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Compilation and interpretation of primaryand secondary sources of information.

The integration of different sources willconsolidate the write up of the report.

DATA COLLECTION

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SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Primary SourceData is collected

by

researcher himself

Data is gathered

through questionnaire,

interviews,

observations etc.

Secondary SourceData collected,

compiled or

written by other

researchers eg. books,

journals, newspapers

Any reference must

be acknowledged

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STEPS TO COLLECT DATA

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

REVIEW & COMPILE SECONDARY SOURCE INFORMATION(Referred to in the BACKGROUND/ INTRODUCTION section of report)

PLAN & DESIGN DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTSTO GATHER PRIMARY INFORMATION

(Referred to in the FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS &

RECOMMENDATIONS sections of report)

DATA COLLECTION

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METHODS USED

TO COLLECT

PRIMARY SOURCE DATA

1. Interviews2. Questionnaires

3. Survey

4. Experimentation

5. Case Study6. Observation

However, for a small-scale study, the most commonly used

methods are interviews, survey questionnaires and observations.

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Effective way

of gatheringinformation

INTERVIEW

Involves verbal

and non-verbalcommunications

Can be conductedface to face, by telephone,

online or through mail

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Steps To An Effective Interview

Prepare your interview schedule

Select your subjects/ key informants

Conduct the interview

Analyze and interpret data collected from the interview

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The most common

data collection instrument

SurveyQuestionnaire

Useful to collect

quantitative and qualitativeinformation

Should contain 3 elements:

1. Introductionto explain the objectives

2. Instructionsmust be clear, simple language & short

3. User-friendlyavoid difficult or ambiguous questions

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2 Basic Types of survey

questions:

1. Open-ended Questions

Free-response

(Text Open End)

Fill-in relevant

information

2. Close-ended Questions

Dichotomous question

Multiple-choice

Rank

Scale

Categorical

Numerical

Note: For specific examples and students activities on each question style,

please refer to the notes on Data Collection in the e-learning.

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Steps To An Effective Survey Questionnaire

Prepare your survey questions(Formulate & choose types of questions, order them, write instructions, make copies)

Select your respondents/samplingRandom/Selected

Administer the survey questionnaire(date, venue, time )

Analyze and interpret data collected

Tabulate data collected(Statistical analysis-frequency/mean/correlation/% )

A sample of complete survey questionnaire

http://www.custominsight.com/demo/form_widgets.rtf

http://www.custominsight.com/demo/form_widgets.rtfhttp://www.custominsight.com/demo/form_widgets.rtf

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Observe verbal &

non-verbal communication,

surrounding atmosphere,

culture & situation

Observations

Need to keep

meticulous records of

the observations

Can be done through discussions,

observations of habits, rituals,

review of documentation,

experiments

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Steps To An Effective Observation

Determine what needs to be observed(Plan, prepare checklist, how to record data)

Select your participantsRandom/Selected

Conduct the observation(venue, duration, recording materials, take photographs )

Analyze and interpret data collected

Compile data collected

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DATA ANALYSIS

3. In a small scale study, the most common forms of statisticalanalysis presented are:

Frequency

Mean

Percentage

1. To analyse data from interviews and observation, use

Summary sheet

Checklist

2. To analyse data from questionnaires, use

Manually

SPSS

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DATA INTERPRETATION

1. It involves 2 terms

Results presentation of data/findings (statistics)

Discussion interpretation of data/findings

2. Things to consider when interpreting your data:

Interpret findings based on the purpose andobjectives of your study

Relate the findings to real life context

Use persuasive language to convince your readers

to see the research from your point of view. Order your interpretation to highlight the most important

findings

Include limitations to your research.

Use simple, clear language