Researcher must understand the following: Interview Questionnaires Observation Schedules Check list

1. 04/13/15 1
Quantitative Technique of
data collection
By: Dr. Y.L. Tekhre, Prof. Social Sciences
National Institute of Health, New Delhi
What is in this presentation?
» Interview
» Questionnaires
» Observation
» Schedules
» Check list

2. 04/13/15 2
Selection of appropriate method for
data collection
• Nature, scope and object of enquiry
• Availability of funds
• Time factor
• Precision required [correct method]
which can be measured

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Interview
• This method of data collection
involves presentation of oral-
verbal stimuli and reply in
terms of oral-verbal responses,
it can be personal and
telephonic.

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Characteristics of interview
• Two or more persons
• Face to face relations
• Specific object
• Collection of data

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Main steps of Interview Technique
Preparation of Interview:
–Full knowledge of the problem
–Construction of Interview guide
–Selection of Interviewers
–To know about the interviewers
–To determine proper time and place
of interview

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What is personal interview?
• Interviewer asking questions generally
in a face-to-face contact to the
interviewee
• Personal interview has two form:
–Direct personal investigation:
The interviewer has to collect the information
personally from the sources concerned. On the
spot and meet people from whom data have to
be collected. This is suitable for intensive
investigations.

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• Indirect oral investigation: can be
conducted under which the
interviewer has to cross-examine
other persons who are supposed to
have knowledge about the problem
under investigation and the
information, obtained is recorded.
Commissions and committees
appointed by Govt. are in this
nature.

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• When we conduct the personal
interview, usually we call it
STRUCTURED INTERVIEW. It
involve a set of predetermined
questions and highly standardised
techniques of recording.
• In case of UNSTRUCTURED
INTERVIEW it is flexible in terms of
questions, recording, sequence, but it
demand deep knowledge and greater
skill

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Merits of the interview method
– More and depth information can be obtained
– Overcome the resistance through own skill
– Flexibility: opportunity to restructure
– Observation method can as well be applied
– Personal information can obtained easily
– Samples can be controlled,no missing returns
– Gather most sp0ntaneious reactions
– Language of the interview can be adopted
– Supplementary information also possible

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Weaknesses of the interview method
• Expensive method: when large and widely
spread geographical sample is taken
• Possibility of bias from both side
• High level officials may not be approachable
• Time consuming: when sample is large
• May over-stimulate the respondent
• More complex with formidable problems
• Rapport building is difficult

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Pre requisites and basic tenets
of interview
• Technical competence and necessary
practical experience
• Should be honest, sincere, hardworking,
impartial
• Interviewing is an art: Every efforts
should be made to create friendly
atmosphere
• Discourage irrelevant conversation

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Telephone interviews:
• In this method interviewer
contact to the respondents on
telephone for data collection. It is
now widely used, but plays
important part in industrial
survey and secrete information
specially in developed regions.

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Basic characteristics of Tel Int.
• More flexible in comparison to mailing
method
• Faster than other methods, quick way of
obtaining information
• Cheaper than personal interviewing
• Recall is easy; call backs are simple and
economical
• Higher rate of response
• Replies can be recorded
• No field staff required

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Limitation of Tel. Int.
• Surveys are restricted to respondents who have
tel. Facilities
• Geographical coverage may get restricted
• Little time given to respondents for considered
answers; 5-10 minutes
• Not much useful in comprehensive answers are
required to various questions
• Possibility of the bias is relatively more
• Questions have to be short and to the point;
probes are difficult to handle.

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Piloting process of interview
• Establishment of contact
• Beginning of interview
–Rapport, purpose, request etc.
• To repeat some encouraging
sentences
• To avoid irritating points
• Recall

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• Adequate and timely questions
• Extra precautions (easy
questions+within the subject)
• Noting of information
• Controlling, Directing and
Validating of the Interview
• Closing of interview
• Report

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Report
–Immediate action
–Maintaining objectivity

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Questionnaires
• It is popular method specially in big
enquiries
• Private individuals, research workers,
private and public organisations and even
by Govt. adopts
• It being posted to the persons concerned
with a request to answer and return the
questionnaire
• It is mailed and expected to read and
understand the questions and write down
the reply

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Advantage
• Low cost even when the universe is large
• Free from the bias of the interviewer
• Adequate time available with the
respondents to give well thought out
answers
• It can reach to un-reach
• Large sample can be made

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Demerits
• Low rate of return of the duly filled in
questionnaires
• Only possible when respondents are educated and
cooperative
• No control once it is sent
• Possibility of ambiguous replies or omission of
replies; interpretation difficult
• Difficult to know whether willing respondents are
truly representative
• It is likely to be the slowest of all

