Unit 5: Qualitative Research Design and Methodology

Lesson 3: Methods of Data Collection for

Qualitative Research

Contents
Engage 1
Introduction 1
Objectives 2

Explore 2

Explain and Elaborate 3

Qualitative Research Data Collection Methods 3
Interviews 3
Focus Group Discussion 8
Observation 9
Document Analysis 11

Extend 1​3
Activity 1 1​3
Activity 2 1​4

Evaluate 1​5

Wrap Up 16

Bibliography 17
Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

Engage

Introduction

Fig. 1. People having a tour in the park

Have you ever tried walking in the park, and then find yourself sitting and observing the
people around you? While carefully observing them, we notice how they interact with other
people, how they behave, and even how they talk. These observations might be
unimportant or of little value to us. Little did we know, these observations might be
important for people who study human behavior.

In qualitative research, observations are one of the methods used to gather data for a
research study. ​The detailed descriptions of people's actions, activities, and behavior play a
significant role in the study of a certain phenomenon that the researcher is interested in​.
However, what are the other methods that we can use to collect data for our research? How
do we ensure that we collect rich and substantial data?

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Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

Objectives
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Identify the different methods of data collection for qualitative research.
● Choose an appropriate data collection method for a research study.

DepEd Competency
Plan data collection and analysis procedures. ​ (CS_RS11-IVa-c-3)

Explore

10 minutes
Find a partner. Using a sheet of paper, list down five characteristics that you believe your
partner possesses. Afterward, determine if the qualities you have listed are correct.

Guide Questions
1. What are the characteristics of your partner that you got right? ​What are the
characteristics that you got wrong​?

2. How were you able to verify the accuracy of your answers?

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Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

3. How did you come up with the list of characteristics of your partner?

Explain and Elaborate

Qualitative Research Data Collection Methods

In qualitative research, data are often ​expressed in words rather than being measured.
This is because the main purpose of this research is to ​explore how people understand
the things that happen around them. Some of the most common data collection methods
in qualitative research are interviews, focus group discussions, observational methods, and
document analysis.

Review
● Qualitative research explores how people make sense of their
experiences.
● Qualitative research is complex, personal, and rich; thus, it is ​not in
the form of numbers​ or measurements.

Interviews
The most commonly used data collection method in qualitative research is interviewing
(Merriam, and Tisdell 2016). Hence, in some studies, it is considered as the only source of
data. In an interview, a researcher and a participant engage in a conversation wherein the
questions focus on the topic of the research study.

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Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

Generally, interviews are conducted when the researcher has the study participants in mind
who suit the selection criterion required for the research study. This way, the researcher can
ask them to participate during the interview process. However, the decision to use an
interview as a method of data collection must be dependent on the type of information
needed by the researcher and whether interviewing can provide this information.

What are the things that you should remember in

conducting a good interview?

Interview Structures
Interviews can be categorized in different ways. For this discussion, we will focus on the
three fundamental types of interviews: structured, semi-structured, and unstructured.

Structured interviews can be described as a ​list of preset questions to be asked to the

interviewee. In this type of interview, there are ​no follow-up questions to the responses of
participants that might need further elaboration. In addition, one of the key characteristics
that it has is that since questions are prespecified, the ​researcher only prints and gives
out the interview guide to the participant and the participant answers it. However, if
done verbally, this could be conducted by setting up interviews with the participant, giving
the interview guide beforehand, and conducting the interview afterward. The key factor is to
only ask what is in the guide​, which gives a disadvantage of ​not ​being able to elaborate
the participant’s answer​.

Let us try to examine this example: You are tasked to study the decision-making process of
junior high school students in choosing their track in senior high school with a study title
“Staying on Track: JHS Decision-Making Process in Choosing SHS Tracks.” You are more likely
to ask the following questions:
1. ​What are your hobbies and interests?
2. Do you consider your hobbies and interests as a deciding factor in choosing your SHS
track?
3. What track do your parents like you to take up in SHS?

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Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

4. How do your parents influence you in the track that you will take?
5. Are you pressured by your peers on the track that you are going to choose?

Assume that this is part of the interview guide, one disadvantage of this kind of interview is
that you are limited to what the participants wrote and answered. Like in no. 2 and no. 5 if
the participants answered yes or no, you as the researcher could not proceed to a follow-up
question in elaborating the answer.

Semi-structured interviews ​are ​more open-ended compared to structured interviews.

