What Are Data?

The term data refers to the kinds of information researchers obtain on the subjects of
their research.
Demographic information, such as age, gender, ethnicity, religion, and so on, is one kind
of data; scores from a commercially available or researcher-prepared test are another.
Responses to the researchers questions in an oral interview or written replies to a survey
questionnaire are other kinds. Essays written by students, grade point averages obtained
from school records, performance logs kept by coaches, anecdotal records maintained by
teachers or counselorsall constitute various kinds of data that researchers might want
to collect as part of a research investigation. An important decision for every researcher
to make during the planning phase of an investigation, therefore, is what kind(s) of data
he or she intends to collect. The device (such as a penciland- paper test, a questionnaire,
or a rating scale) the researcher uses to collect data is called an instrument. *

KEY QUESTIONS
Generally, the whole process of preparing to collect data is called instrumentation . It
involves not only the selection or design of the instruments but also the procedures and
the conditions under which the instruments will be administered. Several questions
arise:
1. Where will the data be collected? This question refers to the location of the data
collection. Where will it be? in a classroom? a schoolyard? a private home? on the street?
2. When will the data be collected? This question refers to the time of collection. When is
it to take place? In the morning? afternoon? evening? over a weekend?
3. How often are the data to be collected? This question refers to the frequency of
collection. How many times are the data to be collected? only once? twice? more than
twice?
4. Who is to collect the data? This question refers to the administration of the
instruments. Who is to do this? the researcher? someone selected and trained by the
researcher?
These questions are important because how researchers answer them may affect the
data obtained. It is a mistake to think that researchers need only locate or develop a
good instrument. The data provided by any instrument may be affected by any or all of
the preceding considerations. The most highly regarded of instruments will provide
useless data, for instance,
if administered incorrectly; by someone disliked by respondents; under noisy,
inhospitable conditions; or when subjects are exhausted. All the above questions are
important for researchers to answer, therefore, before they begin to collect the data they
need. A researchers decisions about location, time, frequency, and administration are
always affected by the kind(s) of instrument to be used. And for it to be of any value,
every instrument, no matter what kind, must allow researchers to draw accurate
conclusions about the capabilities or other characteristics of the people being studied.
WHAT ARE DATA?
The term data refers to the kinds of information researchers obtain on the subjects of
their research.