More Methods of Data Collection

1
More Methods of Data Collection

• Interviewing and Focus Groups

2
Why Interview?

• To gather information to assist in reconstructing
  some event or discerning a pattern in specific
  behaviors.
• No other way
• Context
• Impressions

3
Unique Information from Interviews

• Not Surveys
• Not just a conversation
• Unscheduled
• Hard to analyze

4
Good Interview Techniques

• Do your homework
• General questions and framework
• Population
• Sample
• Mind your manners
• Keep track
• Reducing Social Distance

5
Good Questions

• Are Direct
• One at a time
• Avoid asking why
• Opening Questions
• Probing

6
Good Interviewing part 2

• Review your notes
• Mind your manners again

7
Validity Issues

• Threats
• Too narrow
• Inaccurate
• Rationalization
• Lying

• Solutions
• Discussion as data
• Triangulation
• Verify
• Your knowledge

8
Focus Groups

• Nine Pretty Darn Angry Men

9
FG Definition

• Bringing together small groups of carefully
  selected individuals for an in-depth discussion
  of some topic
• 7-15 people
• Moderator
• Exploratory
• Group dynamics
• Marketing

10
FG Advantages

• Interpreting quantitative data
• Group processes
• High External Validity

11
Disadvantages

• Subjective
• Limited representativeness
• Artificial setting
• Groupthink
• Method Effects

12
Running a good focus group

• What do you want to know?
• Subject selection
• Moderator involvement
• Moderators guide
• Setting
• Recording
• Multiple Groups

13
Analyzing Data

• What do you want to know?
• Meaning
• Context
• Themes
• Not quantitative