There are only a ​few predetermined questions prepared by the researcher and the
participants are encouraged to ​elaborate their responses to the questions rather than
skipping to the next question.

​ ​Tip
In an interview, it is a must to ask questions that address the
objectives of the research.

Let us try to analyze this study. Supposing that you are tasked to look into the reasons why
grade 10 students are more engaged in science when experiments are used as an
instructional technique rather than lecture-discussion, and it has a study title of “Science
Experiments inside the Grade 10 Class: A Phenomenological Critique​.” ​In this study, you may
select students whom you want to talk to after the conducted science experiment and you
are more likely to ask them for a schedule on the best time that they could be interviewed,
you may also give them a copy of the interview guide. However, in the conduct of the
interview this is most likely to happen:

Researcher: Hi, thank you for taking the time to talk with me. I would like to ask, ​did you enjoy
the experiment?
Participant: Yes, I enjoyed the experiment.
Researcher: W
​ hat was the most interesting part of the experiment?

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Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

Participant: The changing of the solution’s colors in the beaker.

Researcher: What makes you say that the changing of the solution’s colors in the beaker is the
most interesting compared to the other events that happened?
Participant: I am really fascinated by how different chemicals interact with one another and form
different colors. I enjoy science when I see these kinds of events happening.

All of the highlighted parts of the conversation are part of the interview guide, but you may
make ​follow-up questions to elaborate ​on the participant’s answer. This is one
characteristic of the semi-structured interview that will allow you to ​probe your
participant​. However, it may have disadvantages since not all questions are documented or
your participant may choose not to answer it. Also, it is ​harder to defend if it is not
properly transcribed.

​ ​Tip
Good questions are free of bias, open-ended, and not leading in order
for the respondents to freely express their answers.

Unstructured interviews are exploratory and ​lack a predetermined set of questions​.

This is commonly used when ​little is known about the phenomenon being studied. The
unstructured interview may serve as a precursor to formulate subsequent interviews in the
future about a certain topic. In addition, this type of interview is done casually, and most of
the time does not appear to be an interview at all; hence, it a
​ ppears to be conversational​.

If you were tasked to look into the financial literacy of financial advisors with a study title
“Advising Financially: A Look into the Lives, Financial Acumen, and Contentment of Financial
Advisors​,”​ you would most likely have this conversation:

(Over chat)
Researcher: Hey, brother. I heard you are already a financial advisor. How is it?
Informant: Hey, bro. Yah, I’m in the insurance industry now. This is one of the best careers I had.

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Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

Researcher: Great to know that bro. I heard it is quite rewarding financially too. How do you
actually earn from it?
Informant: Its sales and commission-based bro.
Researcher: Wow! It might really be paying high. I bet you already have a car, house, and all you
have desired since we were in high school.
Informant: Not yet brother, I just earned one SUV and a bungalow. I wish by 2025 to have a
high-end sports car and a three-story residence.

As assumed, you as a researcher only did a conversation with your informant. One good
advantage that this type of interview possesses is that ​your informant will share more​,
and the more they share, the broader your understanding may be. However, just like any
other interviews, it would n
​ eed to be transcribed well​ for it to be accepted.

The following table shows the overview of the interview structures.

Table 1. Advantages and disadvantages of the different types of interviews (Langdridge, and
Hagger-Johnson 2013)

Structured Interview Semi-structured Unstructured

Interview Interview

Advantages ● Easy to administer ● Produces responses ● Rich data

● Can be replicated
● More objective
● Less susceptible to
bias
● Can be generalized
to other studies
that are not limited to ● Less formal
fixed answers ● The participant is
● Gives data that are more relaxed
easily analyzed and ● More flexible
compared
● Nothing missed

Disadvantages ● Limited response of ● Less natural ● More difficult to

the participant ● Limited make sense of the
● Prone to generalization data
misinterpretation of ● Loss of flexibility for ● Susceptible to
results due to poor the researcher interviewer bias
question wording ● Might affect the data ● Unsystematic
● Reduced richness of because of the ● May not be reliable
data wording of the
questions

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Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

Focus Group Discussion

Focus group discussions require a group of people to ​participate in a discussion about a
certain topic. The participants most commonly have similar characteristics depending on the
researcher’s selection criterion (e.g., university students, people with disabilities). A focus
group usually has ​five to 10 participants ​for easier facilitation. Focus group discussions are
useful in generating a deeper understanding of participants’ experiences and beliefs.

