Statistic : Qualitative Data and Major on Its Modes of Collection

Running head: TYPES OF QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION. 1
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Author’s Note.

TYPES OF QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION.2
The field of statistics has two major data categories which include quantitative and
qualitative. In this paper, we are going to deal with Qualitative Data and major on its modes of
collection (Cohen et al., 2018). There are different methods of qualitative data collection which
include Interviews (Owen & Maria, 2013; Stacy A. Jacob & S. Paige Furgerson, 2012; Stewart et
al., 2012), focus groups, document or text analysis, observational studies just to mention but a
few.. Keeping a diary during the study whilst reflecting on the whole procedures and various
roles of a researcher should always be observed to the latter. In this paper, interviews and focus
groups will be explored.
Exploration of opinions, beliefs about issues, people’s views and experiences can be
collected using interviews. Exploration and comparison of different groups helps to get a deeper
understanding of the data. Under interviews, there are further subgroups that include: structured,
semi-structured or informal interview (Boyce & Neale, 2006). The layout of interviews gives
room for flexibility. Time is saved and hence the data analysis process can be quick. However,
information bias (Tanner, 2018)as in the case of structured interviews and pressure being left on
the researcher in the case of unstructured ones may be barriers to effective data collection
(VanderStoep et al., 2011).
Focus groups entails an interview consisting of a group of people who tackle a set of
question to enable examination of social knowledge (Kitzinger, 1994; Liamputtong, 2015;
Smithson, 2000; Stewart et al., 2012). The moderator is the researcher, who makes sure that idea
flowage and consistency is ensured. A topic is decided upon and a group of 6-12 people are set to
discuss it. This brings information of high sensitivity and higher precision to be collected
(Stewart et al., 2012).However, personal information may note be disclosed. The structure of
focus groups has to entail a thorough sample recruitment, composition of the topic and the data
collection procedure
From the above groups, structured interviews would be most convenient for data
collection. This is because of the focused study that they help hence getting to answer a research
question objectively. In conclusion, it is always important to consider all ethical factors during
the data collection procedure.