 Developing
New Data Collection Tools
4.2 Determine relevant data collection tools
Distinguish between the need for standardized
instruments and non-standardized data collection tools
such as questionnaires and scales.
Standardized instruments have been developed by
specialists to measure psycho-social concepts or
qualities, e.g., self-esteem, self-control, sense
of belonging, sense of community, family functioning.
They have been tested in various versions, some abbreviated,
in different languages, settings and populations
to determine their level of reliability and validity.
Using a standardized instrument conveys some advantages:
you can be confident of its findings and may compare
them to findings in other comparable populations.
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Non-standardized data collection tools, especially
questionnaires, are created to measure specific effects
of a program, e.g., homework completion, use of spare
time, reading habits, recreational skills. They may
be borrowed or adapted from other programs, with
due credit given, but have no established level of
reliability or validity. |
No questionnaire is perfect, i.e., every question
understood and answered as intended by every informant
to provide a completely accurate picture of reality
in a given situation. There will always be a certain
degree of error in results.
Non-standardized questionnaires have an unknown degree
of error and thus results based on them from different
times or venues should be compared with caution. They
can only suggest similarities or differences among
programs or groups and should be supported by other
evidence.
Using standardized instruments
It is useful to do a literature
search by Internet for appropriate standardized
instruments and articles
about their use. The American Psychological Association
(APA) has a webpage of information for people
looking for suitable standardized tests. See http://www.apa.org/science/faq-findtests.html .
See also: TestLink at http://www.ets.org/testcoll/index.html),
and The Health and Psychological Instruments
(HAPI) database through a library site. Test Reviews
are online at the Mental Measurements Yearbook
at: http://buros.unl.edu/buros/jsp/search.jsp.
If you are interested in investigating effects on
the psychological well-being of participants, it may
be possible to use one of many standardized questionnaires
or instruments used for academic research. Using questionnaires
that have been developed, tested and critiqued by others
can save considerable time. Online data bases are good
sources of information about tests and instruments,
many available through university or public libraries.
Several published volumes also contain catalogues of
tests and questionnaires. Most instruments are copyrighted.
It is necessary to contact authors and/or publishers
for permissions to use all or part of a standardized
instrument. Some may be ordered as kits for a price,
others are free with proper attribution given to the
author in a credit line on the form. Consider consulting
someone experienced in using such instruments, e.g.,
in research settings such as colleges and universities
or larger social service agencies.
Suitability for community programming
- designed to suit specific populations
and may not be transferable to other groups,
e.g., adult to children,
urban to rural, U.S. demographics to Canadian.
- sometimes, questions or specific wording
may not be entirely suitable for the group
or purpose
- must be used precisely as written and
formatted,
- using certain questions and omitting
others invalidates the reliability and validity of
the instrument, making it unsuitable for comparison
purposes.
- Some standardized tests, however, have
been used for decades and proven in a variety of
population groups.
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It is possible to add extra questions to a standardized
instrument without compromising the instrument’s
use for comparative purposes, if you analyze
the instrument questions separately from the additional
questions.
- It may be helpful to borrow ideas and
phrasing from questionnaires that are not
held in copyright, or use
them and relevant articles as resources to
help clarify your own ideas about concepts
without claiming the
same level of reliability for results.
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