​ ​Tips
Organizing a focus group discussion must be systematic. ​The
researcher must decide how the recruitment and sampling of the
participants will be processed and how the data will be collected.
The topic list must be formulated and prepared beforehand.

In contrast to interviews, focus group discussions are often conducted with a group of
people. Although this method has a similarity with interviews, it differs in a way wherein the
participants lead the discussion rather than the facilitator​. The role of the facilitator is
to mainly keep the discussion alive. This allows the participants to freely discuss their
perspectives and talk about their differences in opinions. According to Gill et al., the quality
of a focus group discussion can be determined by the group composition and size. The
interaction among the participants is key​ for a successful focus group discussion.

Focus group discussions must be avoided given the following criteria (Morgan 1998):
● The participants are not comfortable around each other and might result in not
expressing freely their opinions and feelings.
● The research topic is something the participants do not like to discuss.
● The research study requires statistical data. This is not the purpose of focus group
discussions since it provides data that gives different insights.

Let us assume that in research entitled, “Palarong Pinoy: An Alternative Play for Grades 1-3
Gadget Hooked Children,​” you will need to conduct ​palarong pinoy first and then afterward
gather the children for them to undergo focus group discussions. In this way, the children

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Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

will be able to tell their experiences in playing ​palarong pinoy​. The focus group discussion
may elicit easy analysis of agreements and disagreements of the participants. Hence, richer
data will be collected.

Observation
Observation is common in different types of qualitative research such as case studies,
action research, and ethnographic studies. It is an appropriate method to use to gather
descriptive information about a certain behavior or phenomenon in their natural setting.

Observations are usually ​conducted where the phenomenon of interest naturally

occurs​. The data gathered from observations are often considered as ​firsthand
encounters of the phenomenon, rather than a secondhand account such as that of data
gathered on interviews. A research observation must be systematic, addresses the research
question, and must be verified using other related data.

How can you differentiate a simple observation

from a research observation?

Observation Structures
Similar to an interview, an observation also varies in the degree of the structure set by the
researcher. Observations can either be fully structured with controlled observation or
naturalistic.

Fully structured observations are also referred to as laboratory observation. The reliability
of this type of observation is being maximized by collecting the data in a systematic manner
while controlling extraneous variables. This is normally conducted by science-inclined
researchers in which observation may happen with the easiest phenomenon like growth of
a plant under the sun and in darkness, or the ​complex observations about the reactions of
chemicals with each other​.

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Naturalistic observation is when the observer studies people in their natural environment.
In this type of observation, the researcher tries to be discreet to maintain the
meaningfulness of data. In this way, business-inclined researchers may observe how the
staff interact with one another when their supervisor is around compared to when their
supervisor is somewhere else.

The table below summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of
observations according to the structure:

Table 2. Advantages and disadvantages of the different types of observation (Langer and
Hagger-Johnson, 2013)

Fully Structured Observation Naturalistic Observation

Advantages ● Extraneous variables are ● The behavior of the participants

controlled are naturally occurring
● Systematic ● Can be useful when the
● Can be replicated phenomenon to be studied cannot
● Minimized observer bias be done in a laboratory

Disadvantages ● Interferes the natural ● Likelihood of the observer to

environment of the participant
● The behavior of the
participants may be artificial
● Risks for ethical considerations
interfere with natural behavior
● Extraneous variables are not
controlled
● More susceptible to observer bias
● Difficult to replicate

Participant Observation
Participant observation produces meaningful data that addresses the issue of the observer
being obtrusive. In this type of observation, the researcher becomes an active participant in
the group being observed. ​The degree of participation of the observer varies and can be
categorized into different types: full participant observation, participant as an observer, and
observer as a participant.

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Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

Full participant observation is when the researchers pretend to be members of the group
being observed without disclosing their identity. However, this raises serious ethical
concerns because of the deception involved. This is the same scenario wherein a boss goes
undercover and becomes part of his employees.

Participant as an observer ​can be done if you are already a participant in the first place
(e.g., your classroom). In this type of observation, the researcher’s identity is disclosed. The
observation occurs when the researcher is part of the sample, such as when a researcher
would like to look into the peer pressure in academics.

Observer as a participant ​considers the acceptance of the group members to be

important. The group must learn to trust the researcher in order to encourage the group to
express themselves more freely and to avoid holding back. In this type of observation, the
researchers are also part of the participants in which they will have to write observations,
which may come in the form of reflections.

