Data collection techniques and instruments

After the researcher has precisely defined the population and the sample, it is time
to apply the so-called data collection techniques and instruments. Their selection will
depend on the research paradigm followed. In this regard, Brito, quoted by (Pérez, 2004),
points out that this choice will depend on factors such as: the type and design of the
research, the proposed objectives, the characteristics of the problem and the feasibility of
carrying out the research.
Before delving into the subject, it is necessary to distinguish the techniques from the
research instruments. According to Arias (1999), data collection techniques are the
different forms or ways of obtaining information. For Ramírez (1999), a technique "is a
more or less standardized procedure that has been used successfully in science". (p.137) Ex.
Direct observation, survey, interview, documentary analysis, content analysis.
According to Arias (1999), instruments are the material means used to collect and
store information. Ramírez (1999), for his part, makes a very forceful and differentiating
clarification between the technique and the instrument, when he defines the latter as
follows: "the data collection instrument is a device with a material substrate used to record
the data obtained from different sources". (p. 137).
In the same vein, the aforementioned author proposes three elements that the
instruments must contain, namely: essential, natural and accidental. The essential elements
refer to those which, if not contained, may render the instrument invalid. According to the
author, it should contain at least items related to the indicators established in the table of
operationalization of the variables. Then we have the natural elements, which are variables
that, even though they are not the focus of the study, can provide important information on
the general aspects of the research. In relation to the accidental elements, they are
incorporated into the instruments by the will of the researcher even though the data
obtained is not an immediate need of the research. Examples of instruments are:
questionnaires, questionnaires, interview guides, checklists, tape recorders, attitude or
opinion scales (Likert type).
 The most commonly used data collection techniques will be defined below, starting
with observation, which can be direct or indirect. For Tamayo and Tamayo (2004), direct
observation "is that in which the researcher can observe and collect data through his own
observation" (p.183). It is classified into participant and non-participant observation. In the
first, the researcher plays a specific role within the community on which the research is
focused. In the second, participation does not occupy a certain level or function within the
observed community. As for indirect observation, it occurs when the researcher revalidates
the data collected by others, whether they are oral or written testimonies.
Another of the most commonly used techniques is the survey, defined by Díaz de
Rada (2001) as the technique through which "it is attempted to obtain, in a systematic and
orderly manner, information on the variables involved in an investigation, and this on a
given population or sample". For some authors, such as (López Romo, 1998), the survey
has become a fundamental tool for the study of social relations, used by various
contemporary organizations to learn about the behavior of their stakeholders and make
decisions about them.
As for the interview as a data collection technique, the European Glossary on
Education (2005) defines it as a communicative process between at least two people
(subject and interviewer), whose purpose is to reconstruct processes, contents and meanings
of the interviewee's personal experiences. While Tamayo and Tamayo (2004), consider that
"it is the direct relationship established between the researcher and the object of study
through individuals or groups in order to obtain oral testimonies". (p.184). The
aforementioned author classifies it as individual and collective. And according to the way
in which it is structured in free or directed, it is what other authors call structured or semi-
structured.
In relation to the data collection instruments, the questionnaire stands out.
According to García Córdoba (2004), the questionnaire:

It is a system of rational questions, ordered in a coherent way, both from a

logical and psychological point of view, expressed in a simple and
understandable language, generally answered in writing by the person
being questioned, without the intervention of an interviewer. The
questionnaire allows the collection of data from primary sources. (p.29)
 For Canales Cerón (2006) the questionnaire is "a quantitative research device
consisting of a set of questions that must be applied to a subject in a given order". (p.67)
Other instruments used in data collection are: the worksheet, the interview guide,
the checklists and the attitude or opinion scale (Likert type). Tamayo and Tamayo (2004)
define the worksheet as "the instrument that allows us to order and classify the data
consulted, including our observations and criticisms, thus facilitating the writing of the
document". (p.182). The interview guide, as a structured interview instrument, consists of a
set of open-ended questions or topics to be addressed, which will be derived from the
indicators to be explored.
It is also worth mentioning the so-called checklists, which "consist of lists of traits
or characteristics whose existence or non-existence is recorded. The occurrence of a fact or
circumstance is answered, sometimes, with the simple choice between yes or no" (p.91)
Gento Palacios (2012).
According to Ortiz Uribe (2004) "they consist of a set of items presented in the form
of statements or judgments to which the reaction of the subjects is requested. (pp. 57-58)
However, it is important to note that the above techniques and instruments have
been widely used by researchers in the quantitative tradition, some of them also in
qualitative research, taking care not to contaminate the information collected.
Similarly, the interpretative tradition emphasizes participant observation and the
interview as data collection techniques, and data collection instruments such as anecdotes
or anecdotal records, field diaries or notebooks, and records of interview responses, among
others.

REFERENCES

Arias, F. (1999). El Proyecto de Investigación, 3ra. ed. Caracas: Episteme.

Canales Cerón, M. (2006). Metodologías de investigación social. Santiago de Chile:

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comercial. Madrid: ESIC EDITORIAL.

García Córdoba, F. (2004). El cuestionario: Recomendaciones metodológicas para el

diseño de un cuestionario. México: Limusa.

Gento Palacios, S. (2012). La investigación en el tratamiento educativo de la

diversidad. Madrid: Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia.

Glosario europeo sobre educación. (2005). CIDE.

López Romo, H. (1998). La metodología de encuesta. En L. Galindo Cáceres, Técnicas

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