3.4.2 Sampling Procedures Sampling is a process or technique of choosing a sub-group from a population to participate in the study; it is the process of selecting a number of individuals for a study in such a way that the individuals selected represent the large group from which they were selected (Ogula, 2005). There are two major sampling procedures in
View Article...Monthly Archives: August 2012
Month: August 2012 Data Collection Methods: Questionnaire
3.5.1 Use of Questionnaire Method of Data Collection: Questionnaire method is one of the commonly used method of data collection especially in survey research design. A questionnaire constitutes a set of written questions on a sheet with spaces provided for respondents to reply to the items (questions). There are several reasons why a questionnaire is used in a study. These include the following:
View Article...Month: August 2012 Interview Method of Data Collection
3.4.2 Interview Method Interviewing is one of the most common methods of collecting information from individuals. There are various types of interviews that are used to collect data. These include structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews. Structured interviews: These are more or less like questionnaires since they consist of closed ended items. In this kind of interview, the respondents must
View Article...Month: August 2012 Focus Group Discussion Method of Data Collection
Focus Group Discussion (FGD) is a method of data collection which is frequently used to collect in-depth qualitative data in various descriptive studies such as case studies, phenomenological and naturalistic studies). The main goal of Focus Group Discussion is to provide an opportunity for the participants to talk to one another about a specific area of study. The facilitator is
View Article...Month: August 2012 Document Analysis Method of Data Collection
Document Analysis According to Babbie (2010), document analysis is “the study of recorded human communications, such as books, websites, paintings and laws” (p.530). Document analysis is a method of data collection which involves analysis of content from written documents in order to make certain deductions based on the study parameters. The method is mainly used in qualitative research as a
View Article...Month: August 2012 Observation Method
Marshall and Rossman (1989) define observation as “the systematic description of events, behaviors, and artifacts in the social setting chosen for study” (p.79). This method forms the very foundation of science; it is the technique most closely related to everyday life. The method involves watching and recording the behaviour of individuals or groups, or the events that occur in
View Article...Month: August 2012 Validity of Data Collection Instruments
Validity (accuracy) is the degree to which a test or an instrument measures what it purports to measure (Nachmias & Nachmias, 1996). While there are various types of validity, this guide briefly describes only two types, namely face validity and content validity: Face validity: Face validity is an estimate of whether a test appears to measure a certain criterion;
View Article...Month: August 2012 Reliability of Data Collection Instruments
Reliability is a measure of the degree to which a research instrument yields consistent results after repeated trials (Mugenda & Mugenda, 1999). An instrument is reliable when it can measure a variable accurately and obtain the same results over a period of time. Reliability is about internal consistency of research instruments; it is the ability of research instruments to
View Article...Month: August 2012 Data Analysis Procedure: Quantitative Data Analysis
Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming and modeling data with the goal of underlining essential information, suggesting conclusions, and supporting decision making (Ader, 2008). It is the process which follows after data collection. For the purpose of this guide, two data analysis procedures, namely quantitative and qualitative are briefly highlighted: Quantitative Data Analysis Procedure Quantitative
View Article...Month: August 2012 Qualitative Data Analysis Procedure
Qualitative data is information gathered in a non-numeric form. Common examples of such data are: Interview guides, Field (observation) notes (notes taken in the field being studied), Video, Audio recordings, Images, Documents (reports, meeting minutes, e-mails). Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) is the range of procedures involving various steps: from collecting data to some form of explanation, understanding or
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