Stat Chapter II

Chapter II
Collection and Presentation of Data

Sources of Data
Primary Data
• When data are obtained directly from individuals, objects or processes, we refer to it as primary data.
Quantitative or qualitative data can be collected using this approach. Such data is usually collected solely
for the research problem you will study. Primary data has several advantages. First, we tailor it to our
specific research question, so there are no customizations needed to make the data usable. Second,
primary data is reliable because you control how the data is collected and can monitor its quality. Third, by
collecting primary data, you spend your resources in collecting only required data. Finally, primary data is
proprietary, so you enjoy advantages over those who cannot access the data.
• Despite its advantages, primary data also has disadvantages of which you need to be aware. The first
problem with primary data is that it is costlier to acquire as compared to secondary data. Obtaining
primary data also requires more time as compared to gathering secondary data.
Secondary Data
• When you collect data after another researcher or agency that initially gathered it makes it available, you
are gathering secondary data. Examples of secondary data are census data published the National
Statistics Office
• One advantage to using secondary data is that it will save you time and money, although some data sets
require you to pay for access. A second advantage is the relative ease with which you can obtain it. You
can easily access secondary data from publications, government agencies, data aggregation websites and
blogs. A third advantage is that it eliminates effort duplication since you can identify existing data that
matches your needs instead of gather new data.
• Despite the benefits it offers, secondary data has its shortcomings. One limitation is that secondary data may not
be complete. For it to meet your research needs, you may need to enrich it with data from other sources. A
second shortcoming is that you cannot verify the accuracy of secondary data, or the data may be outdated. A third
challenge you face when using secondary data is that documentation may be incomplete or missing. Therefore,
you may not be aware of any problems that happened in data collection which would otherwise influence its
interpretation. Another challenge you may face when you decide to use secondary data is that there may be
copyright restrictions.
Methods of Data Collection
• What is the best of the Data Collection Methods?
• There is no one “best” data collection method. Each method has its pros and cons. Which one you choose
depends on what kind of data you have (i.e. qualitative data or quantitative data) and which pros/cons are
important for your study.
• In general, the following data collection methods work for qualitative research:
• Document review.
• In depth interviews.
• Observation methods.
• Quantitative research data collection methods, which tends to rely on random samples, include:
• Surveys with closed-ended questions.
• Clinical trials/experiments.
• Extracting data from computer and information systems.
• Observing, counting and recording events that are well defined (for example, counting the number of people who
come into a restaurant
Types of Data Collection Methods: General Categories
• Interviews are very structured for quantitative research. They are less structured for qualitative research.
In a structured interview, you would asks = a series of standard questions; in less-structured interview you
might ask open-ended questions
• Questionnaires
• Paper and pencil questionnaires can be sent to a large group of people. They have the advantage of
respondents tending to be more truthful with responses. A disadvantage is a very low response rate.
– Internet questionnaires are cheaper and faster than paper questionnaires. But they exclude people
who do not have access to computers. In addition, people tend to hurry to complete internet surveys
so the responses may not be valid.
• Census. A census is a study that obtains data from every member of a population. In most studies, a
census is not practical, because of the cost and/or time requiredExperiment. An experiment is a controlled
study in which the researcher attempts to understand cause-and-effect relationships. The study is
"controlled" in the sense that the researcher controls (1) how subjects are assigned to groups and (2)
which treatments each group receives.
• In the analysis phase, the researcher compares group scores on some dependent variable. Based on the
analysis, the researcher draws a conclusion about whether the treatment ( independent variable) had a
causal effect on the dependent variable.
• Observational study. Like experiments, observational studies attempt to understand cause-and-effect
relationships. However, unlike experiments, the researcher is not able to control (1) how subjects are
assigned to groups and/or (2) which treatments each group receives.
Methods of Presenting Data
1. Textual or Paragraph form

2. Tabular Form
3. Graphical Form: Bar graph, line graph, pie chart, pictograph

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