Lecture 4: Approaches to Data Collection The Islamic University of Gaza- Higher Studies Deanery Research writing (MMCD 6304) Lecture 4: Approaches to Data Collection Mohammed Alhanjouri

Research Design and Methodology Research design is an action plan for getting from ‘A’ to ‘B’, where ‘A’ may be defined as the initial set of questions to be answered, and ‘B’ is some set of conclusion (answers) about these questions. Between ‘A’ and ‘B’ may be found a number of major steps, including the collection and analysis of relevant data

Quantitative research Research strategy There are two types of research strategies Quantitative research Qualitative research depending on the purpose of the study and the type and availability of the information which is required. Quantitative research Quantitative research (objective) It is defined as an inquiry استفسار into a social or human problem, based on testing a hypothesis or a theory composed of variables, measured with numbers, and analyzed with statistical procedures, in order to determine whether the hypothesis or the theory hold true. Quantitative data is: - Not abstract مادي - They are hard and reliable صعبة وموثوق بها - They are measurements of tangible قياسات ملموسة - Countable قابل للعد - Sensate features of the world مدرك بالحواس

Quantitative research is selected to: Find facts about a concept, a question or an attribute. Collect factual evidence and study the relationship between facts to test a particular theory or hypothesis. Examples for quantitative questions: What was the programmed and the actual construction duration of the project (in weeks)? What was the final cost/sq. m. of the project? What method of construction did you use to build the project? How many fatal accidents has your company been involved with over the past three years?

2. Qualitative research (subjective): Placement of the theory in quantitative research (objective) A theory is commonly understood to have certain characteristics. A theory presents a systematic view of phenomena by specifying relationships among variables A theory can be introduced as: Series of hypotheses/sub-hypotheses in the form of if . . . then’ logic statements. A hunch. حدس 2. Qualitative research (subjective): It emphasises meanings, experiences (often verbally described), description and so on. Two categories of research: Exploratory Attitudinal

Exploratory research: is used when you have a limited amount of knowledge about your topic. The interview technique is usually selected as a method of data collection Three interrelated purposes to select exploratory research: - Diagnosing a situation, - Screening alternatives - To discover new ideas Example: preliminary interviews with employees by managers. Questionnaire construction can be asked in the exploratory study. (What or How) (non-directional wording) (change during the study) (open-ended questions)

Attitudinal research: is used to ‘subjectively’ evaluate the ‘opinion’, ‘view’, or the ‘perception’ of a person, towards a particular object Example: Do you think that …. (Yes / No / Difficult to say) 1. Agree strongly 2. Agree 3. Disagree 4. Disagree strongly 5. No opinion. Determine the ranks of alternatives Placement of the theory in qualitative research (subjective) There is no standard terminology or rules about placement The placement of theory in qualitative research tends to be towards the end of the study

Comparing quantitative and qualitative research

Approaches to data collection Fieldwork (Primary data collection) The survey approach. The case study approach. The problem-solving approach (action research). Desk study (Secondary data collection)

Fieldwork (Primary data collection) The survey approach There are two types of surveys available: The descriptive survey: to answer such questions as: How many? Who? What is happening? Where? and When? It deals with counting the number of respondents with certain opinions towards a specific object. The analytical survey. to establish relationship and association between the attributes/objects of your questionnaire

The case study approach There are three types of case study designs: 1- The descriptive case study (counting), 2- The analytical case study

3. The explanatory case study which is the theoretical approach to the problem

The theoretical/conceptual framework can either: Be a self-designed framework which can be formed as a result of a literature search coupled with informal interviews with persons who have a wealth of knowledge about the subject area. Use a previous theoretical/conceptual framework. Modify an existing framework.

Problem-solving approach (action research) This type of research is more attractive to students from the professional backgrounds who have identified a problem during the course of their work and wish to investigate and propose a change to improve the situation.

desk study (Secondary data collection) Secondary information has some distinctive advantages over primary data collection effort. Time Cost Higher-quality May provide a useful comparative tool 1- Statistical format Refers to official statistics collected by the state and its agencies that collected by registration or self-survey 2- Descriptive documents Archival document