​ emember
R
Observations can be classified as ​fully structured (laboratory),
naturalistic​, or ​participant observation​. Choosing a type of
observation depends on the purpose it serves.

Document Analysis
Documents such as articles in newspapers, public records, medical records, personal
documents, pictures, and the like can be sources of data in qualitative research. These data
are easily accessible to a resourceful researcher and might already exist prior to the
research study. Documents can be accessed either physically or online.

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Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

Types of Documents
Documents can be categorized in different ways. Some of the most common documents
used in qualitative research are public records, personal documents, popular culture
documents, and visual documents.
● Public records are official records of what happened in a society. Examples of these
are records of births, deaths, census, and marriages.
● Personal documents refer to any narrative from a person’s experiences, actions,
and beliefs. This can be a photo album, diaries, letters, scrapbooks, and the like.
These types of documents are often used in case studies in which a specific person is
the topic of interest.
● Popular culture documents are often found on the internet, television, film, radio,
or newspaper. Its nature is to entertain or inform the public, and can be accessed
easily.
● Visual documents are almost similar to popular culture documents. However, it is
limited to film, video, photography, and other electronic media.

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Extend

Activity 1
Using the table below, write a summary of the different uses and purposes of the methods
of data collection for qualitative research. List at least three items per data collection
method.

Interview Focus Group Observation Document Analysis

Discussion

​ uide
G
The purpose of the different data collection methods can be determined by the ​topic
of interest. The ​qualifications of the participants set by the researcher also play a
significant role in identifying the most appropriate data collection method to use.

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Activity 2
Pick one data collection method from the previous discussion. Then, state a specific
example where you can appropriately use this type of data collection method. What could
be its strengths and limitations? Explain your answer using one to two paragraphs.

​ uide
G
The things that must be taken into consideration are the ​characteristics of the
participants​, the ​process of the research method​, and the ​setting where the data
collection happened. Once the method of data collection was identified, it is also
important to specify further what type was used, if applicable.

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Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

Evaluate

A. Write your answers in the space provided.

1. When is it appropriate to use a naturalistic observation in qualitative research?

2. Cite some of the major issues in using structured interviews.

3. Differentiate focus group discussions from interviews.

B. Analyze the given situations and write the type of data

collection method appropriate to the situation.

1. A student is currently working on her thesis about effective marketing strategies in the
industry of fast-moving consumer goods. She wanted to get the insight of a seasoned
professional in the field of marketing in this type of industry.

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Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

2. A clinical psychologist wants to study the behavior dynamics of families currently living
with children with autism. She wanted to get different insights from parents regarding
their experiences about this matter. As much as possible, the clinical psychologist wants
most of the interactions to come from the participants.

3. A history student wants to write a systematic literature review about the different works
and writings of Jose Rizal.

Wrap Up
___________________________________________________________________________________________

● Methods of data collection for qualitative research are used when the study
requires rich and substantial data and does not require measurement.
● Interviews are the most commonly used data collection method for qualitative
research. It can be classified as structured, semi-structured, and unstructured.
● Focus group discussions require a group of people to talk about their insights
regarding the topic of interest.
● Observations can be categorized as fully structured, naturalistic, or participant
observation.
● Documents such as public records, personal documents, popular culture
documents, and visual documents can be accessed and analyzed to be used as
sources in a research study.

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Fig. 2. Overview of data collection methods for qualitative research

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Bibliography

Gill, Paul, Kate F. Stewart, Elizabeth T. Treasure, and Barbara Lesley Chadwick. “Methods of
Data Collection in Qualitative Research: Interviews and Focus Groups.” British Dental
Journal​ 204, no. 5 (2008): 291-295. doi: 10.1038/bdj.2008.192

“How to Run Qualitative and Quantitative Research.” National Foundation for Educational
Research. 2013. ​https://www.nfer.ac.uk/media/2123/resm03.pdf​.

Langdridge, Darren, and Gareth Hagger-Johnson. ​Introductions to Research Methods and Data
Analysis in Psychology. ​3rd ed. London: Pearson Education Limited, 2013.

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Unit 5.3: Methods of Data Collection for Qualitative Research

Merriam, Sharan B., and Elizabeth J. Tisdell. Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and
Implementation. 4
​ th ed. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2016.

Morgan, David L. ​The Focus Group Guidebook.​ London: Sage Publications, 1998.

“Qualitative Research Data Collection.” Amsterdam Public Health. Last modified October 20,
2017. ​http://www.emgo.nl/kc/qual-data-collection/​.

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