NUEVAS DISPOSICIONES

MODULE 5 TECHNIQUES FOR DATA GENERATION

analysis of social issues and political phenomenon. It underscores the basis of selecting a subset of the subject matter for analysis and on the basis of that making generalisation based on the results derived from the sample selected.

2.0 OBJECTIVES

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

 discuss data gathering in political inquiry

 explain the usages of data in political inquiry.

3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 What is Data?

This perhaps is the most fundamental aspect of research in the Social Sciences, as in other fields of study. Since social research has as its primary objectives as the understanding of social life by discovering new facts, documenting or rejecting old ones, tracing sequences and connections between events, and formulating generalisations concerning interrelationships, data collection becomes inevitable. Consequently, the fact of data collection needs to be mastered, because it constitutes a major factor in determining the validity of research findings and the essence of the scientific inquiry itself.

Data collection can be defined as “the science and art of acquiring information about sampled units that are likely to be of interest”. It is the process of obtaining relevant information regarding the major idea in a study. Data are not just collected for collection sake but they are gathered regarding the major idea in the study. Since data gathering is a primary efforts aimed at understanding social life through discovering of new facts, documentation of old ones or its rejection and also trying to establish relation between variables.

Sound measurement is not only simply a matter of careful concept explication followed by selection of statistical model, which minimise error, but the quality of data is inextricably tied to the methods and techniques used for generating data. There is no amount of sophistication with statistical manipulation that can fully overcome deficiencies inherent in data generated by an inappropriate instrument.

Today, survey research is a frequently used mode of observation in the social sciences. In a typical survey, the researcher selects a sample of respondents and administers a standardised questionnaire to them or conduct interview for them.

3.2 Data Collection

A critical element for political inquiry is the actual research process employed in seeking answers to questions. In the essence this process consists of data gathering. Data thus collected in any inquiry provide information about some object usually called “unit analysis”. The political science techniques of data gathering are classified into document analysis, observation, interviewing and experimentation-simulation.

3.3 Data Analysis

Data collected for any inquiry collected or generated must be analysed in order to interpret their meaning for the problem under investigation.

Hayes and Ronald (1970) notes that meaningful data improperly analysed are as great an impediment to the advancement of knowledge as are meaningless data. Valid data and proper analysis are both essential to the orderly expansion of knowledge.

Analysis therefore is the process of imparting meaning to data by interpreting them. Data analysis consists of a number of individual steps, including data manipulations, significance evaluation and data presentation. Usually before analysis of data collected the interpretation of data must be planned. The specific operations used in analysis of data include creating frequency distribution, percentage tables, pie chart, pie chart, bar graph and a sophisticated mechanical and electronic equipment like computer.

3.4 Data Interpretation

It is one thing to analyse and it is another task to interpret the data. Data interpretation is more or an less the last step in a research procedure to finding solution to the problem under investigation. The analysis of data leads to comments by the investigators on the reliability of the testable hypothesis or hypotheses under investigation. After the interpretation of the data collected the working procedure can be replicated. This is necessary to be able to make a firm conclusion that would be bias free.

That is the investigators would briefly go over all the steps aforementioned. This is necessary to detect some working errors.

SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE

Define data and differentiate data analysis and interpretation.

4.0 CONCLUSION

After reading this unit, student should be able to understand the meaning of data and importance of data collection. They should also be able to identify the various techniques available to researcher in the social sciences. Also, students should be able to identify the processes of data assessment which researchers must adhere to in order to have a good result from their inquiries.

5.0 SUMMARY

In this unit, we have explained the meaning of data and explicitly analysed the importance of data collection to political inquiry. The unit has also examined the process of assessment of data in order to produce a required result from any political inquiry.

6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT

2. Discuss in details data analysis and data interpretations.

3. Explain the importance of data to political inquiry

7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READING

Babbie, E. (2007) The Practice of Social Research;USA, Wadsworth.

Okoko, E. (2000) Quantitative Techniques in Urban Analysis; Ibadan, Kraft Books

Hayes and Ronald (1970) The Conduct of Political Inquiry: Behavioural Political Analysis; Egglewood Cliffs; Prentice Hall, Inc

UNIT 2 QUESTIONNAIRE METHOD