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Basic aspects of a questionnaire
• It is the heart of a survey operation
• If it is not properly set up, then the survey is bound
to fail
General Form: it can be structured or semi
structure.
Question sequence: A proper sequence reduces
individual questions being misunderstood.
• Que.Seq. must be clear and smoothly-moving
• Easy questions being put in the beginning
• Opening questions should be human interest
• Personal character, personal wealth and question
which strain memory or intellect avoided

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• Researcher can arrange the order of the questions
• Relatively questions can be in the end
• Must be general to the more specific
Question formulation and wording: simple,
meaningful, clear, impartial (Unbiased), should
convey only one thought at a time and should
conform to the respondent’s way of thinking.
• We can think: Multiple choice and the open-end
question, there ‘R’ some advantages and
disadvantages of each possible form of question
• The various forms complement each other

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• Open-ended questions provide a more
complete picture of the respondent’s
feelings and attitudes
• Words with ambiguity, emotional
connotations and double meaning should be
avoided
Essentials of a good questionnaire:
• Size (small, minimum, short and simple)
• Logical sequence (easy to difficult)

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• Technical terms and vague
expressions
• Cross-check questions must be
included
• Adequate space for answers
• Indications for uncertainty. e.g.,
‘do not know’ ‘no preference’
• Brief direction towards filling up
• Quality of the paper, colour, return
postal, clear address, request etc.

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Observation
Why this method: specially in studies relating to
behavioural sciences in which observation is
systematically planned and recorded and is
subjected to checks and controls on validity and
reliability in relation to research purpose
• In this method direct observation made without
asking from the respondent
Advantage:
– Consumer behaviour
– Subjective bias is eliminated
– What is currently happening can be gathered

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–Independent of respondents’ willingness
–Useful when the respondents – not
capable of giving verbal reports of their
feeling for one reason or the other
Limitation:
• Expensive
• Limited information
• Unforeseen situation can interfere
• Some people are rarely accessible to direct
• observation

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What to be kept in mind
while using observation
• What to should be observed?
• How the observation should be recorded
• Accuracy of observation
• Structured & unstructured observation
• Structure observation is considered
appropriate in descriptive studies and
unstructured observation is an exploratory
study.

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Participant and non participant
types of observation
• This distinction depends upon the
observer’s sharing or not sharing the
life of the group he is observing:
group experience
*****

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SCHEDULE
Schedule is the name usually
applied to a set of questions
which are asked and filled in by
an interviewer in a face to face
situation with another person…
William

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Basic aspects of schedule
• The schedule has to be filled in by the
enumerators who are specially appointed for the
purpose
• In certain situations, schedules may be handed
over to respondents and enumerators may help
them in recording their answers to various
questions
• Enumerators explain the aims and objectives
• Selection of enumerators should be careful

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• Enumerators should be intelligent and
must possess the capacity of cross-
examination in order to find out the
truth
• Schedule method is useful in extensive
enquiries, governmental agencies or
big organisations.
• Population census all over the world
and NFHS and RCH in India is known
well.

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Objectives of schedule
• Valid and objective study
• Guard against incomplete
collection of information
• Systematic collection of data
• Discarding unnecessary data

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Content of schedule
• Introductory information
• Main questions and tables
• Instructions for investigators

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Questions of schedule
• Open end questions
• Structured questions
• Dichotomous questions– yes/no
• Multiple choice questions
• Leading questions – hints, clues

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What type of questions are to
be included
• Short, small
• Level of respondent
• In tabulated form
• Related to objective
• Direct and indirect
• Systematic
• Individual/emotional/secret.. Avoid
• Cross-questions

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Process of preparing schedule
First stage: Prior considerations
» Items
» Subjects, different
Second Stage:
Classification of information of each part
Third Stage:
» Construction of Questions
» Language
» Content – clear, easy, meaningful
» Relevant questions
4th
Stage: Validity

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Physical features of schedule
–Paper
–Size of the schedule
–Margin
–Spacing
–Printing
–Use of pictures

38. 04/13/15 38
Difference between questionnaires
and schedules
Questionnaire
• Sent through mail
• Relatively economical
• Non-response is high
• Not clear as to who
replies
• Slow: Not in time
• No personal contact
• Only when respnd.
literate
Schedule
• Filled out by the researcher
• Relatively more
expensive
• Non-response is low
• Respondent is known
• Time frame: certainty
• Personal contact possible
• Possible even
illiterate

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Contd…
• Wider and more
representative distribution
of sample is possible
• Physical appearance must
be quite attractive
• Observation method can
not be used at all
• Success of questionnaire
method lies more on the
quality
• Wider area is difficult to
cover while sending
enumerators for filling up
• Not necessarily, can be
explained on the spot
• Observation method can
also be used
• Much depends upon the
honesty and competence
of enumerators