaling techniques used in
measuring concepts
• Assessed goodness of data through validity
test and reliability test
• Easy categorizing and coding
Interviews
• Interview to respondents is aimed to obtain
information on the issues of interest
• Interviews can be unstructured or structured,
and conducted either face to face or by
telephone or online
Unstructured Interviews
• The interviewer doesn’t enter the interviewing
setting with a planned sequence of questions
to be asked of respondents.
• The objective:
– To bring some preliminary issues to the surface so
that the researcher can determine what variables
need further in-depth investigation
• What do you like about working here?
• Tell me something about the reward systems in this
place
Structured Interviews
• Those conducted when it is known at the outset
what information is needed. The interviewer has
a list of predetermined questions to be asked of
the respondents either personally, through the
telephone or medium of PC, internet, messaging.
• The objectives:
– To identify new factors, deeper understanding, and to
recognize a probable response
– The information collected then tabulated, analyzed,
and answer the problems or describe phenomena.
Tips for Interviews
• Interviews can be taped with the permission
of the interviewee
• Cameras can be used to captured the nonverbal cues of the interviewee, and can be
studied later
• Training of interviewees is necessary to
establish inter-rater reliability
Observation
• There is possibility to get data without asking questions of
respondents. People can be observed in their natural work
environment or in the lab setting, and their activities and
behaviors or other items of interest can be noted and
recorded, e.g.:
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Their movement
Work habits
Facial expressions of joy, anger, other emotions
Body language
Environment factor such as: lay out, work-flow patterns, seating
arrangement
• Roles can be played by the researcher are:
– Nonparticipant observer
– Participant observer
• Nonparticipant-Observer
– The researcher may collect data without becoming an
integral part of the organizational system.
• Ex: the researcher might sit in the corner of an office and
watch and record how the manager spends the time.
• Participant-Observer
– The researcher enters the organization or the research
setting and becomes a part of work team.
• Ex: if a researcher wants to study group dynamics in an
organization, she may join the organization as an employee
and observed the dynamics in groups while being a part of
the work organization and work groups
Structured vs Unstructured
Observational Studies
• Structured Observational Studies
– An observation where the observer has a predetermined
set of categories of activities, or phenomena planned to be
studied
– Formats for recording the observations can be specifically
designed and tailored to each study to suit the goal of the
research
• Unstructured Observational Studies
– Observing events as they take place, then the observer will
record everything that is observed is called unstructured
observational studies.
– It is possible that the observer has no definite ideas that
need focus
Advantages and Disadvantages of
Observational Studies
• Advantages:
– Sample sizes could be increased at less cost
– Respondent bias could be avoided
– Both behavioral and non-verbal reactions could be
studied
• Disadvantages:
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Observer fatigue could set in
Observer bias
Inter-observer reliability problems
Costs of observer training could be high
Panel Studies
• Mostly used in market research, e.g.: advertising effect,
product improvements, brand comparisons
• Kinds of panel studies:
– Static panels: same member throughout
– Dynamic panels: members substituted from time to time
• Advantages of panel studies:
– Panels gain expertise and can give good data
– Could establish cause-effect relationship
– Rapport between researcher and panel members
established
• Disadvantages:
– Could be expensive
– Panel could lose interest after a while
– Attrition of members with time