1 Research Paper Writing Mavis Shang 97 年度第二學期 Section VI

2 Data Collection I.Why collect data? To know what certain people are thinking or doing by asking them questions II.Quantitative data collection: Use questionnaires and show “numbers” to inform the user the “information” A. Primary data: To serve specific research purpose B. Secondary data: Collected by others

3 III. Asking questions: Get information (data) by filling in the questionnaire as the basis of data collection for , postal and telephone surveys and structured and semi-structured interviews A. Structured interview = closed questions = answer predetermined items B. Semi-structured interview = open-ended questions = answer freely in own words (e.g., What were the main difficulties for RP writing?) Data Collection

4 Type of Questions OpenClosed ClassificationalListsRankingScale

5 1. Classificational questions: To classify respondents by gender, age, occupation, etc. (personal information) e.g., Age last birthday? □ Under 18 □ □ □ □ Data Collection

6 2. List questions: To ask respondents to select one answer e.g., Specify the length of learning English. □ less than 3 years □ 4-6 years □ 7-9 years □ years □ more than 12 years

7 Data Collection 3. Ranking questions: To give an order or preference e.g., Rank the following factors in order of importance if you want to be a good English writer. (from 5 the most important to 1 the least important) □ grammar □ vocabulary □ background knowledge □ reading ability □ Chinese language ability

8 Data Collection 4. Scale (rating) questions: To determine the strength of views or opinions e.g., How likely do you like (agree) grammar instruction? Very likely (Agree strongly) 5 Quite likely (Agree slightly) 4 Neither likely (Agree) nor unlikely (Disagree) 3 Quite unlikely (Disagree slightly) 2 Very unlikely (Disagree strongly) 1

9 C. Framing questions: 1. Avoid bias and leading questions: e.g., Would you agree that ……? 2. Avoid shorthand: e.g., Would an application of CALL …….? 3. Avoid ambiguous words: e.g., “usually, frequently, or recently” 4. Avoid long questions: Short and simple questions are more effective Data Collection

10 Data Collection 5. Avoid negative questions: e.g., Do you never ……..? 6. Avoid hypothetical questions: e.g., If you were a millionaire, would you …….? 7. Avoid irrelevant questions 8. Make respondents feel easy to answer questions: e.g., What did you do last week? (too broad) Have you done any of the following things last week? (easier to answer)

11 Data Collection 9. Avoid yes-no questions 10. Provide “classification” type data: e.g., age, sex, previous training in writing, etc. for demographic information 11. Add comments for in-depth information: e.g., In your opinion, what ….?

12 IV. Qualitative Data Collection: Collect data by interviewing and conducted individually or in a group 1. Focus group interviews: Fewer than 10 questions 2. Open-ended questions: Allow more self-reflections 3. Avoid using “why” questions: Use “how come” or “what” 4. Carefully develop the questions by doing pilot testing 5. Provide enough information for understanding 6. Arrange questions from general to specific Data Collection

13 Data Collection 7. Listen more, talk less, and ask “real questions” (the interviewer doesn’t already know or anticipate the response) 8. Try to get “inner voice” instead of “superficial” information 9. Take notes and bring tape-recorder: Easy to transcribe 10. Ask questions when you do not understand: Ask for examples or concrete details

Explore laughter, pauses, facial expressions 12. Ask participants to tell a story: To get a complete picture (transcription model 1 and model 2)model 1 model Follow your instincts: Try to feel participants’ feelings Data Collection

15 Data Collection V. Benefits of using a questionnaire in interviewing: A. To ensure covering all of the questions B. Can explore more in-depth information within each of the questions C. Collect both quantitative and qualitative data altogether