Quantitative Data Collection

Statistics is a branch of mathematics dealing with the collection, analysis, presentation, interpretation, and
conclusion of data, while biostatistics is a branch of statistics, where statistical techniques are used on biomedical data to
reach a conclusion. Measurement scale (data type) is an important part of data collection, analysis, and presentation.

In the data collection, the type of questionnaire and the data recording tool differ according to the data types.
Similarly, in the data analysis, statistical tests or methods differ from one data type to another. Data presentation is an
important step to communicate our information and findings to the audience and readers in an effective way. If done
properly, they not only reduce word count but also convey an important message in a meaningful way so that the readers
can grasp it easily. There are various tabulation and graphical methods used to present the data, which are not possible
without proper knowledge of data types.

Data are a collection of facts such as values or measurements. It can be numbers, words, measurements,
observations, or even just descriptions of things. Basically, data are two types: constant and variable. Constant is a
situation or value that does not change, while a characteristic, number, or quantity that increases or decreases over time
or takes different values in different situations is called variable. Due to unchangeable property, constant is not used and
only variable is used for summary measures and analysis.

Within the context of a research investigation, concepts are generally referred to as variables. A variable is, as the
name applies, something that varies. Age, sex, export, income and expenses, family size, country of birth, capital
expenditure, class grades, blood pressure readings, preoperative anxiety levels, eye color, and vehicle type are all
examples of variables because each of these properties varies or differs from one individual to another. There are five
types of variable in terms of research methodology as follows:

The variable, value of which affects the value of another variable is known as independent variable. Such variable
is not affected by the change in the value of another variable but affects the value of another variable.

We know that independent variable affects the value of dependent variable and there has been cause and effect
relationship between these two. The variable that affects the cause-and-effect relationship between these two variables is
called moderator variable. It means the effect of independent variable independent variable may be different in the
presence of moderator variable.

Next, If the effect of such variables that can affect the cause-and-effect relationship of dependent and
independent variable, is eliminated, it is called controlled variable. In other words, if the effect of moderator variable is
controlled, it is known as controlled variable.

Lastly, any such variable is called intervening variable, that may affect the cause-and-effect relationship of
dependent and independent variables but either cannot be measured clearly or is to be ignored during research. It means,
intervening variables are neither controlled nor taken care of during research. In other words, any moderator variable, that
cannot be measured or observed clearly or ignored is called intervening variable. See Figure 1 for better understanding.

For quantitative research, there are four types of variables: nominal, ordinal, discrete, and continuous. The first
two are called qualitative data and the last two are quantitative data. The first two (nominal and ordinal) are assessed in
terms of words or attributes called qualitative data, whereas discrete and continuous variables are part of the quantitative
data.
 Quantitative variable is the data that show some quantity through numerical value. Quantitative data are the
numeric variables (e.g., how many, how much, or how often). Age, blood pressure, body temperature, hemoglobin level,
and serum creatinine level are some examples of quantitative data. It is also called metric data. It has two types: discrete
and continuous.

Discrete variable is the quantitative data, but its values cannot be expressed or presented in the form of a
decimal. For example, number of males, number of females, number of patients, and family size are data that cannot be
expressed in decimal points.

Continuous data are measured in values and can be quantified and presented in decimals. Age, height, weight,
body mass index, serum creatinine, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure are some examples.

Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of interest in an established
systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated research questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes. The
data collection component of research is common to all fields of study including physical and social sciences, humanities,
business, etc. While methods vary by discipline, the emphasis on ensuring accurate and honest collection remains the
same. The goal for all data collection is to capture quality evidence that then translates to rich data analysis and allows
the building of a convincing and credible answer to questions that have been posed. Data collection is one of the most
important stages in conducting a research. You can have the best research design in the world but if you cannot collect
the required data you will not be able to complete your project. Data collection is a very demanding job which needs
thorough planning, hard work, patience, perseverance and more to be able to complete the task successfully.

Data collection starts with determining what kind of data required followed by the selection of a sample from a
certain population. After that, you need to use a certain instrument to collect the data from the selected sample. Let us
now take a closer look on quantitative data.

Data collection is the process of gathering information on variables of interest from a sample of research
participants. There are two types of data collection:

1. Primary data collection refers to data that is collected from research participants directly by the investigators of a study
and the data is used for that study.

Below are some of the sources of primary data:

a. Experiments require an artificial or natural setting in which to perform logical study to collect data. Experiments are
more suitable for medicine, psychological studies, nutrition, and for other scientific studies. In experiments, the
experimenter must keep control over the influence of any extraneous variable on the results.

b. Survey is the most commonly used method in social sciences, management, marketing, and psychology to some
extent. Surveys can be conducted in different methods.

c. Questionnaire is the most commonly used method in survey. Questionnaires are list of questions either open-ended or
close-ended for which the respondents give answers. Questionnaire can be conducted via telephone, mail, live in a public
area, or in an institute, through electronic mail or through online platforms and other methods.

d. Interview is a face-to-face conversation with the respondent. In interview the main problem arises when the respondent
deliberately hides information otherwise it is an in-depth source of information. The interviewer can not only record the
statements the interviewee speaks.

2. Secondary data collection refers to data that is collected by investigators from research papers that are already
published online. Secondary data is used by these investigators in a secondary research study (e.g., review of primary
research).

The following are some examples of collecting secondary data:

• Books
• Records
• Biographies
• Newspapers
• Published censuses or other statistical data
• Data archives
• Internet articles
• Research articles by other researchers (journals)
• Databases, etc.

