Data collection is a fundamental aspect and therefore there are different methods of collecting data which when used on one set will result in different kinds of data, There are four methods of data collection widely used, Let’s move on to look at these individual methods of collection to better understand the types of data that will result.
Data Collection Methods
If you are looking for a method of data collection that is widely used.
Here are four data collection methods
Four Main Data Collection Methods
- Census Data Collection
- Sample Data Collection
- Experimental Data Collection
- Observational Data Collection
1. Census Data Collection
Census Data Collection is the method of data collection where data is collected from every member of the population.
2. Sample Data Collection
Sample Data Collection is most used where some chosen portion of the Population.
Sampling assumes that the portion that is chosen to be sampled is a good estimate of the entire population. Thus, this raises the question of whether sampling is accurate or not. The answer for that sampling is approximately accurate. This is only true if you choose your sample carefully to be able to closely approximate what the true population consists of.
Sampling Data collection is used most in everyday life, for example, all the different research polls that are conducted before elections. Pollsters don’t ask all the people in each state who they will vote for, but they choose a small sample and assume that these people represent how the entire population of the state is likely to vote. History has shown that these polls are almost usually close to accurate, and as such, sampling is a very useful tool in statistics.
3. Experimental Data Collection
Experimental Data Collection is like an experiment carried out first and then collecting data for further analysis. Tests and results are involved in the Experiment.
An example of experimental data collection is tossing a coin one hundred times while recording the outcomes. Your data would be the results you get in each toss. The experiment could involve tossing a coin in different ways and recording the results for each of those other ways.
4. Observational Data Collection
The observational data gathering method does not require doing an experiment but instead simply observing without having any impact on the population. When analyzing societal patterns and behaviors, observational data collecting is popular. For instance, when observing a herd of cows, data is gathered for, for example, the lives of a bunch of cows are marked and data is collected for the different aspects of their lives.
