Chapter Info (Click Here)
Book No. – 28 (Sociology)
Book Name – Research Methodology of Sociology
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. Techniques of Primary Data Collection
2. Sources of Data
3. Observation
3.1. Introduction
3.2. Observation
3.3. Types of Observation
3.4. Conclusion
4. Questionnaire
4.1. Introduction
4.2. Questionnaire
4.3. Guidelines to Prepare the Questionnaire
4.4. Steps in Questionnaire Construction
4.5. Advantages of Questionnaire
4.6. Disadvantage of Questionnaire
5. Schedule
6. Interviews
6.1. Interview
6.2. Principles of Interviewing
6.3. Advantage
6.4. Limitations
7. Census and Sample Survey
7.1. Introduction
7.2. Census and Sampling Survey
7.3. Conclusion
8. Sources of Secondary Data
8.1. Introduction
9. Archives
9.1. Introduction
9.2. Archival Records
9.3. Public Archive Records
9.4. Private Archive Records
9.5. Conclusion
10. Census
10.1. Importance of Census
10.2. Advantage
10.3. Disadvantage
10.4. How to use Researchers
10.5. Survey Report
10.6. Gazetteers
10.7. District Handbook
10.8. Film and Visual Artifacts
11. Types of Sampling- Probabilistic and Non probabilistic
11.1. Sampling
11.2. Objective of Sampling
11.3. Essentials of Sampling
11.4. Sampling Techniques
11.5. Nonprobability Sampling/Purposive Sampling or Random Sampling
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Data Collection in Social Research
Topic – 3
Techniques of Primary Data Collection
Collection of data is one of the most important steps in research before actual data collection begins.
Investigator must prepare a plan for data collection with several preliminary steps.
First, check if the problem under study is capable of quantitative expression.
The purpose of the study must be clearly defined before data collection to avoid difficulties.
Clear purpose helps decide what data to collect and what not to collect.
Having the object of enquiry in mind allows a uniform approach to different problems.
The scope of enquiry should be determined beforehand to avoid unmanageable or inadequate data.
Collecting too much data may lead to wastage; too little data may cause wrong conclusions.
Sources of data collection are mainly primary and secondary sources.
Primary data are collected firsthand by investigators or enumerators directly from the field.
Secondary data are previously collected by others for different purposes and available in journals or published works.
Primary data are original and up-to-date, usually raw and subjected to statistical methods.
Secondary data are often finished products collected for other purposes.
Action research serves a dual purpose: inviting social change and contributing to basic social science.
Involvement of action personnel in research increases agency interest and ensures relevance and applicability in daily life.
Examples include experience surveys, leadership studies, farming surveys, nutrition studies, and education studies.
Besides agencies or organizations, the audiences for action research include social scientists and the general public.
Application and presentation of research findings are done through internal reports and final reports.
Mass media such as press, radio, TV, and motion pictures play an important role in disseminating research findings.
Sources of Data
There are three gross methods of obtaining data in social research:
Asking people questions
Observing behaviour of persons, groups, organizations, and their products or outcomes
Utilizing existing records or data gathered for purposes other than the current research
In physical sciences, instruments and techniques for data collection are well developed.
In social science, development of techniques for measurement has recently become a focus.
Social science can partly use observation and physical measurement techniques.
Increasingly, social science requires data reported by individuals from their current experience.
Social scientists traditionally communicate with people and gain insights through communication.
The challenge is to transform subjective insights into systematic data collection methods.
Collected data must be properly processed and analysed.
Coding, tabulation, cross tables, and statistical computations are important steps in data processing.
Main methods of data collection include:
Observation
Questionnaire
Schedule and Interview guide
Census and sample survey
Observation
Introduction
Science begins with observation and must return to observation for final confirmation.
A sociologist should be trained to observe carefully.
A successful observer can continue research with more data and is less likely to lose focus on the object of study: social behaviour.
Careful observation allows for continuous checking of results.
Observation takes many forms and is both a rudimentary and advanced testing technique.
There are many observational methods available, each with its own specific applications.
Observation
Observation is a way to collect primary data.
It is a purposeful, systematic, and selective way of watching and listening to interactions or phenomena as they occur.
Observation is most appropriate when studying group interactions, dietary patterns, worker functions, or individual behaviour/personality traits.
Useful when full or accurate information cannot be obtained by questioning due to uncooperative respondents or their unawareness of answers.
Best method when interested more in behaviour than perceptions or when subjects are too involved to provide objective information.
Most social relation information comes from uncontrolled observation (participant or non-participant).
Controls refer to standardization of observational methods or control of variables in experimental settings.
Social activity knowledge often derives from personal experience and has not always been verified by others, standardized recording, or detailed experimental descriptions.
Types of Observation
There are two types of observation:
Participant observation
Non-participant observation
Participant observation involves the researcher participating in the group’s activities as a member, either with or without the group’s knowledge.
Example: Studying public reactions to people in wheelchairs by sitting in a wheelchair yourself.
Example: Studying prisoner life by pretending to be a prisoner.
Non-participant observation means the researcher does not get involved in activities but remains a passive observer.
Researcher watches, listens, and draws conclusions based on observed activities.
Example: Observing the functions carried out by nurses in a hospital by watching and recording their activities.
This method can be applied to any occupational group in any setting.
Problems with using observation as a method of data collection
Observation as a data collection method may face several problems, though not all occur every time.
When individuals or groups become aware they are being observed, they may change their behaviour, either positively or negatively.
This change due to observation is called the Hawthorne effect.
The Hawthorne effect can cause distortion, making observed behaviour not representative of normal behaviour.
There is a risk of observer bias if the observer is not impartial, which can affect observations and inferences.
Interpretations from observations may vary between different observers, causing inconsistency.
Incomplete observation or recording is possible and depends on the recording method.
An observer may focus on watching keenly but miss detailed recording, or take detailed notes but miss some interactions.