1. Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited DATA COLLECTION AND PREPARATION FOR DATA ANALYSIS Chapter 16 Part 4 Sampling and Data Collection

2. LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1.To discuss the job and training requirements of fieldworkers 2.To understand how fieldworkers secure interviews 3.To understand the major principles of asking questions in the field 4.To discuss the activities involved in the management and supervision of fieldworkers 5.To define and explain the terms editing and coding 6.To code fixed-alternative and open-ended questions 7.To define the term code book What you will learn in this chapter Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–1

3. FieldworkerFieldworker  An individual who is responsible for gathering data in the field The Nature of Fieldwork Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–2

4. Field Interviewing ServiceField Interviewing Service  A research supplier that specializes in gathering data Briefing SessionBriefing Session  A training session to ensure that each interviewer is provided with common information to a particular project Who Conducts The Fieldwork? Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–3

5. Making Initial Contact and Securing the InterviewMaking Initial Contact and Securing the Interview  Researchers must be trained to make appropriate opening remarks that will convince the respondent that his or her cooperation is important  Assurance that the information provided will remain anonymous and confidential will potentially increase participation Who Conducts The Fieldwork? (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–4

6. Asking the QuestionsAsking the Questions 1.Ask the questions exactly as they are worded in the questionnaire 2.Read each question slowly 3.Ask the questions in the order in which they are presented in the questionnaire 4.Ask every question specified in the questionnaire 5.Repeat questions that are misunderstood or misinterpreted Who Conducts The Fieldwork? (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–5

7. ProbingProbing  The verbal prompts made by a fieldworker when the respondent must be motivated to communicate his or her answer or to enlarge on, clarify, or explain an answer  Probing tactics:  Repeating the question  Using a silent probe  Repeating the respondent’s reply  Asking a neutral question Who Conducts The Fieldwork? (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–6

8. Recording the ResponsesRecording the Responses  Each fieldworker should use the same mechanics of recording  The rules for recording responses to fixed-alternative questions vary with the specific questionnaire  The general instruction for recording open-ended questions is to record the response verbatim Who Conducts The Fieldwork? (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–7

9. Terminating the InterviewTerminating the Interview  Fieldworkers should not close the interview before they have secured all pertinent information  Avoiding hasty departures is a matter of courtesy and it allows recording the spontaneous comments respondents offer after all formal questions have been asked  The fieldworker should answer any respondent questions concerning the nature and purpose of the study to the best of his or her ability  It is extremely important to thank the respondent for his or her time and cooperation Who Conducts The Fieldwork? (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–8

10. Management and Supervision of the Fieldwork Project Briefing SessionProject Briefing Session  A briefing session should cover the background of the sponsoring organization, sampling techniques, asking of questions, callback procedures, and other matters specific to the particular project Role of Fieldwork SupervisionRole of Fieldwork Supervision  Direct supervision of fieldwork is necessary to ensure that the techniques communicated in the training sessions are implemented in the field Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–9

11. Management and Supervision of the Fieldwork (cont’d) Sampling VerificationSampling Verification  An important part of supervision is to verify that data collection is conducted according to the sampling plan  Careful recording of the number of completed surveys will help ensure that the sampling procedure is being properly conducted  Supervision can also identify whether the right people within the household or sampling unit are being contacted Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–10

12. Management and Supervision of the Fieldwork (cont’d) Interviewer CheatingInterviewer Cheating  The practice by fieldworkers of filling in fake answers or falsifying interviews Verification by Re-interviewingVerification by Re-interviewing  Verification  Quality-control procedures in fieldwork intended to ensure that interviewers are following the sampling procedures and to determine whether interviewers are cheating Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–11

13. EditingEditing EditingEditing  The process of checking the completeness, consistency, and legibility of data and making the data ready for coding and transfer to storage CodingCoding  The process of assigning a numerical score or other character symbol to previously edited data Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–12

14. Editing (cont’d) Field EditingField Editing  Preliminary editing by a field supervisor on the same day as the interview to catch technical omissions, check legibility of handwriting, and clarify responses that are logically or conceptually inconsistent In-house editingIn-house editing  A rigorous editing job performed by a centralized office staff Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–13

15. Editing (cont’d) Editing for ConsistencyEditing for Consistency  The in-house editor’s task is to adjust inconsistent or contradictory responses so that the answers will not be a problem for coders and keyboard operators Editing for CompletenessEditing for Completeness  Item nonresponse  The technical term for an unanswered question on an otherwise complete questionnaire  Plug value  An answer that an editor “plugs in” to replace blanks or missing values so as to permit data analysis; choice of value is based on a predetermined decision rule Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–14

16. Editing (cont’d) Editing Questions Answered Out of OrderEditing Questions Answered Out of Order  Another task an editor may face is rearranging the answers given to open-ended questions Facilitating the Coding ProcessFacilitating the Coding Process  Several editing procedures are designed specifically to simplify the coding process  For example, the editor checks to make sure every circled response is clearly definable; a response that overlaps two numbers and could be either 3 or 4 must be judged Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–15

17. Editing (cont’d) Editing and Tabulating “Don’t Know” AnswersEditing and Tabulating “Don’t Know” Answers  The legitimate “don’t know” means the same as “no opinion  The reluctant “don’t know” is given when the respondent simply does not want to answer the question and wishes to stop the interviewer from asking more Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–16

18. Editing (cont’d) Mechanics of EditingMechanics of Editing  When space on the questionnaire permits, the original data usually are left in to permit a subsequent editor to identify the original concepts Pitfalls of EditingPitfalls of Editing  To do a proper editing job, the editor must be intelligent, experienced, and objective Pre-testing EditPre-testing Edit  Editing questionnaires during the pre-test stage can prove very valuable Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–17

19. CodingCoding CodesCodes  Rules for interpreting, classifying, and recording data in the coding process; also, the actual numerical or other character symbols assigned to raw data The Data MatrixThe Data Matrix  A rectangular arrangement of data in rows and columns  Direct data entry  The use of an online computer terminal as an input device for data storage Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–18

20. Coding (cont’d) Code ConstructionCode Construction  The coding categories should be exhaustive; coding categories should be provided for all subjects, objects, or responses  The coding categories should be mutually exclusive and independent; there should be no overlap among the categories, to ensure that a subject or response can be placed in only one category Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–19

21. Coding (cont’d) Pre-coding Fixed-Alternative QuestionsPre-coding Fixed-Alternative Questions  Pre-coding can be used if the researcher knows what the answer categories will be before data collection occurs Coding Open-Ended QuestionsCoding Open-Ended Questions  The purpose of coding open-ended questions is to reduce the large number of individual responses to a few general categories of answers that can be assigned numerical codes Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–20

22. Coding (cont’d) Devising the Coding SchemeDevising the Coding Scheme  A coding scheme should not be too elaborate  The coder’s task is only to summarize the data Code BookCode Book  A book that identifies each variable in a study and gives the variable’s description, code name, and position in the data matrix Editing and Coding CombinedEditing and Coding Combined  Frequently the person coding the questionnaire performs certain editing functions Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–21

23. Coding (cont’d) Computerized Data ProcessingComputerized Data Processing  Data entry  The activity of transferring data from a research project to computers  Optical scanning system  A data processing input device that reads material directly from mark sensed questionnaires Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–22

24. RecodingRecoding RecodeRecode  To use a computer to convert original codes used for raw data into codes that are more suitable for analysis Error CheckingError Checking  The final stage in the coding process is error checking and verification, or data cleaning, to ensure that all codes are legitimate Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 16–23