Data Collection Tools Interview and Questionnaire By Mahadeva Prasad M S.

Data Collection Tools Interview and Questionnaire

By Mahadeva Prasad M S

Data Collection Tool

The various method of data gathering involve the use of appropriate recording forms. These are called tools or instruments of data collection, they consists of observation schedule or interview guide, interview schedule, questionnaire, rating scale, check list etc.,

Interview

It may be defined as a two way systematic conversation between an investigator and an informant, initiated for obtaining information relevant to a specific study

Characteristics of Interview1. The participants - the interviewer and

the respondent - are strangers. Hence, the investigator has to get himself introduced to the respondent in an appropriate manner

2. The relationship between the participants and the interviewer is a transitory one. It has a fixed beginning and termination points.

3. Interview is not a mere casual conversational exchange, but a conversation with a specific purpose, viz., obtaining information relevant to a study.

4. Interview is a mode of obtaining verbal answers to questions put verbally.

5. The interaction between the interviewer and the respondent need not necessarily be on a face-to-face basis, because interview can be conducted over the telephone also.

6.Although interview is usually a conversation between two persons, it need not be limited to a single respondent. It can also be conducted with a group of persons

7. Interviewing is a flexible psychological process.

Advantages of Interview1. In this data tool the depth and detail of information can be

secured.2. The interviewer can do more to improve the percentage of

responses and the quality of information received than other method

3. The interviewer can gather other supplemental information like economic level, living conditions etc.

4. The accuracy and dependability of the answers given by the respondent can be checked by observation and probing.

5. Interview is flexible and adaptable to individual situations. Even more control can be exercised over the interview situation.

Disadvantage of Interview

1. The interview results are often adversely affected by interviewer's mode of asking questions and interactions

2. Certain types of personal and financial information may be refused in face-to-face interview

3. Interview poses the problem of recording information obtained from the respondents

4. Lack of training for the person who conduct interview.

5. Interview is costly both in terms of money and time.

Requirement for Successful Interview1. Data availability: The needed- information

should be available with the respondent. 2. Role perception: The respondent should

understand his role and know what is required of him.

3. Role of Interviewer: The interviewer should also know his role. He should establish a permissive atmosphere and encourage frank and free conversation.

4. Respondent's motivation: The respondent should be willing to respond and give accurate answer. This depends partly on the interviewer's approach and skill

Types of Interview

1. Structured or directive interview

2. Unstructured or non-directive interview 3. Focused interview 4. Clinical interview 5. Depth interview

Structured or Directive Interview

This is an interview made with a detailed standardized schedule. The same questions are put to all the respondents and in the same order. Each question is asked in the same way in each interviews. This type of interview is used for large-scale formalized surveys.

Unstructured or Non-directive Interview

The interviewer encourages the respondent to talk freely about a given topic with a minimum of prompting or guidance. In this type of interview, a detailed pre-planned schedule is not used. Only a broad interview guide is used. The interviewer avoids channeling the interview directions. This interviewing is more useful in case studies rather than in surveys.

Focused interview

This is a semi-structured interview where the investigator attempts to focus the discussion on the actual effects of a given experience to which the respondents have been exposed. The interview is focused on the subjective experiences of the respondent, i.e., his attitudes, and emotional responses regarding the situation under study.

Clinical interview

This is similar to the focused interview but with a subtle difference. While the focused interview is concerned with the effects of a specific experience, clinical interview is concerned with broad underlying feelings or motivations or with the course of the individual's life experiences.

Depth interview

This is an intensive and searching interview aiming at studying the respondent's opinion, emotions or convictions on the basis of an interview guide. This is generally a lengthy procedure designed to encourage free expression of his/her feeling, emotion, his knowledge about particular area of study.

Interview Process

1. Preparation – The first step in interviewing process is preparation and preplanning. The interviewer should keep the copies of interview schedule/guide (as the case may be) ready for use. He should also have the list of names and addresses of respondents

2. Introduction - The investigator is a stranger to the respondents. Therefore he should be properly introduced to each of the respondents.

3. Developing rapport - Before starting the research interview, the interviewer should establish a friendly relationship with the respondent. This is described as "rapport“. It means establishing a relationship of confidence and understanding between the interviewer and the respondent

4. Carrying the interview forward: After establishing rapport, the technical task of asking questions from the interview schedule starts.

5. Recording the interview: It is essential to record responses as they take place in the interview.

6. Closing the interview: After the interview is over, take leave off the respondent, thanking him with a friendly smile.

