Primary Data Collection

“Philosophy of the Science Method”, written by John Stuart Mill during the 19^th century introduced primary research as a theory investigation (Lowe and Zemliansky, 2011). Primary data otherwise known as first-hand data is obtained through various data collection methods. The following are a list of methods discussed during ARMPD lectures:

• Participant Observation
• Structured Observation
• Case Study
• Focus Groups
• Surveys

Participant Observation

Participant observation is a data collection method well suited for qualitative research areas (Dewalt and Dewalt, 2002). Dewalt and Dewalt (2002) further state that it involves the researcher settling into a natural background to observe and learn the behavior of specified group of people. The data gathered will reflect the contexts, norms, values and behavior of people investigated. Non-participant research, the opposite of participant observation, leaves the observer anonymous to the observed group of people, similar to eavesdropping.

Structured Observation

Structured observation, a systematic approach for carrying out research, may involve a planned experiment in a natural environment to note down the changes in behavior of subjects due to the experiment.

Case Study

A case study is an in-depth analysis of a person’s or a company’s life span answered by Cherry (2012). It concentrates on every detail of a subject’s life in order to apply the findings to a general scenario, in other words results to general from specific.

Focus Groups

Aim of a focus group is to get the thoughts and ideas of a group of people when exploring an interesting topic for study. Nielsen (1997) limits focus groups to maximum of 5 to 9 individuals discussing a topic that is maintained by a moderator.

Surveys

A survey is a strategy to carry out research and it is not a method. Surveys are also defined as a process of collecting data using methods like; interviews, questionnaires, document reviews and observation.

Types of surveys:

• Postal Surveys
• Face-to-Face Surveys
• Telephone Interviews
• Email and Internet surveys

Steps to designing a Survey

The following are some steps to consider when designing a survey based on ARMPD Lectures:

Step1 – Specify Information requirements (What)

Step2 – Construct Questions

Step3 – Determine population (Who)

Step4 – Choose instrument (How)

Step5 – Pilot the Study

Step6 – Analyze and present the data

Survey Role Play during Lectures

The following is an analysis of a role-play conducted by students during ARMPD lectures based on surveys.

Postal Surveys involves sending questionnaires to people over via post.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Very honest opinions from people People could respond leisurely Participants are anonymous allowing them to answer with an open heart Have good reach to rural areas	Low responses, people do not take the trouble to send the answers back via post. It is takes time to reach the participant Can get lost during delivery Participant’s interpretation can be different from the researcher’s

Face-to-Face Surveys similar to a interview or a typical conversation between two people.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Ability deduce body language Covers plenty of qualitative aspects of data collected Flexibility to change and explain the question Obligation to answer	Takes time to individually interview participants Participant can lie Causes inconvenience to participant

Computer based (Internet and Email) involves sending the questionnaires to participants via email or social media sites for data collection:

Advantages	Disadvantages
Ability to collect a large volume of data Has a larger reach since many people use the internet Less costly mostly free Participants can answer leisurely	Some surveys can be given to the same person There is no control over reliability of the data collected Limited to only internet users

Telephone interviews are interviews conducted over the phone.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Large target participants Phones are always on meaning high chance of answering the call Ability to communicate verbally Feedback can be judged with verbal conversation	Participant can lie making data unreliable Telephone call charges are applied making it expensive if there is a large base Judgment is based on tone of the participant

Interviews

Interviews are set of questions asked by the research from the participant as a method of data collection. There are two types of interviews; Closed and Open ended.

Closed ended interviews are specific questions that have straight-forward answers like yes or no (Mindtools, 2014). Participants must select the most applicable answer out of list options. Commonly goes hand in hand with structured interviews that have well a defined and a planned set of questions.

Open-ended questions are flexible and broad questions that require explanation to answer if required. Mindtools.com (2014) further supports this by stating that open-ended questions have long answers. Commonly goes hand in hand with unstructured interviews that do not have a well defined set of question rather questions can vary based on the answer.

Approaches for interviewing

Pyramid - This type interview aims at starting with specific questions and moving on to broad open-ended question.

Funnel – It is opposite of the pyramid approach which starts-off with broad, open-ended questions and finishes with a specific question.

Diamond – A mixture of both pyramid and funnel approaches. It commences with closed ended questions, expands to broad questions and again narrows down the questioning for a specific problem.

Use of Data Collection Method for FYP Proposal

The business enterprise Pyramid Agencies Development will undergo a research/survey that will include a series of interviews, questionnaires and document reviews for data collection that will be, analyzed, later for problem statement clarification.

• All five employees will go through an unstructured, open-ended interview.
• Questionnaires will be, given, to the five employees for closed ended questions for specific problems.
• Documents review will take place, important reports for maintenance and repairs will be, reviewed.