What is data? (OR, OF METHODS AND MADNESS)

Data is just information gathered for a particular purpose.

Method  Data Flavor #1: Primary Research Data First hand – data gathered by the researcher through some sort of method Yields both quantitative and qualitative data

Observation Researcher plans to look at a particular thing for a particular thing ◦Low impact research – presence only – no deliberate interaction with living beings ◦Low impact or no IRB ◦Yields both quantitative and qualitative data

Participant Observation Researcher plans to look at a particular thing for a particular thing or for general understanding ◦Researchers becomes part of or joins the environment ◦Most common when observing social beings, such as humans ◦Low impact or social sciences IRB ◦Yields mostly qualitative data

Interviews: individual Researcher talks to one person about a particular topic ◦Usually recorded ◦Core questions planned ◦Can allow improvisation ◦Can talk to many people ◦Yields mostly qualitative data ◦Soc Sci IRB

Interviews: focus group Researcher gathers particular people in small groups (3-7) to ask specific questions ◦Some room for improvisation ◦Usually recorded ◦Careful consideration for group composition ◦Yields basic quantitative data ◦Yields mostly qualitative data ◦Low impact or social sciences IRB

Surveys Researcher designs specific questions for participants to answer ◦Easy to administer, hard to designhard to design UF – access through e-learninge-learning ◦Can use a mix of text and image ◦Minimum of 30 for any kind of reliability ◦Yields mostly quantitative data with some qualitative ◦Always has problem of population and self-report ◦Soc Sci IRB

Experimental Quasi-Experimental Prospective, planned method where researcher controls variables to extent possible Measures participant behavior relative to a particular (independent) variable

Method  Data Flavor #2: Secondary Research Does NOT require IRB Also includes “re-use” of existing data

Sources of secondary research Any existing thing, structure, object, place, publication, data source! ◦Census ◦Art ◦Historical documents ◦UF repository ◦Other people’s data Provides novel perspective!