ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL

PURPOSES

CONDUCTING
SURVEYS,
OBSERVATION AND
EXPERIMENTS
Prepared by: Ma. Idelina A. Diaz
VOCABULARY
ENRICHMENT
Survey- measure characteristics of interest
about a population using selected sample
without making connections between data.

Observation- researchers determine whether an

existing condition called a factor is related to a
characteristic of interest.
VOCABULARY
ENRICHMENT
Data- information gathered from the
respondents/participants

Experiment- researchers create a condition by

applying a treatment and seeing if it has any
effect on characteristics of interest.
VOCABULARY
ENRICHMENT
Population - a group of individuals, institutions,
objects and so forth common characteristics that
are the interest of a researcher

Biased Questions- the wording may lead the

respondent to think a certain way.
VOCABULARY
ENRICHMENT
Control Group- is the group that does not get
the treatment or is not given special instructions
to follow

Treatment Group - is the group that gets the

treatment or is given special instructions to
follow.

Skewed Data - it os when a curve appears

distorted in a statistical distribution
 SURVEY

-the first method

-in doing a survey, the researcher must
understand the right mode of inquiry for
establishing an inference whether in a large group
of people or from a small number of people in a
group
-the aim is to present and explain factual
esperiences of a certain population
 SURVEY

Three ways in conducting surveys:

1. Personal Approach
a. Face-to-Face Structured Interview
b. Telephone Survey
2. Self-Administered Approach
c. Paper-and-Pencil Survey
d. Online Survey
e. Mail Survey
 SURVEY

To encourage your respondents to answer and

complete the survey, remember these tips:

1. Follow the KISS principle which stands for

“Keep it Short and Simple.” Better response
rates are associated with concise, simple, and
easy-to-answer survey questionnaires.
 SURVEY

2. Ensure confidentiality (and anonymity). Give

the participants an assurance that their answers
will be kept confidential and will only be sued for
the purpose of the survey.
3. Be professional, courteous and polite. Saying
“please,” and “thank you” as well as guiding the
respondent politely can motivate the participants
to finish the survey.
 SURVEY

Limitations of a survey are seen according to the

following criteria:
1.appropriateness of the method
2.accuracy of what to observe
3.generalizability of findings
4.administrative contrains
5.ethical and political difficulties
 OBSERVATION

-second method
-may take place in natural settings and involve the
researcher taking lengthy and descriptive notes of what is
happening
-argued that there are limits to the situations that can be
observed in their ‘natural’ settings and that the presence
of the researcher may lead problems with validity
-can sometimes obtain more reliable information about
certain things, for example, how people actually behave
 OBSERVATIONal study

-the sample population being studied is measured, or

surveyed, as it is. The researcher observes the subjects
and measures variables but does not influence the
population in any way or attempt to intervene in the study.
There is no manipulation by the researcher. Instead, data
are simply gathered and correlations are investigated.
Since observational studies do not control any variable,
the results can only allow the researcher to claim
association, not causation (not a cause-and-effect
conclusion).
 OBSERVATIONal study

Example:
Is there a correlation between attending a review class
and scores achieved on the Examination for this school
year? In an attempt to investigate this possible correlation,
a group of students who took the examination are
surveyed. The scores from students who took a review
class are compared with the scores of those that did not
take review class. A statistical analysis is performed on the
data. This is an observational study since the researcher
did not manipulate.
 OBSERVATION

Limitations with observation include:

1.Change in people’s behavior when they know they are
being observed.
2.A ‘snap shot’ view of a whole situation.
3.Think Big Brother...
4.The researcher may miss something while they are
watching and taking notes.
5.The researcher may make judgements, make value
statements or misunderstand what has been observed.
 OBSERVATION

Strength of observation:
1.Can offer a flavor for what is happening.
2.Can give an insight into the bigger picture.
3.Can demonstrate sub-groups.
4.Can be used to assist in the design of the rest of the
research.
5.Sometimes, the researcher becomes or needs to
become a participant observer and further understand
the workings of the social phenomenon.
 OBSERVATION

Techniques for Collecting Data Through Observation:

