LO2 Undertake data collection.
LO 2. CONTENTS:
2.1. Types of questionnaires
2.2. Preparing questionnaire
2.3. Pre-testing, modifying and amending
questionnaire
[Link] on data collection procedures
2.5. Equipment/materials for data collection
2.6. Informing members of community about data
collection
2.7. Inviting community leaders on data collection
process
2.1. Types of questionnaires
Developing questions for a questionnaire may be difficult
and time consuming.
Care must be taken in developing the questions to be asked.
Should questions be open-ended or closed ended?
A. Open-ended questions
o Open-ended questions permit free responses that should be recorded
in the respondent’s own words.
o The respondent is not given any possible answers to choose from.
o Such questions are useful to obtain information on:
Facts with which the researcher is not very familiar
Opinions, attitudes, and suggestions of informants
Sensitive issues.
For example “Can you describe exactly what the
traditional birth attendant did when your labor
started?”
“What do you think are the reasons for a high drop-out
rate of village health committee members?”
“What would you do if you noticed that your daughter
(school girl) had a relationship with a teacher?”
2. Closed Questions
o Closed questions offer a list of possible options or answers from
which the respondents must choose. When designing closed
questions one should try to:
o Offer a list of options that are exhaustive and mutually exclusive
o Keep the number of options as few as possible.
o Closed questions are useful if the range of possible responses is
known
o For example “What is your marital status?
1. Single 2. Married/living together
3. Separated/divorced/widowed
“Have your every gone to the local village health
worker for treatment? 1. Yes
2. No
2.2. Preparing questionnaire
Steps in Designing a Questionnaire.
Designing a good questionnaire always takes several
drafts.
In the first draft we should concentrate on the content.
In the second, we should look critically at the formulation
and sequencing of the questions.
Then we should scrutinize/analyze the format of the
questionnaire.
Finally, we should do a test-run to check whether the
questionnaire gives us the information we require and
whether both the respondents and we feel at ease with it.
Usually the questionnaire will need some further
adaptation before we can use it for actual data collection.
2.3. Pre-testing, modifying and
amending questionnaire
The major challenge in questionnaire design is to make it clear to all
respondents.
In-order to identify and solve the confusing points, we need to pre-test
the questionnaire.
During the pilot trial: the questionnaire participants should be randomly
selected from the study population.
Pre-test
• Pre-test is usually done as part of the training of field staffs.
• At the end of the training data collectors and supervisors go to the
field to test the data collection instrument
• Pre-test is usually done on similar population but in an area
different from the actual survey area.
[Link] on data collection procedures
o Supervisors, team leaders, measurers and interviewers should
receive different training, tailored/made-to order to their roles in
the data collection.
o One extra day of training on mobile technology is highly
recommended for those team members who will be responsible
for mobile data collection.
o During the training day the following must be covered:
A. Training On Smartphone/Tablet Based Data Collection.
B. Training The Interviewers On Manual Data Collection
Data collection
o Data collection- is the process of gathering observing ,
and measuring information on targeted variables to answer
relevant questions and evaluate outcomes.
o Data collection is a critical part in the planning and
implementation process. And those we can facilitate to give
training for data collated personnel.
Data Collection Techniques /Method
Data collection techniques allow us to
systematically collect data about our objects of
study and about the setting in which they occur.
Data collection techniques can be used such as:
• Observation
• Face-to-face and self-administered interviews
• Postal or mail method and telephone
interviews
• Using available information
• Focus group discussions (FGD)
• Other data collection techniques –
Choosing a Techniques/ Method of Data Collection
Decision-makers need information that is relevant,
timely, accurate and usable. But The challenge is to
find ways, which lead to information that is cost-
effective, relevant, timely and important for immediate
use.
Some methods pay attention to timeliness and
reduction in cost. Others pay attention to accuracy
and the strength of the method in using scientific
approaches.
The statistical data may be classified under two
categories, depending upon the sources.
1) Primary data
2) Secondary data
2.5. Equipment/materials for data collection
o Data collectors will need to bring the following tools and
information on each day:
A list of data collection teams and contact information
Their area supervisor’s contact details, including a mobile
phone number to call in case of difficulty in the field
A schedule of visits to survey sites
The contact details of the sites to be visited
Details of back-up facilities to be visited if scheduled visits are
not possible and also such as paper, questioner,
computer ,checklists
2.7. Inviting community leaders on data
collection process
Data users have an ethical, legal, obligation to
promote community and individual engagement
and
When data are used without appropriately
engaging communities and individuals in data use
decisions may not trust.
Communities can be effectively engaged/involves
at every phase of the data lifecycle.
Engagement can be a way to protect the rights of
individuals, small groups, and communities and
also help researchers or others in using data to
improve health of the public.
Mechanisms for engaging community members
When determining how to engage the community,
data users should think about which types of
engagement would provide legitimacy for the data
effort.
The most Common
mechanisms of engaging
community members are,
a. Community Leaders
b. Focus on Groups
C. Community Advisory Boards
d. Community Surveys
The end of
LO2.