Methods of Data Collection
Interview
a social interaction with both parties sharing in constructing a story and its meanings; both are participants in the meaning-making process.
Transect Walk
a transect diagram is often created, and data from the walk can be triangulated with local maps and other kinds of local community information
Observation and fieldnotes
allows for the researcher to see and record firsthand the activities in which research participants are engaged in the context(s) in which these activities happen.
Community-based oral testimony
an ecological approach to data generation and collection that focuses on people's narration of their lived realities in a relational context.
Research instruments
can also be called protocols or guides, include the questions, prompts, and/or procedures that guide data collection
Emic
culturally and contextually embedded conceptualizations and descriptions of beliefs, behaviors, and ways of being that are meaningful and resonant to individuals and/or groups
Etic
descriptions of beliefs, behaviors, or ways of being or belief that are attributed by an outside observer (the researcher) that are not culturally embedded or necessarily organically conceptualized, articulated, or contextualized.
Descriptive observational fieldnotes
do not require the researcher to make inferences; rather, the idea is that the researcher observes and simply describes what has been observed as neutrally as possible.
Participant Observation
form of observation in which the researcher, establish a presence or role in the setting
Participatory Methods of Data Collection
forms of data collection in which researchers co-construct and co-generate data with participants
Evaluative observational fieldnotes
researcher is consciously making an inference and a judgment about the nature and motives of the behavior or events observed
Focus Group
sometimes referred to as group interviews, provide an opportunity to collect data that may not arise in an individual interview because of the group dynamics and interactions
Photovoice
the collaborative taking, interpretation, and discussion of photographs as contextualized data that participants generate
Mapping
useful and inexpensive tool for gathering community and institutional data from and with insiders that can be descriptive or diagnostic in nature
Reactivity
ways that the researcher affects the behaviors and processes observed in the research as a result of being there
groupthink
when an individual introduces a topic and the rest of the group focuses on this topic and ultimately generates a group understanding
Inferential observational fieldnotes
involves the researcher making inferences interpretations and assumptions beyond the data—about what is observed and the underlying motives, affect, or emotions of the events and behaviors observed
Survey Approach and Questionnaires
often used to gather information about individuals' attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. It is important to clarify that surveys are a design choice rather than a specific method
Documents and Archival Data
provide context and can also be used to explore people's meaning-making processes in relation to publicly consumed materials, images, and messages
Interview
provide deep, rich, individualized, and contextualized data that are centrally important to qualitative research.