A topic in research methodology
Information collected in research to help answer research questions is called data. (Data is plural, one specific element of data is called a datum.)
Data may be measurements, observations, sound recordings, photographs, notes made from documents, etc.
Common forms of data collection include interviews, questionnaires, observations, assessment questions and so forth.
Some studies require the collection of multiple 'slices of data'.
Collecting data in another language
Sometimes researchers are working in a context whether the local language is different to the language in which they expect to write-up their research. This introduces particular considerations about choice of language for data collection and analysis, and the use of translation.
Read about collecting and analysing data in another language
Interpretation of data
Data are analysed to produce research results ('findings'). Data are used as evidence in research when they are interpreted in terms of some theoretical perspective or other. Although data may sometimes be seen as facts, data are generated in research by the researcher's activities, and the extent to which data can be seen as objectively found during research varies considerably.
"Inevitably, any argument presented in an educational research study will in part depend upon data, and in part upon the interpretation of that data – an interpretation that draws upon the author's own theoretical perspectives. A reader's evaluation of the argument will similarly depend upon the theoretical perspectives that they have developed about the topic."
Taber, 2013: 19
For example, a count of the number of rooms in a school building might be considered fairly objective information, but comments elicited in an in-depth interview cannot (which may be interpreted to infer attitudes for example) must be understood as generated in the context of a particular social interaction.
Interpretation is involved in data generation as well as data analysis
In general, quantitative data (counts, measurements) may seem more objective than qualitative data (interview transcripts) – but this may disguise the subjectivity involved in generating the data. Consider a table showing the number of positive and negative teacher-pupil interactions in lessons observed in a school: clearly in such a case a definite list of numbers reflects a process of interpretation by the observing researcher.
Source cited:
- Taber, K. S. (2013). Classroom-based Research and Evidence-based Practice: An introduction (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
My introduction to educational research:
Taber, K. S. (2013). Classroom-based Research and Evidence-based Practice: An introduction (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
