BT406: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND SKILL

ENHANCEMENT
Assignment No. 1
Spring 2023
Bc190414015
Shazia parveen
Question: Compare and contrast different methods of data collection for Quantitative and
Qualitative research method?
Solution:
Qualitative Data Collection Methods:
The most important Qualitative Data Collection Methods:

Open-Ended Surveys: allow for a systematic collection of information from a defined

population, usually by means of interviews or questionnaires administered to a sample of units in
the population. Qualitative surveys include a set of open-ended questions that aim to gather
information from people about their characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, values, behaviors,
experiences and opinions on relevant topics. Surveys can be collected via pen/paper forms or
digitally via online/offline data collection apps.
Open ended interviews: are useful when you want an in-depth understanding of experiences,
opinions or individual descriptions of a process. Can be done individually or in groups. In
groups, you will ask fewer questions than in an individual interview since everyone has to have
the opportunity to answer and there are limits to how long people are willing to sit still. In-person
interviews can be longer and more indepth.
Community interviews/meeting: is a form of public meeting open to all community members.
Interaction is between the participants and the interviewer, who moderates the meeting and asks
questions following a prepared interview guide. This is ideal for interacting with and gathering
insights from a big group of people.
Focus group discussions (FGDs): is ideal when you want to interview a small group of people
(6-12 individuals) to informally discuss specific topics relevant to the issues being examined. A
moderator introduces the topic and uses a prepared interview guide to lead the discussion and
extract insights, opinions and reactions but s/he can improvise with probes or additional
questions as warranted by the situation. The composition of people in an FGD depends upon the
purpose of the research, some are homogenous, others diverse.
Case study: is an in-depth analysis of individuals, organizations, events, projects, communities,
time periods or a story. As it involves data collection from multiple sources, a case study is
particularly useful in evaluating complex situations and exploring qualitative impact. A case
study can also be combined with other case studies or methods to illustrate findings and
comparisons. They are usually presented in written forms, but can also be presented as
photographs, films or videos.
Observation: It is a good technique for collecting data on behavioral patterns, physical
surroundings, activities and processes as it entails recording what observers see and hear at a
specified site. An observation guide is often used to look for consistent criteria, behaviors, or
patterns. Observations can be obtrusive or unobtrusive. It is ‘obtrusive’ when observations are
made with the participant’s knowledge and ‘unobtrusive’ when observations are done without
the knowledge of the participant.
Ethnography: Ethnographic research involves observing and studying research topics in a
specific geographic location to understand cultures, behaviors, trends, patterns and problems in a
natural setting. Geographic location can range from a small entity to a big country. Researchers
must spend a considerable amount of time, usually several weeks or months, with the group
being studied to interact with them as a participant in their community. This makes it a time-
consuming and challenging research method and cannot be limited to a specific period.
Visual techniques: in this method, participants are prompted to construct visual responses to
questions posed by the interviewers, the visual content can be maps, diagrams, calendars,
timelines and other visual displays to examine the study topics. This technique is especially
effective where verbal methods can be problematic due to low-literate or mixed-language target
populations, or in situations where the desired information is not easily expressed in either words
or numbers.
Literature review and document review: is a review of secondary data which can be either
qualitative or quantitative in nature e.g. project records and reports, administrative databases,
training materials, correspondence, legislation and policy documents, as well as videos,
electronic data or photos that are relevant to your project. This technique can provide cost-
effective and timely baseline information and a historical perspective of the project or
intervention.
Oral histories: it’s the process of establishing historical information by interviewing a select
group of informants and drawing on their memories of the past. Oral history strives to obtain
interesting and provoking historic information from different perspectives, most of which cannot
be found in written sources. The insights from oral history can be discussed, debated, and
utilized in numerous capacities.

Quantitative Data Collection Methods:

The quantitative approach uses numbers and statistics to quantify change and is often expressed
in the form of digits, units, ratios, percentages, proportions, etc. Compared to the qualitative
approach, the quantitative approach is more structured, straightforward and formal. Quantitative
research is useful for multi-site and cluster evaluations that involve a large group of respondents
or sample population. This approach relies heavily on random sampling and structured data
collection instruments that fit diverse experiences into predetermined response categories.
Because quantitative methods are not about gaining an in-depth understanding but rather
grasping a general understanding of a particular context with precise results, quantitative data is
easier to collect and analyze and there are less chances of bias in the result interpretation.
The most important Quantitative Data Collection Methods:

A structured closed-ended interview: this type of interview systematically follows carefully

organized questions that only allow a limited range of answers, such as “yes/no” or expressed by
a rating/number on a scale. For quantitative interviews to be effective, each question must be
asked the same way to each respondent, with little to no input from the interviewer.
Closed ended surveys and questionnaires: is an ideal choice when you want simple, quick
feedback which can easily translate into statistics for analysis. In quantitative research, surveys
are structured questionnaires with a limited number of closedended questions and rating scales
used to generate numerical data or data that can be separated under ‘yes’ or ‘no’ categories.
These can be collected and analysed quickly using statistics such as percentages.
Observation is a technique that focuses on recording the number or types of people who do a
certain action - such as choosing a specific product from a grocery shelf, speaking to a company
representative at an event, or how many people pass through a certain area within a given
timeframe. Observation studies are generally structured, with the observer asked to note down
behavior using set parameters. Structured observation means that the observer has to home in on
very specific behaviors, which can be quite nuanced. This requires the observer to use his/her
own judgment about what type of behavior is being exhibited (e.g. reading labels on products
before selecting them; considering different items before making the final choice; making a
selection based on price).
Experimental research: is guided by hypotheses that state an expected relationship between
two or more variables, so an experiment is conducted to support or disconfirm this experimental
hypothesis. Usually, one set of variables is manipulated (treatment group) and applied to the
other set of dependent variables (control group) to measure their effect on the latter. The effect of
the independent variables on the dependent variables is observed and recorded to draw a
reasonable conclusion regarding the relationship between the two groups. This research is mainly
used in natural sciences.
Correlational research: is a non-experimental research that studies the relationship between two
or more variables that are similar and interdependent and assesses their statistical relationship –
how one variable affects the other and vice versa but with no influence from any extraneous
variable. It uses mathematical analysis to analyse collected data and the results are presented in a
diagram or generated in statistics.
Causal-comparative: also known as quasi-experimental research, compares two variables that
are not related. Variables are not manipulated. One variable is dependent and the other
independent. Variables not randomly assigned.
Statistical data review: entails a review of population censuses, research studies and other
sources of statistical data.
Laboratory testing: are precise measurement of a specific objective phenomenon, e.g. infant
weight or water quality test.
Questionnaires: questionnaires only with closed-ended questions can be used as quantitative
data collection method. The following are popular formats for questionnaires:
Internet-based questionnaire; Mail questionnaire; Face-to-face survey.
Review existing documents: The final method of data collection for quantitative research
is known as secondary research: reviewing existing research to see how it can contribute
to understanding a new issue in question. There are numerous documents that can be
analyzed to support primary data, or used as an end in themselves. Secondary data
collection can include reviewing public records, government research, company databases,
existing reports, paid-for research publications, magazines, journals, case studies,
websites, books,