Have you selected the tools of data collection for your dissertation yet? What are the basic data collection techniques you would be implementing in your dissertation? If you are bewildered in making this decision then don’t panic since this blog will render you the characteristics of the basic data collection tools. Therefore, by going through the details of every technique, it would be really easy for you to determine the tool(s) for your study. Besides, if you are inquisitive about writing dissertation then feel free to contact write my dissertation to avail amazing and diverse services that we love to cater according to your requirements just on time!
Your dissertation upsurges significance when the methods you have applied in collecting data produces an accurate result. However, it truly depends on the nature of your study that what technique would be required in it according to the particular situation. Before delving in the features of the methods, you should be aware of the fact that three basic paradigms are there that are quantitative, qualitative, and mixed paradigm. Therefore, on the basis of these paradigms, the tools are categorized. In order to select the best method, you need to know every aspect of it. Questionnaire The most renown and effective tool of collecting large amount of data is questionnaire. It can cover massive population by means of different ways like face-to-face interaction, online submission, via telephone etc. Additionally, there are two formats of it that are open-ended and close-ended. Apart from this, questionnaires could be used with quantitative and qualitative both the paradigms. Open-ended questions include detailed and in-depth responses, whereas, close ended question comprises of different forms like Likert scale, rating scale, semantic differential, multiple choice questions, rank order etc. The widely used methodology which goes with questionnaire is survey. Survey is a probability sampling and covers a wide area of population for the data collection. It has a lot of pros and cons such as it is very convenient in carrying out the research, it is cheap, can be conducted at different intervals of time, easy for respondents to answer in their desired time, less chance of getting biased etc. Interview Interviews are classified on the basis of structure, purpose, content, and administration. On the basis of structure, the two major types are, structured which is formal, and in it everything is organised by the researcher and the questions of interview are pre-planned. Another one is unstructured where the researcher asks open-ended questions from the interviewee randomly based on the topic. Furthermore, prompts can also be used in structured form which are referred to as clues or options for the interviewee to talk on. According to purpose, there are several types like stress interview, assessment interview etc. The administering interview includes one to one interview, group interview, serial interview, and panel interview. Moreover, the content category includes types such as situational, behavioral, telephonic, promotion, etc. Just like questionnaire, it also has several benefits and downsides. They are used for gathering detailed information about something thus; usually open-ended questions are implied in it. They could be implemented with any kind of methodology like survey, case study, ethnography, experiments etc. The essential thing about it is that they provide a deep insight to the researcher and concepts easily become vivid to the researcher. On the other hand, the sad part is that they are quite expensive and also consume more time than questionnaires. In addition, seeking permission from the interviewee is also a difficulty as some people are not comfortable in sharing their perspectives openly. Observation Observation is a simple and direct way of gathering data as the researcher gains information instantly without any delay of time. Moreover, the researcher also becomes a part of that situation and observes every tiny detail for the data. Observations could be noted down or recorded depending upon the situation. The most widely form of it is collecting data through checklist. Additionally, the biggest advantage of it is that it is highly effective and produces accurate result but it lacks availability, as it is hard to find a proper context according to the needs for the researcher. Experiment Experiment consists of two groups that are controlled group and the other is experiment group. In the controlled group, the variables are kept constant and no treatment is implied on them whereas, the experiment group is measured and gone through the treatment as being the subject of it. it has three primary types which are true experiment, quasi experiment and pre-experiment. Furthermore, experiments are used with quantitative research methods such as experimental research, longitudinal survey etc. There are many benefits of it like its results are extremely specific; the researcher has a strong command on its subjects, the accurate results could be implemented on similar other areas etc. Therefore, these are the basic tools for collecting data among which you can choose to employ in your study.
2 Comments
Thomson Grey
7/2/2019 11:06:41 pm
Great efforts! The information is very useful for me as I am going through the whole process of dissertation writing.
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john
7/3/2019 12:36:04 am
Writing an effective research paper data collection and reading informative article is really helpful in writing an innovative document. I am glad to read your blog. Keep it up.
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