Quantitative Data

It is numerical in nature and can be mathematically computed. Quantitative data measure uses different scales,
which can be classified as nominal scale, ordinal scale, interval scale and ratio scale.

Often (not always), such data includes measurements of something. Quantitative approaches address the ‘what’
of the study. They use a systematic standardized approach and employ methods such as surveys and ask questions.
Quantitative approaches have the advantage that they are cheaper to implement, are standardized so comparisons can
be easily made, and the size of the effect can usually be measured.
 Quantitative approaches however are limited in their capacity for the investigation and explanation of similarities
and unexpected differences. It is important to note that for peer-based programs quantitative data collection approaches
often prove to be difficult to implement for agencies as lack of necessary resources to ensure rigorous implementation of
surveys and frequently experienced low participation and loss to follow up rates are commonly experienced factors.

The quantitative data collection methods rely on random sampling and structured data collection instruments that
fit diverse experiences into predetermined response categories. They produce results that are easy to summarize,
compare, and generalize. If the intent is to generalize from the research participants to a larger population, the researcher
will employ probability sampling to select participants.

There are two main quantitative data collection methods:

1. Surveys: Traditionally, surveys were conducted using paper-based methods and have gradually evolved into online
mediums. Closed-ended questions form a major part of these surveys as they are more effective in collecting quantitative
data. The survey makes include answer options which they think are the most appropriate for a particular question.
Surveys are integral in collecting feedback from an audience which is larger than the conventional size. A critical factor
about surveys is that the responses collected should be such that they can be generalized to the entire population without
significant discrepancies. On the basis of the time involved in completing surveys, they are classified into the following –
a. Longitudinal Studies are types of observational research in which the market researcher conducts surveys from
a specific time period to another (i.e., over a considerable course of time, is called longitudinal survey). This survey is
often implemented for trend analysis or studies where the primary objective is to collect and analyze a pattern in data.

b. Cross-sectional Studies are types of observational research in which the market research conducts surveys at
a particular time period across the target sample is known as cross-sectional survey. This survey type implements a
questionnaire to understand a specific subject from the sample at a definite time period.

To administer a survey to collect quantitative data, the below principles are to be followed.

a. Fundamental levels of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio scales). There are four measurement
scales which are fundamental to creating a multiple-choice question in a survey in collecting quantitative data. They are,
nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio measurement scales without the fundamentals of which, no multiple-choice questions
can be created.
b. Use of different question types. To collect quantitative data, close-ended questions have to be used in a survey.
They can be a mix of multiple question types including multiple-choice questions like semantic differential scale questions,
rating scale questions etc. that can help collect data that can be analyzed and made sense of.
c. Survey distribution and survey data collection. In the above, we have seen the process of building a survey
along with the survey design to collect quantitative data. Survey distribution to collect data is the other important aspect of
the survey process. There are different ways of survey distribution. Some of the most commonly used methods are:
➢ e-mail
➢ sample size
➢ embedding a survey
➢ social distribution

2. One-on-one Interviews. This quantitative data collection method was also traditionally conducted face-to-face but has
shifted to telephonic and online platforms. Interviews offer a marketer the opportunity to gather extensive data from the
participants. Quantitative interviews are immensely structured and play a key role in collecting information. There are
three major sections of these online interviews:
a. face-to-face interviews
b. online or telephonic interviews
c. computer assisted personal interview

Data Collection Procedure

It is a systematic process of gathering observations or measurements. Whether you are performing research for
business, governmental, or academic purposes, data collection allows you to gain first-hand knowledge and original
insights into your research problem.

While methods and aims may differ between fields, the overall process of data collection remains largely the same. Before
you begin collecting data, you need to consider:
a. the aim of the research;
b. the type of data that you will collect; and
c. the methods and procedures you will use to collect, store, and process the data.

To collect high-quality data that is relevant to your purposes, follow these four steps.

Step 1: Define the aim of your research. Before you start the process of data collection, you need to identify exactly what
you want to achieve. You can start by writing a problem statement: what is the practical or scientific issue that you want to
address and why does it matter?
Step 2: Develop operational definitions and procedures. What are we measuring? How will it be measured? Who will
measure it? Having clarity in these questions is of utmost importance. Often, we will employ sampling in which case we
need to define a sampling plan.
Step 3: Choose more than one data collection technique. There is no “best” tool. Do not let the tool drive your work but
rather choose the right tool to address the evaluation question.
Step 4: Begin to collect your data. From these, you have already learned the basic quantitative data collection. Let us try
to answer the activities below.
ACTIVITY

Conduct a random interview to your classmates using the Likert scale or summated rating scale. Ask them on how they
feel about themselves through face-to-face interview or Messenger chats then record and collect their possible answers.
Refer to the given survey form below for the questions to be asked. After getting all the responses, copy the sample graph
given and plot the results. Write your answers on a sheet of paper.

ASSESSMENT
Read each statement carefully. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write your answers on a sheet of paper.

1. Which one is a strength of using questionnaires in the data gathering?

a. cheap and easy way to collect data
b. interviewer effect
c. low response rate
d. unethical
2. Which one is a weakness of questionnaires in the data gathering?
a. cheap
b. demand characteristics
c. interviewer effect
d. low response rate
3. Which one is a strength of observations in the data gathering?
a. cheap and easy way to collect data
b. first hand data, which is rich in validity
c. quick
d. representative
4. What is quantitative data?
a. A study of an individual or group over a long period of time
b. A small scale study done prior to the actual study
c. Data collected the written or descriptive form
d. Data collected in the numeric form
5. Which of the following is a type of secondary data?
a. interview
b. official statistics
c. observation
d. questionnaire