Methods for Social Researchers in Developing Countries




Overview

Steps in measurement

An illustration

Level of measurement

Validity

Reliability

Relationship between
validity and
reliability

Reactivity

Ethical considerations

Aids
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Data collection methods vary in reactivity. Some can be highly reactive, while others are nonreactive. Data collection methods that are nonreactive are also called unobtrusive measures because they do not interfere with or intrude into the process of obtaining data. As we discuss each of the main techniques for collecting data, we will note how reactive each is.

For more extensive discussion of this useful and generally inexpensive way of collecting data, go to:

Unobtrusive" Data Collection, Unobtrusive Measurement

You want to develop measures that meet all three criteria for a good measurement. Any measure you use or develop should:

  • Accurately represent the concept you want to measure (validity);
  • Provide consistent data (reliability); and
  • Does not affect the data obtained (reactivity).

Ethical considerations

In this concluding section, we will look at some of the ethical issues that can occur in research. Guidelines for conducting research ethically are listed in Box 6.1. One is whether the researcher is ever justified in collecting data without the consent of those being studied.

Box 6.1. Important ethical guidelines

  1. Researchers are expected to obtain informed consent from respondents or subjects. Collecting data in public places without informing respondents remains an issue.
  2. Participation in any study should be voluntary and based on the consent of the participants.
  3. Investigators should avoid doing any harm to participants in the research. This includes causing undue embarrassment, humiliation, or stress.
  4. Investigators are responsible for protecting the privacy of information obtained during research.
  5. Investigators are honor bound to report all aspects of a research project fully and accurately.
  6. Many ethical issues can be avoided by anticipating them and by explicitly discussing them with participants, sponsors, and others who have an interest in the investigation.

Obtaining informed consent

Is it ethical to collect data without telling the persons involved what you are doing so? Some researchers say that no research should be conducted in secret. Respondents, they say, should always be informed about the nature of the study and give their consent before any data are collected. This viewpoint is based on the individual's right to privacy, which, in this view, is more important than the need to conduct research regardless of how important the results might be. According to this view, research should only be done when the respondents freely surrender their right to privacy and agree to participate in the research. Other researchers take a somewhat different view. They agree that reporting on many kinds of behavior, such as the private lives of people in their homes without   their   knowledge   and consent, is unethical. But according to the second viewpoint, observation without knowledge and consent does not violate persons' rights if several conditions exist.

Three conditions are cited by some researches as legitimate bases for conducting research without obtaining informed consent. These are:

  • That the behavior is public — when persons know they are being seen or heard by others and know the behavior is public knowledge;
  • That no demands are made on the people and their behavior occurs naturally in a public setting; and
  • That the observation in no way alters the well being of the people.

Examples where these criteria might apply include observation of behavior in streets, at market places, in classrooms, or in public meetings. However, remember that collection of data without informing persons about the study and getting their consent remains an issue.

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