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Data Collection Methods

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Data Collection Methods

A local council is planning improvements for a community recreation area. Help its team choose fair, reliable ways to collect data. Read each scenario carefully and explain your choices. Do not collect private information without permission.

Plan a reliable investigation

The council wants evidence before deciding what to improve.

1.The council wants to find out which new activity local teenagers would use most. Which method is most suitable, and why?

2.A volunteer wants to estimate how many people use the walking path on Saturday morning. Choose the best method.

Interview people about how often they walk there
Observe and tally path users during set time intervals
Send an online survey to every household

3.Match each question with the most suitable collection method: (a) What do people think of the playground? (b) How many bikes pass the gate in 20 minutes? (c) Does a new sign make more people use the recycling bins?

Ask people for their opinions
Count passing bikes
Compare bin use with and without the sign

Observation and tally
Experiment
Survey or interview

4.A draft survey asks, ‘Don’t you agree that the amazing new skate area would be useful?’ Explain one problem with this question and rewrite it more fairly.

Check the method and the data

Think about who is included, how information is recorded, and whether the results can be trusted.

5.To learn what all local residents think, a volunteer surveys only the first 12 people leaving the skate park on Sunday. Name one likely source of bias and suggest an improvement.

6.True or false? If a survey has many responses, its results must be unbiased and accurate. Give a reason.

TrueFalse

7.The team records people’s exact home addresses alongside their opinions about the park, although addresses are not needed. What should the team do differently?

8.During a 15-minute observation, two volunteers count people entering the area. One counts 28 and the other counts 34. Give two possible reasons for the difference and one way to improve the count.

9.The council tests whether a new rubbish-bin sign helps. It counts litter items beside the path on one day before putting up the sign, then counts on a rainy day afterwards. Identify a factor other than the sign that could affect the result, and explain how to make the test fairer.

10.Design a short investigation to find out whether visitors would use a drinking fountain. State the data-collection method, who you would include, one question or observation you would make, and one step to improve fairness or accuracy.