SUMMARY 3: Instrumentation II- interviews, checklists, observations, etc.

The use of appropriate recording forms involve in gathering data for research purpose. These are called tools or instruments of data collection. They consist of observations, interviews and checklist. The tools of data collection translate the research objectives into specific items, the responses will provide the data required to achieve the research objectives. In order to achieve this purpose, each item must deliver to the respondent the ideas required by the research objectives, and each item must obtain a response which can be analysed for fulfilling the research objectives.

Information gathered through the tools provides descriptions of characteristics of individuals, institutions or other phenomena under study. It is useful for measuring the various variables pertaining to the study. The variables and their interrelationships are analysed for testing the hypothesis or for exploring the content areas set by the research objectives.

A brief description of the various tools of data collection is given below.

 Observation 
It is one of the best tools in order to answer certain kinds of research questions. For example, in order to the effect of one learning style, observation can be done to look at the differences before one action to the new implication of another action. There are four different roles that a researcher can take, ranging a continuum from complete participant to complete observer. In participant observation studies, researchers will participate in the situation they are observing. Meanwhile in nonparticipant observation study, researchers do not participate in the activity being observed but rather sit and watch as they are not directly involve in the situation.


Interview 
Interviewing is an important way for a researcher to check the accuracy of the impressions of he or she has gained through observation. There are few types of interview.
a) structured and semistructured interviews are verbal questionnaires.
b) formal interview resembles casual conversations, pursuing the interests of both the researcher and the respondent in turn.
c) retrospective interviews can be structured, semistructured or informal. The researcher tries to get a respondent to recall and then construct from memory something that has happened in the past.It is the least likely to provide the reliable data.


Checklist
This is the simplest of all the devices. It consists of a prepared list of items pertinent to an object or a particular task. The presence or absence of each item may be indicated by checking 'yes' or 'no' or multipoint scale. The use of a checklist ensures a more complete consideration of all aspects of the object, act or task. Checklists contain terms, which the respondent understands, and which more briefly and succinctly express his views than answers to open-ended question. It is a crude device, but careful pre-test can make it less so. It is at best when used to test specific hypothesis. It may be used as an independent tool or as a part of a schedule/questionnaire.

more elaborations and explanations can be referred in HOW TO DESIGN AND EVALUATE RESEARCH IN EDUCATION by Fraenkel, Wallen and Hyun (8th edition). 


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