What is data?

1. What is data? (or, of methods and madness)

2. Data is just information gathered for a particular purpose.

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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 • SocSci IRB

7. 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

8. Surveys • Researcher designs specific questions for participants to answer • Easy to administer, hard to design • Qualtrics @ UF – access through e-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 • SocSci IRB

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

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

11. 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 • Census • Art • Historical documents • UF repository • Other people’s data • Provides novel perspective!