D. GAREYSpring 2010

OCR Nationals level 3

Unit 3 Problem Solving

A02 Design and carry out a

data collection activity

D. GAREYSpring 2010

Data Collection Methods

• Questionnaires (online or paper based)

• Observations

• Empirical/scientific tests

• Discourse analysis

• Transcripts

• Data loggers/sensory outputs

D. GAREYSpring 2010

Open Vs Closed Questioning

• Closed questions –directive i.e. YES/NO, TRUE/FALSE or PRE DEFINED ANSWERS such as multiple choice. Quick, easy, quantifiable, measurable, objective, restrictive

• Open Questions –include HOW, WHY, WHAT do you think etc, no defined answers, analysis in done after scrutiny of replies , rich answers, time consuming, hard to measure, can be biased

D. GAREYSpring 2010

Standard Distribution Graph

D. GAREYSpring 2010

The Sample

• Population distribution curve “Bell Jar” with high and low extremes at either end of scale

• Distribution is reflective of general population, working for IQ tests, personality tests etc

• “Norm” is the middle part of the graph where majority of population lie (+ or – one standard deviation either side)

D. GAREYSpring 2010

Your Sample

• Is it representative of all people from around the country/same age/same social background etc

• Or are you focusing on a homogenic sample?• How will you select your sample?• Volunteers? Random selection? Target specific

groups/clusters?• Is it balanced in terms of gender, ethnic

backgrounds, age etc –does it matter?

D. GAREYSpring 2010

QUESTIONNAIRES

• Must have an accompanying set of instructions/script to make it a fair test –everyone gets the same instructions

• Must be anonymising

• Must account for gender and age

D. GAREYSpring 2010

Extraneous Variables

• List potential errors that could affect results

• How can you minimise these?

D. GAREYSpring 2010

Hardware/Software

• What will you create questionnaires on (Access? Word?)

• What will you produce data results with? (Excel?)

• How will you produce your findings?• What IT equipment will you need to

complete the investigation?• Remember to list alternatives and evaluate

them!

D. GAREYSpring 2010

• GO AND GET THE DATA!!!!