Written Descriptions
Video Recording
Photographs and artifacts
Documentation
 EXPERIMENT
-third method
-randomly select people and need to split them into groups
and they will now control your group
-time consuming because you’re going to have two different
groups
-ethical concerns is a negative side because you are not
going to persuade them to behave in a certain way or treat
them in a way that is not okay
 EXPERIMENTal study
-has the researcher purposely attempting to influence the
results. The goal is to determine what effect a particular
treatment has on the outcome. Researchers take
measurements or surveys of the sample populations. The
researchers then manipulate the sample population in some
manner. After the manipulation, the researchers re-measure,
or re-survey, using the same procedures to determine if the
manipulation possibly changed the measurements. Since
variables are controlled in a design experiment, the results
allow the researcher to claim causation (cause-and-effect
conclusion).
 EXPERIMENTal study
Example:
Does the color of a basketball influence the number of
times a shooter sinks a basket? A random group of students
is chosen and asked to shoot a series of baskets using a
regulation normal-colored basketball. The data is recorded.
The same group is then given a blue colored basketball and
the same number of shots is repeated. The data is again
recorded. A statistical analysis is performed. This is a
designed experimental study since the researcher
manipulated the conditions of the study by changing
the color of the ball.
GATHERING DATA
FROM SURVEYS,
OBSERVATION AND
EXPERIMENTS
WHAT ARE
SURVEYS A survey is a way of collecting information that you
hope represents the views of the whole community
or group in which you are interested.
Three main ways to go about Surveys:
1.Case Study Surveys - collect information from a
part of a group or community, without trying to
choose them for overall representation of the
larger population.
2.Sample Surveys - the results for the sample will
reflect the results you would have gotten by
surveying the entire group.
WHAT ARE
SURVEYS 3. Census Surveys - in which you give your survey
questionnaire to every member of the population
you want to learn about; is best done with smaller
groups.
WHY SHOULD YOU CONDUCT A
SURVEY? • to collect information about the behaviors,
needs, and opinions
• to measure ideas or opinions about community
issues related to your initiative
• when you need a quick and efficient way of
getting information
• you need to reach a large number of people
• you need statistically valid information about a
large number of people
• the information you need isn’t readily available
through other means
THE SURVEY PROCESS
1.Decide on the purpose of the survey.
2.Decide whom you will survey.
3.Decide what method you will use to
collect your survey data.
4.Write your questions.
5.How do you distribute your survey.
6.Collecting the survey.
7.How do you analyze and compile the
results of your survey.
 SUMMARIZING
FINDINGS AND
EXECUTING THR
REPORT THROUGH
NARRATIVE AND
VISUAL/GRAPHIC
FORMS
 Data collection
Data are referred to as a collection of facts, such as values or
measurements, observation or even just descriptions of things. Data can be
classified in to Primary and Secondary Data.
Primary Data – are those you have collected yourself or the data collected
at source or the data originally collected by individuals, focus groups, and a
panel of respondents specifically set up by the researcher whose opinions
may be sought on specific issues from time to time (Matt, 2001), (Afonja,
2001).
Secondary Data – research project involves gathering and/or use of existing
data for which they were originally collected, for example, computerized
database, company records or archives, government publications, industry
analysis offered by the media, information system and computerized or
mathematical models of environmental processes and so on (Tim, 1997),
 Data collection
There are two kinds of data, although not all evaluations necessarily
include both:
1. Quantitative data – are mainly numbers. It refers to the information that
is collected as, or can be translated into, numbers, which can then be
displayed and analyzed mathematically. It is structured and unstructured
in nature. Structured data can be produced by closed questions,
unstructured data can be produced by open questions.
2. Qualitative data – consist of mainly words, sounds or images. Unlike
numbers or ”hard data,” qualitative information tends to be “soft,”
meaning it can’t always be reduced to something definite. That is in some
ways a weakness, but it’s also a strength. A number may tell.
 Data collection
There are many ways of summarizing your findings based from the data you
have collected. It depends on the type of data you collected. The most
common is the tally and frequency table.
Tally marks – often used to make a frequency distribution table. For
example, let’s say you survey a number of families and find out how many
gadgets they own. The results are 3,0,1,4,4,1,2,0,2,2,0,2,0,1,3,2,1,1,3. The
frequency distribution table will make the data easier to understand.
Number of Gadgets Tally Frequency
0 IIII 4
1 IIIII-I 6
2 IIIII 5
3 III 3
4 II 2
 NON-PROSE TEXTS
Non-prose texts consist of disconnected words and numbers instead of
sentences and paragraphs.
Uses of non-prose materials are:
1.Present data in an organized and systematic way.
2.Allow the reader to absorb the information fast and efficiently.
3.Explain abstract concepts, processes, relationships in a concrete
manner.
4.Provide only the useful and relevant data.

Non-prose texts such as tables, figures or charts are used in presenting a

survey result that will be useful for the readers. These can make your
content more engaging, more memorable and easier to understand.
 EXAMPLES OF NON-
PROSE TEXT
1.BAR GRAPH - a chart that graphically represents the comparison
between categories of data. It displays grouped data by way of parallel
rectangular bars of equal width but varying the length
 EXAMPLES OF NON-
PROSE TEXT
2. HISTOGRAM - a type of bar chart that is used to represent statistical
information by way of bars to show the frequency distribution of
continuous data. It indicates the number of observations which lie in-
between the range of values, known as class or bin.
 EXAMPLES OF NON-
PROSE TEXT
3. PICTOGRAPH - are the first graph types that kids learn about. Smaller
picture represents a certain amount of an item and the pictures in the
graphs are stacked up one after another. Picture fractions represent the
portions represented by the picture.
 EXAMPLES OF NON-
PROSE TEXT
4. LINE GRAPH - used to display comparisons between 2 variables, line
graphs involve an x-axis horizontally and a y-axis vertically on a grid. Dot-
connected and grid-plotted lines are what comprise a line graph. These
lines monitor and compare various data sets.
 EXAMPLES OF NON-
PROSE TEXT
5. PIEGRAPH - sometimes called a circle graph, represent the parts of a
whole. Each section or slice of the pie is a data percentage. From the
biggest to smallest, segments are arragned in a clockwise formation.
 EXAMPLES OF NON-
PROSE TEXT
6. TABLES - present a great deal of numerical information in a very clear
and concise way, with very minimal space to occupy.
Thank you for
listening!