...
- Unit of measurement, which is the level the data is collected at (e.g. individual, household, institution/infrastructure, community, area). This will have an influence on the type of data collected: the higher the level, the less reliable is the answer of the interviewee.
- Data-collection methods (e.g. direct observation, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, community discussions, key-informant interviews, household interviews, etc.): in the Design the methodology folder above can be found a table detailing pros and cons of the different data collection methods.
- Sampling methods, or in other words the criteria you will use to select the respondents. There are two main types of sampling: probability sampling – in which respondents are selected randomly and every person in the sampling frame has the same chance of being selected, and non-probability sampling – in which respondents are not selected randomly. Probability samplings are much more resource-intensive but can generate statistically significant findings, while non-probability samplings are often lighter in terms of resources but generate findings that are indicative only. For this reason, there is always a tradeoff between representativeness of findings and cost/time constraints.
...