1. CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

2. Sections in methodology:
Setting, participants, duration
Data collection: Instrument to collect data. Systematic data collection provides valid and reliable data.
Data analysis: Compilation and interpretation of primary and secondary sources of information.
Statistics: Need to have knowledge in statistics in quantitative research.

3. through questionnaire,
SOURCES OF DATA
Primary Source
Data collected by
researchers of the
current study.
Data gathered
through questionnaire,
interviews,
observations etc.
Secondary Source
Data collected,
compiled or
written by other
researchers e.g. books,
journals, newspapers
All sources must
be acknowledged.

4. Quantitative data
vs.
Qualitative data

5. Primary sources: Quantitative
 Used to quantify size, distribution and association of variables in a study population.
 Ask questions such as ‘How many?’ ‘How often?’ and ‘How significant?’
 Answers to questions can be counted and expressed numerically.
 Use structured questionnaires that allow the researcher to quantify pre- or post-categorised answers to questions.

6. Primary sources: Qualitative
 Identify and explore mutually related variables about human behaviour (motivations, opinions, attitudes).
 Asks questions - ‘What is the nature and causes of the problem?” and “What are the consequences to affected group?”
 Use flexible techniques – loosely structured interviews with open-ended questions, focus group discussions, and participant observation.
 Produce qualitative data often recorded
in narrative form.

7. METHODS TO COLLECT PRIMARY DATA
Interviews
Questionnaires
Experiment
Case Study
Observation
However, for a small-scale social sciences study, the most commonly used methods are interviews, questionnaires and observations.

8. face to face, by telephone,
Effective way
of gathering
information
Involves verbal
and non-verbal
communications
INTERVIEW
Can be conducted
face to face, by telephone,
online or through mail

9. ACTIVITY: Class – read aloud
Both Autism and Asperger’s syndrome are increasingly referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorders, in that they cause delays in typical development of a child across a broad range of areas. Asperger's syndrome is at the milder end of this spectrum. These disorders begin in early childhood and continue through to adult life. They affect three crucial areas of development, which are sometimes referred to as the triad of impairments:
• Verbal and nonverbal communication
• Social interaction
• Imaginative or creative play.
Source:

10. ACTIVITY: Individual task
Go to this website and read the article.

12. ACTIVITY: Teamwork
If you were a police officer,
Who are you going to interview?
What are 3 questions you would like to ask during the interview?

13. To avoid misleading answers by interviewees:
Introduce purpose of study adequately.
Phrase questions on sensitive issues in a
positive way.
Take sufficient time for the interview.
Assure confidentiality.
Information bias; Quality of data, missing cases.

14. data collected from the interview
EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW
Prepare your interview schedule
Select your subjects/ key informants
Conduct the interview
Analyze and interpret
data collected from the interview

15. Observations Observe verbal & Need to keep non-verbal communication,
surrounding atmosphere,
culture & situation
Need to keep
meticulous records of
the observations
Observations
Can be done through discussions,
observations of habits, rituals,
review of documentation,
experiments

16. ACTIVITY: Individual task
Watch this video clip. Note down your observation.

17. ACTIVITY: Teamwork
Can you come up with suggestions and/ or conclusions
based on your observation notes?
If yes, what are they?
If no, why?

18. To avoid observer bias:
See or hear things of interest and miss critical information.
Need observation guidelines to conduct loosely structured interviews.
Data collectors work in pairs to discuss and interpret data immediately after collecting it (while the information is freshly memorized).

19. EFFECTIVE OBSERVATION
Determine what needs to be observed
(Plan, prepare checklist, how to record data)
Select your participants
Random/Selected
Conduct the observation
(venue, duration, recording materials, take photographs )
Compile data collected
Analyze and interpret data collected

20. Questionnaire Useful to collect The most common
data collection instrument
Useful to collect
quantitative and qualitative
information
Questionnaire
Contain 3 important elements:
Introduction – to explain the objectives
Instructions – must be clear, simple language & short
User-friendly – avoid difficult or ambiguous questions

21. Basic terminologies:
 Scales of measurement – nominal,
ordinal, interval and ratio
 Sample and population
 Sampling methods
 Reliability and validity
 Normal distribution
 Hypotheses testing
 Tests of significance
 Interpretation of data

22. Basic types of survey questions
Open-ended Questions
Free-response
(Text Open End)
Fill-in relevant information
Close-ended Questions
Dichotomous question
Multiple-choice
Rank
Scale
Categorical
Numerical

23. ACTIVITY: Teamwork
Take out the questionnaire you found from the Internet.
Compare the questionnaire that you found with your team
members. Choose the best one to illustrate the different
types of survey questions in that questionnaire.

24. Defective questionnaires:
- fixed or closed questions asking ‘wrong things’
- open-ended questions without guidelines
- vague questions
- leading questions
- double barrel questions
- questions not in sequence
- weighing scales not standardised

25. EFFECTIVE QUESTIONNAIRE
Prepare your survey questions
(Formulate & choose types of questions, order them,
write instructions, make copies)
Select your respondents/sampling
Random/Selected
Administer the survey questionnaire
(date, venue, time )
Tabulate data collected
(Statistical analysis-frequency/mean/correlation/% )
Analyze and interpret data collected

26. Any questions so far?

27. To be continued…

28. DATA ANALYSIS Summary sheet
1. To analyse data from interviews and observation, use
Checklist
Manually
2. To analyse data from questionnaires, use
SPSS
3. In a small scale study, the most common forms of statistical analysis presented are:
Frequency
Mean
Percentage

29. DATA INTERPRETATION It involves 2 terms
‘Results’ – presentation of data/findings (statistics)
‘Discussion’ – interpretation of data/findings
Things to consider when interpreting your data:
Interpret findings based on the purpose and
objectives of your study
Relate the findings to real life context
Use persuasive language to convince your readers
to see the research from your point of view.
Order your interpretation to highlight the
most important findings
Include limitations to your research.
Use simple, clear language

30. THANK YOU