Choose a collection method

A questionnaire asks a planned set of questions; an interview allows direct questioning and clarification. Focus groups explore experiences and opinions through moderated discussion. Documentary analysis examines records. Observation records behaviour or events, with or without researcher participation. An experiment deliberately changes a factor and measures outcomes. Collection difficulties include nonresponse, poor communication, incomplete sampling frames, unclear variables, literacy barriers and insufficient resources. Questionnaires and interviews can collect either numeric or categorical information.