Data collection in the field parita
- 1. Data Collection in the Field Thailand Experience Parita Suaphan EPSA Skills Development Workshop No.3 April 17, 2013
- 2. Why do I choose a vocational high school ? • What factors really affect students’ vocational/general high school decision ? Expected Net Monetary Future Benefit Non Monetary Factors Benefits Costs Risks Time Value of Money Social Environment Cognitive Ability Non-Cognitive Ability
- 3. Sample • Sample frame : – Every grade 9 students in all 38 government schools in Mueng District, Udon Thani Province 4656 Students • Udon Thani : – Gross provincial product rank is 19 out of the 77 provinces in Thailand – 1.5 millions population – Agriculture ( Sugar Cane, Rice Farm), Travel, Service – Has 9 vocational high schools, 7 of which are in Muang. • Schools – The numbers of grade 9 students range from 14 to 865 students – Under 2 school districts – 3860 students collected
- 5. Methodology • Mixed Method ( though heavily quantitative) – Using qualitative to confirm the result of quantitative part and attempt to answer the why questions • Instruments – Questionnaires • 2 Parts , 2 Hours – Interview • 10 – 15 min with 30 students – Costs information from randomly selected local high schools and tutoring centers
- 6. Timeline Pre-Fieldwork Nov ‘11 – Oct’12 A: TC • Proposal Writing • Questionnaires Design • Defense • IRB B: Field Related • Contact Related Authorities • Field Visit • Scheduling • Recruiting RAs • Codebook Fieldwork Nov’12 – Jan’13 - Pilot - IRB ( well yeah once again !!) - Reconfirming schedule - RAs training - Data Collection (obviously !!) - Data Transfer Post-Fieldwork Feb’13 - April’14 - Data Transfer - Transcribe - Data Cleaning - Imputation -
- 7. Pre-Fieldwork Proposal Writing • Check schedules of your committee Questionnaires Design • It is an Art!! • Order of Questions • Questions that need a lot of thinking should be put first • Will Q.1 influences Q. 2 ? • Categories, scale, or blank • Consult Experts • Teachers and/or School Principals • Survey Experts
- 8. Pre-Fieldwork Defense • Leave time for revision IRB • Are you working with minor ? If so Expedited • Do you need consent form ? • Avoid submitting it during summer • RAs? • Need 1 copy in local language and 1 copy in English
- 9. Pre-Fieldwork Defense • Leave time for revision IRB • Are you working with minor ? If so Expedited • Do you need consent form ? • Avoid submitting it during summer • RAs? • Need 1 copy in local language and 1 copy in English • Need an approval letter from the local authority
- 10. Pre-Fieldwork Recruiting RAs • Contact local university professor • Criteria : GPA more than 3 , have computer at home, and Junior or Master level • First Screening : Meet and Interview • I used 8 RAs. 7 Juniors and 1 Master Candidate. Codebook
- 11. Pre-Fieldwork Contact Local Authority • It is helpful if you know someone • Try to did this very early in the process Field Visit • Visit schools Talk to principle, explain the study, schedule the date, identify a contact person, obtain a usable phone number • Be polite. Bring gifts ? • Referral is much helpful. • Accommodation scouting • Car. You need a car. • Locate schools • In Thailand : Don’t use email. Use phone. If no one pick up the phone, visit.
- 12. Fieldwork Pilot • At least 1 month in advance • Test the validity of the questionnaires, identify potential problem and try to find solutions. • Hard-to-understand questions • Sensitive questions • Student Focus • Do everything by yourself, so you can effectively train your RAs. • If you made changes, you need IRB approval. Confirmation • Confirm the schedule 3-4 weeks, 1 week, and 1-2 days • Give out the letters /consent form to schools
- 13. Fieldwork RAs Training • 10 days in advance at least • If any of them are not competent, it is time to cut her/him out of the project • 3 hours session 4-5 people per session • A test at the end of the session • Homework • Give them a small amount of work at the beginning, so they have time to familiar themselves with the tasks and you have time to cross-check them . Minimize future errors. • $300 a month. 2-months work. 152 variables. 550 students Data Transfer • No need for the data collection to be finish before the transfer to start • Cross-check . Look at every survey yourselves. Not only that you correct the transfer mistakes, you learn from it too.
- 14. Meet My RAs
- 15. Fieldwork Data collection • The number of students in each survey session matters. • Students lost focus easy Snacks and light jokes helps • It is important to establish connection with students. • It is helpful to have teachers in the room. • Give them pens • Figure out how to logistically distribute the surveys if the number of students is large. • Get to schools at least 1 hour in advance.
- 16. Fieldwork Data collection ( Cont) • Boys are more difficult to manage. Be firm but kind and funny. • Walking around helps students focus. • Treat them with respect !! • Numbers of students at school might not be the same as what they reported to the district. Ask about it to get the correct sample frame. • Keep field note. Polaroid is amazing. • I wrote a blog and found that it was helpful http://www.thaifieldwork.com
- 17. Don’t Get Too Stressed – Keep Calm And Carry On
- 18. Post-Fieldwork Data Cleaning and Transcribing • Continue to cross-check • Get to know your data • Shall I delete some observations? Imputation • If you can still take a class, please do. • If not, consult Yilin!!
- 19. Questions ? Comments ? Thank You Contact : ps2537@columbia.edu