Research Methodology Lecture No : 12 (Data Collection-Interview) 1

Recap 2

Primary Data Primary Data = information obtained exclusively for current research Personal Interview Focus Groups Panels Delphi Technique Telephone Interview – Computer assisted telephone interviewing and Computer administered telephone survey Self-Administered Surveys

Secondary Data Company Archives Gov Publications Industry Analysis

Primary Data Collection Methods Focus Group Panels Interviews (face to face, telephone, electronic media) Questionnaires (personally, mail, electronic) Observation Other (projective tests)

Focus Group: Usually consist of 8 to 10 members, with a moderator leading the discussion for 2 hours on a particular topic, concept or product. Member are chosen on the bases of their expertise on the topic. E.g Discussion on computers and computing, or women mothers, social networking etc Less expensive and usually done for exploratory information. Cannot be generalized 6

Panels: Similar to focus group but meets more than once in order to study the change or interventions need to be studies over a period of time. Members are randomly chosen E.g effect of advertisement of a certain brand need to be assessed quickly, panel members could be exposed to the advertisement and intention of purchase could be assessed. When the product is modified then the response of the panel can be observed 7

Observation measures: Methods through which primary data is collected without the involving people. E.g: Wear and tear of books, section of an office, seating area of railway station which indicate the popularity, frequency of use etc. E.g: The number of cans in the dust bin and their brands, the number of motor cycles vs cars parked in the university parking lot 8

Interviewing: Collect data from the respondent on an issue of interest. Usually administered at the exploratory stage of the research. In case large set of respondents are needed then more than one interviewer are used, hence they need to be trained so that biases, voice inflections, difference in wording are avoided Structured and Unstructured

Un Structured: No planned sequence of questions, help in exploring preliminary issues. e.g. Tell me something about your unit and department, and perhaps even the organization as a whole in terms of work, employee and whatever else you think is important” “Compared to other departments, what are the strengths and weakness of your department” 10

In case they identify a difference you can ask “How can you improve the situation ?” Encouraging the respondent to reflect on the positive and negative aspects of it. Try to pleasant and see if the respondent is not comfortable. 11

Through unstructured the different major areas might be exposed. It from these the researcher can pick some areas as focus variables which need further probing. Now the researcher can device a more focused approach and develop a more structured interview emphasizing on some particular issues. 12

Structured: Know at the outset what information is needed. Focusing on factors relevant to the problem. The focus is on the factors which have surfaced during the un structured interview. 13

E.g: During the previous unstructured interview it was identified that the department needs improvement. Now you can focus on questions which addresses how to improve the department, i.e. the factors which can improve the department 14

This can be done through face to face, over the telephone or through the computers via internet. Specific same questions are asked from different respondents. The information collected is tabulated and then the data is analyzed. 15

The result could highlight the important factors influencing the issues. This information is of qualitative in nature which could be then empirically tested and verified using other methods like questionnaires. 16

Guideline for Interviews Listen carefully Motivate the respondents How to take notes Built proper trust and rapport with interviewee Clarification of complex issues Physical setting Explaining the reasons for research and criteria of selection

Face to Face Adv :Clarify doubts, repeating, rephrasing, getting non verbal cues Dis : vast resources required, cost, anonymity

Telephone: Adv : Wider reach in short time, some time easy to discuss personal information over the phone Dis: Can be terminated without warning, cannot have a prolonged interview, non verbal cue. 19

Closed vs. Open Questions Easy. Cost of coding is reduced. Quicker, standardized interviews. Can be answered without thinking. Pre-testing is a must. Limit the richness of data.

Recap The Data is collected from primary and secondary sources The primary data collect via Observation, panels, interviews, questionnaires etc Interview are structure and unstructured While interviewing there are certain guidelines There are structured and unstructed interviews There are some advantages / disadvantages of face to face vs telephone interviews. 21