As part of the InQuire Research Incubator program to support postgraduate students, the eighth workshop was held on 13th April 2021 in an online format. In this workshop, we talked about Data Collection and Sampling for Quantitative and Qualitative Research.
Namely, the data collection plan consists of methods, instruments and sources, and the choices in this step determine the “menu” of data analysis options. Deciding on how variables are measured leads the researcher to decide on the data he/she will use. We distinguish two main data sources: secondary and primary. Both data sources have their advantages and disadvantages, and research should decide on opportunity costs if both are available. Regardless of the choice of data source, both include the possibility that sampling will be required. In this workshop, we discussed the sampling methods used in quantitative research. After the presentation, the participants had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the dilemmas within the development of their project proposal, mainly focused on sampling issues, especially in primary data collection.
