Collecting Data | Children, Youth, and Families at Risk

Information can come from a range of sources. Likewise, there are a variety of techniques to use when gathering primary data. Listed below are some of the most common data collection techniques.

Overview of Different Data Collection Techniques

Technique	Key Facts	Example
Interviews	Can be conducted in person or over the telephone Can be done formally (structured), semi-structured, or informally Questions should be focused, clear, and encourage open-ended responses Are mainly qualitative in nature	A one-on-one conversation with the parent of an at-risk youth who can help you understand the issue. Click here to see a sample key informant interview.
Questionnaires and Surveys	Responses can be analyzed with quantitative methods by assigning numerical values to Likert-type scales Results are generally easier to analyze (compared to qualitative techniques) Pretests and posttests can be compared and analyzed	The results of a satisfaction or opinion survey. Click here to see an example of a survey created using the CYFAR Survey Builder feature. Click here to see a sample survey on middle school youth risk behavior.
Observations	Allow for the study of the dynamics of a situation and frequency counts of target behaviors or other behaviors as indicated by the needs of the evaluation Good source for providing additional information about a particular group; can use video to provide documentation Can produce qualitative (e.g., narrative data) and quantitative data (e.g., frequency counts, mean length of interactions, and instructional time)	Site visits to an after-school program to document the interaction between youth and staff within the program
Focus Groups	A facilitated group interview with individuals that have something in common Gathers information about combined perspectives and opinions Responses are often coded into categories and analyzed thematically	A group of parents of teenagers in an after-school program are invited to informally discuss programs that might benefit and help their children succeed
Ethnographies, Oral History, and Case Studies	Involves studying a single phenomenon Examines people in their natural settings Uses a combination of techniques such as observation, interviews, and surveys A more holistic approach to evaluation Researcher can become a confounding variable	Shadowing a family while recording extensive field notes to study the experience and issues associated with youth who have a parent or guardian who has been deployed.
Documents and Records	Consists of examining existing data: databases, meeting minutes, reports, attendance logs, financial records, newsletters, etc. This can be an inexpensive way to gather information but may be an incomplete data source	To understand the primary reasons students miss school, records on student absences are collected and analyzed.

Technology and Data Collection

While using paper and pencil surveys is the tried and true method of collecting data, technology is rapidly becoming a popular and oftentimes more efficient way to collect data, especially quantitative data. This section provides an overview of the benefits and challenges of using technology to collect data.

Technology Useful for Data Collection

Online or web-based surveys
Smartphones, cell phones, and other mobile-sensing devices
Social media sites
Online labor markets

Online Surveys

Online and web-based surveys enable users to design a survey that can then be administered via an internet link. Some online tools include Survey Monkey and Qualtrics.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Simpler and quicker way of collecting both quantitative and qualitative data Easy to access a large group of respondents in geographically diverse locations More cost-effective than manually administering surveys Data can typically be exported, eliminating manual data entry Improves accuracy of data entry (e.g., reduces omissions, duplicate entries, etc.)	Limited to respondents who have access to the Internet Some populations may be less likely to have internet access and to respond to online questionnaires Some may find online interface off-putting There is no way to collect a probability sample from the general population using the internet Potential lack of security

For a PDF of resources specific to Online/Web-based Surveys, follow this link: Online/web-based surveys.

Smartphone, Cell Phones, and Other Mobile-Sensing Devices

In 2018, the PEW Research Center found that 77% of Americans own a smartphone and 95% of Americans own a cell phone (http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/mobile/). These devices put data collection tools in the hands of participants and can be used for data collection in the field. The robust processing capacity coupled with new sensing applications make smartphones an attractive tool for researchers. Accelerometer, Bluetooth, GPS, light sensors, microphones, proximity sensors, and WiFi offer options for researchers who would like to gather data about participant’s behavior, sociability, lifestyle, etc. Other mobile-sensing devices such as smart watches offer some of the same data points for researchers.

In addition to the range of data options smartphone technology offers researchers, the ability to text make them useful as a portable, real time data collection tool. Text messaging is a way to capture information from a large group at one time. Each participant would need to have a smart-device or cell phone with texting ability. To store/collate data, the use of a message relay system or interface technology (software program, for example) may also be needed.

Smartphones with internet capability can be used as hand-held mobile computers to complete surveys in a ‘clicker’ type fashion. Participants input responses to questions, quizzes, or games, etc. on their device and data is transferred to another computer for analysis.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Participants supply the smartphone device Streamlines the data collection process Reduces errors and missing data Greatly reduces or eliminates data entry Enables collection of more data in a shorter time frame Increase internal program evaluation capacity Can collect data from large groups of respondents at once	Some segments of the population may not have a smartphone Data loss due to malfunctioning device

Social Media

Social networking sites often include profiles of individuals including information such as the user’s age (or birthdate), gender, ethnicity, location (address or city), sexual orientation, political affiliation, education, and contact information (email, phone number, website, etc.). These sites may also include forums where users can interact with one another. Examples of networking sites include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, all of which have gained popularity as social forums and modes of communication. Data could be collected through sampling random sites for trends, soliciting information from specific users, and creating a profile for data collection that attracts certain users for discussions (such as online focus groups).

Advantages	Disadvantages
Able to reach a young demographic Option to create a profile to target specific communities Ability to engage participants in remote locations in real time Can be a rich source of quantitative and qualitative data, some of which is publicly available	No verification of information available on public profiles Privacy settings on profiles may impede data collection Social networking caters to a very specific demographic of users, with an average age range of 14 to 35 years Consent issues involved in working with underage youth (if soliciting information not publicly available on profile)

Online Labor Markets

Online labor markets represent a virtual workforce that can be used for data collection. The largest and most commonly used for academic research is Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Launched by Amazon in 2005, MTurk allows individuals to post short online tasks, such as surveys, that workers fill out for a small payment. Initial research suggests MTurk is a low-cost method for recruiting a large, diverse sample of participants.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Affordable (example in the research literature includes $1.00 for a 20 minute survey) Can be conducted in a short time frame (less than a week for hundreds of responses) Ability to select only “high-reputation workers” who have been vetted and found to submit high-quality data Ability to include “attention checks” to ensure participants are reading all the questions	No ability to conduct longitudinal studies Smaller participant pool (~100,000 MTurk workers participate in academic studies each year) MTurk population is significantly less politically diverse, higher educated, younger, and less religious than the general US population

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