Interview Problems

1. Inadequate response – in the interview the respondent gives a relevant but incomplete answer. when the respondent remains silent or refuses to answer the question, irrelevant response, in which the repondent’s answer is not relevant to the question asked etc.,

2.Interviewer's bias: The interviewer is an important cause of response bias. He may resort to cheating by 'cooking up' data without actually interviewing. The interviewers can influence the responses by inappropriate suggestions, word emphasis, tone of voice and question rephrasing.

3.Non-response Non-response refers to failure to obtain responses from some sample respondents. There are many sources of non-response; non-availability, refusal, incapacity, inaccessibility.

4. Non-availability: Some respondents may not be available at home at the time of call. This depends upon the nature of the respondent and the time of calls. For example employed persons may at be available during working hours. Farmers may not be available at home during cultivation season.

5. Refusal: Some persons may refuse to furnish information because they are approached at the wrong hour and so on.

6. Incapacity or inability may refer to illness which prevents a response during the entire survey period. This may also arise on account of language barrier.

Questionnaire

List of a research or survey questions asked to respondents, and designed to extract specific information from the respondents is called as Questionnaire. It serves four basic purposes:

• Collect the appropriate data• Make data comparable and amenable to analysis• Minimize bias in formulating and asking

question.• To make questions engaging and varied.

Steps in Questionnaire Construction

1. Preparation2. Constructing the first draft3. Self-evaluation4. External evaluation5. Revision6. Pre-test or Pilot study7. Revision8. Second Pre-test if necessary9. Preparing final Copy

Advantages of Questionnaire

1. Allows a wider range and distribution of the sample than the interview method

2. Provides greater access to more educated respondents and to persons in higher income brackets

3. Provides an opportunity for respondents to give frank. Anonymous answers4. Allows greater economy of effort (i.e.. a single instrument. duplicated and

distributed to numerous respondents. can produce a large amount of data)5. Can be constructed so that quantitative data are relatively easy to collect and

analyze6. Can be designed to gather background information about respondents as

well as original hard-to-obtain data7. facilitates the collection of large amount of data in a short period of time

8. Allows the corrections in exploratory studies, of insightful information about a relatively unexplored problem area or subject.

9. Can be completed at the leisure of respondents-within time limits set by the surveyor-without imposing on research subjects

10. Because of its fixed format, helps to eliminate variation in the questioning process

Disadvantages of the

Questionnaire 1.Precludes personal contact with respondents, perhaps causing the

investigator to gain insufficient knowledge about participants in a study. 2. Does not allow respondents to qualify ambiguous questions 3. If the prepared instrument does not arouse respondent emotions (i.e.,

when the questionnaire is too impersonal) valid responses might not be elicited.

4. Poorly worded or direct questions might arouse antagonism or inhibitions on the part of respondents

5. Difficulty in obtaining responses from a representative cross section of the target population

6. Because opinionated respondents might be more likely than other subjects to complete and return it, use of a questionnaire might leadto non response bias

Types of Question

1.Factual questions normally pertain to respondents ages, education, library experience, memberships in professional organizations, or any other pertinent personal data needed in the study.

2. Opinion and Attitude Question - When the purpose of a survey is to obtain information about respondents beliefs. feelings, values, and related concepts, opinion and attitude questions can be used

3. Information question - In some types of survey research, investigators might attempt to deter mine how respondents know about a given topic and how or when their research subjects gained certain knowledge

4. Self – perception question – These questions is about the self-perceptions of respondents in a given topic or area.

5. Standard of action question - In some types of surveys, investigators might attempt to determine how respondents will act in certain circumstances or how subjects feel about a new development or forthcoming event.

6. Projective questions - At times, questions are used that allow respondents to answer inquiries in an indirect manner by imposing their personal feelings, attitudes, or beliefs on another person or group of persons.

Unstructured and Structured Questions

Questions can also be classified, on the basis of form and method of response, into two major categories: Unstructured and structured.

Unstructured Question - allow respondents to reply freely without having to select one of several provided responses

Structured Question – It specifies the respondents answer in a several provided options in a question.

Ways of Administering a Questionnaire 1. Collective Administration - One of the best way of

administering a questionnaire is to obtain a captive audience such as students in classroom, people attending a function

2. Administration in a public places - Sometimes you can administer a questionnaire in a public place such as a shopping Center, health center, hospital, school or pub, it is dependent upon the type of study population

3. The mailed questionnaire - The most common approach to collecting information is to send the questionnaire to prospective respondents by mail