Data Collection Methods Overview
📌 Data collection methods are ways to directly measure variables and gather first-hand knowledge for research problems.
📊 Researchers can choose one method or use several in the same study to gain comprehensive insights.

Surveys: Questionnaires vs. Interviews
📝 Questionnaires are common in quantitative research, using closed questions (multiple-choice/rating scales) for statistical analysis of many responses.
🗣️ Interviews are favored in qualitative research, allowing participants to answer in their own words, enabling deeper exploration through follow-up questions.
⏱️ Interviews are generally more time-consuming and typically involve a smaller group of participants compared to questionnaires.

Observation Techniques
👁️ Observations allow for unobtrusive data collection on behaviors and interactions, capturing what people *actually* do, not just what they *say* they do.
🔢 Quantitative observation requires clear, objective rules for systematically measuring or counting specific events (e.g., defining exactly what counts as a "tech problem").
📝 Qualitative observation involves taking detailed notes and rich descriptions without pre-determining categories, useful for ethnographic studies.
⚠️ A key consideration for observations is the Hawthorne effect—the knowledge of being observed may alter natural behavior.

Alternative and Secondary Data Sources
🧪 Various fields utilize specialized methods: media analysis involves text samples, psychology uses neuroimaging/eye-tracking, and physical sciences rely on scientific instruments.
💾 Secondary data (like government survey datasets) provides access to much larger samples than self-collected data but offers no control over measurement variables.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ When choosing methods, consider reading relevant studies in your field to see which approaches were successfully employed.
➡️ For quantitative data, use questionnaires to gather consistent metrics from large groups suitable for statistical testing.
➡️ For qualitative depth, utilize interviews to understand underlying reasoning or rich descriptions during observations.
➡️ If resources are limited, leverage secondary data, but be aware that conclusions may be limited by the original study's variables.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Oct 09, 2025, 08:48 UTC