Module 2 Flashcards
(194 cards)
- typically explores specific and clearly defined questions that examine the relationship between events/occurrences
- Data could be gathered through surveys and questionnaires that are carefully developed and structured to provide you with numerical data that can be explored statistically and yield a result that can be generalised to some larger population
Quantitative research
- Exploratory and seeks to explain the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of a particular phenomenon
- Ex: Investigation of the ff:
- local knowledge and understanding of a given issue or programme
- people’s experiences, meanings and relationships
- social processes and contextual factors
Qualitative Research
Type of knowledge: subjective
Aim: Exploratory and observational
Characteristics: Flexible, Contextual portrayal, Dynamic, continuous view of change
Sampling: Purposeful
Qualitative Research
Data collection: semi-stuctured or unstructured
Nature of Data: Narratives, quotations, descriptions, value of uniqueness, particularity
Analysis: Thematic
Qualitative Research
Type of knowledge: Objective Aim: Generalizable and testing Characteristics: - Fixed and Controlled - Independent and dependent variable - pre- and post- treatment of change Sampling: Random
Quantitative research
Data collection: Structured
Nature of Data: Numbers and Statistics
Analysis: Statistical
Quantitative research
Data can be classified into two broad categories:
Qualitative Data: Characteristics or traits for which numerical value can not be assigned e.g. motivation, confidence, honesty integrity etc.
Quantitative Data: Characteristics or traits for which numerical value can be assigned, are called variables, e.g. Achievement Intelligence Aptitude, Height, Weight etc
CHARACTERISTICS OF QUANTITATIVE DATA
- They should be collected through standardized tests
* If self-made test is used it should be reliable and valid - They are highly reliable and valid
* Therefore, generalization an conclusions can be made easily with certain level of accuracy - They can be easily interpreted with scientific accuracy
CHARACTERISTICS OF QUANTITATIVE DATA
- The level of significance can also be determined
- The scoring system of this type of data is highly objective
- Its use is always based upon the purpose of the study
- Inferential statistics can be used
Four different levels of measurement namely:
- Nominal scale
- Ordinal scale
- Interval scale
- Ratio scale
- Least precise or crude of the four basic scales of measurement
- These are qualitative data which are mutually exclusive and exhaustive and do not mean hierarchy
- Numerals represent category or classification labels only
Nominal scale
- There is no particular order assigned to them
- The frequency or numbers are used to give a name to something that may be used for determining percent, mode
- Example: sex (male does not mean being better than female); boys and girls; pass and fail; rural and urban
Nominal scale
- More precise scale than the nominal scale
- Allows the assignment of values by arranging the observations in relative rank order
- No value is assigned to the distances to the positions of ranking
- Example: Economic class (low, middle, upper), scale of severity (none, mild, moderate, severe, very severe).
Ordinal scale
- More precise and refined scale than nominal and ordinal scales
- Has all the characteristics and relationship of the ordinal scale, besides which distances between any two numbers on the scale are known
Interval Measures
- The intervals between numbers are equal but not related to true zero
- They do not represent true quantity
- Example temperature, calendar years
Interval Measures
- Has the properties of interval scale plus two additional characteristics:
- This scale has a true, rather than arbitrary ‘zero’. It is possible to indicate the complete absence of property
- Ex: The zero point on a centimeter scale indicates the absence of height
Ratio scale
- Has the properties of interval scale plus two additional characteristics:
- The ratio scale numerals have the qualities of real numbers, and can be added, subtracted, multiplied; or divided
Ratio scale
Reporting of Quantitative Data
- Units - Ex: number of staff that have been trained; number of children enrolled in school for the first time
- Prices - Ex: amount of money spent on a building, or the additional revenue of farmers following a seed distribution programme
- Proportions/percentages - Ex: proportion of the community that has access to a service
Reporting of Quantitative Data (2)
- Rates of change - Ex: percentage change in average household income over a reporting period
- Ratios - Ex: ratio of midwives or traditional birth attendants to families in a region
- Scoring and ranking - Ex: scores given out of ten by project participants to rate the quality of service they have received
Quantitative Data Collection
- Surveys and questionnaires
- Biophysical measurements (Ex: height and weight of a child)
- Project records (Ex: the number of training events held and the number of participants attending)
- Service provider of facility data
- Measurement instrument for assessing individual’s attitudes, beliefs, behavior or attributes
- Before constructing your questionnaire be clear about its purpose and the information you want to get
Questionnaires
Design of the questionnaire can be split in to three elements:
- Determine the questions to be asked
- Select the question type for each question and specify the wording
- Design the question sequence and overall questionnaire layout
- A key link needs to be established between the research aims and the individual questions via the research issues
- Issues and questions can be determined through a combined process of exploring the literature and thinking creatively
Determine the Questions to be Asked
- limit the responses and the information to be collected to the available choices
- Advantage is that coding and analyses are often easy
- To avoid losing information it is best for close-ended questions to include all possible answers
- If this is not possible include “others and specify” as one of the choices
Close- Ended Questions