Data Collection Techniques Readings

Powell Ch. 5

The steps to planning the questionnaire include:

1.     Write your problem statement.

2.     Review the literature

3.     Brainstorm a solution

4.     Figure out what information is needed to test the solution in step three.

5.     Identify your population.

6.     Pick the technique that will best serve to collect the data.

Open-ended questions: Also known as unstructured questions, these questions allow for free responses, where as a fixed response questions limit the possibilities in regards to answers.

Wildemuth Ch. 18

Data Cleansing: During data cleansing corrupt or unnecessary data is removed and raw data files are processed for secondary data sets. This could include user sessions, query sessions, term occurrences, etc.

Path Completion: Web log mining applications use path completion to add any page references that may be missing so that those that may not be included because of page caching will be included in the reined log and then analyzed.

Wildemuth Ch. 19

Think-aloud protocols: A Research method that is employed in order to understand a subjects cognitive processes based on any verbal reports of their thoughts that occur during experimentation.

Concurrent protocols: Concurrent protocols in general follow procedures of the protocol and ask the subjects to speak their thoughts out loud while working to solve problems.

Wildemuth Ch. 20

Direct Observation: A data method that is only appropriate when there is something to observe. This data method focuses on participant behavior in a setting.

Nonparticipant Observation: In nonparticipant observation, the researcher strictly observes only.  The researcher does not participate in the setting that is being observed.

Wildemuth Ch. 21

Participant Observation: Participant Observation is when the researcher, on top of participating in a setting, is also observing the setting and the population within it. By doing this, the researcher gains a greater understanding of the populations habits and culture.

Passive Participation: Passive participation is when the researcher is only consider a participant in that they are present in the setting being observed and researched.

Wildemuth Ch. 22

Research Diaries: Research diaries are a set of data collection instruments and/or techniques. This could be anything from descriptive event logs to narrative personal accounts.

Unstructured Diaries: An unstructured diary is an open-ended diary. The writer is given little to no guidance as to the content that should be included; this includes form as well.

Wildemuth Ch. 23

Unstructured Interview: An unstructured interview is an interview in which very little of the conversation is guided or preplanned. These types of interviews are dependent on social interaction between interviewer and subject.

Descriptive questions: Descriptive questions allow interviewees to give descriptions about their activities.

Wildemuth Ch. 24

Essential Questions: Questions that deal with the central focus of the research.

Probing questions: These require the interviewee to elaborate further on their answers to any given question. The purpose of these questions is to gather more information.

Wildemuth Ch. 25

Focus group: A group of people who are gathered by researchers in order to discuss a topic of research.

Focus Group moderator: A Focus group moderator keeps any focus group discussion on track and can lead to either success or failure of a focus group.

Wildemuth Ch. 26

Survey Research: Survey Research is a method in which researchers can statistically estimate the distribution of characteristics of a population based on a small part of the population being surveyed.

Pretesting: Pretesting is when the survey instrument is reviewed either by experts or even by members of the target audience.

Wildemuth Ch. 27

Construct: An object of measurement that scientists put together that does not exist previously as a observable dimension of behavior.

Cognitive or affective variables: These variables can include a person’s attitudes, interests, beliefs, or feelings and are not directly observable.

Wildemuth Ch. 28

Response style: A source of bias that is problematic because they lead to results that measure individual characteristics that are not the construct of interest.

Semantic Differential Scales: a response format that consists of a word or phrase as stimulus and adjectival pairs that are opposites. The adjectiveal pairs or displayed on a continuum and the resondants are to mark their attitude toward the stimulus by marking that point on the continuum