Observed data can include everything from field research, where someone lives in another context or culture for a period of time (participant observation), to photographs that show the interaction between service providers and service users (direct observation). If the results of the internal and external assessment seem to show that the organization does not have any pressing problems with discrimination and/or systemic barriers, and is generally in compliance with the Code and OHRC policies, consider whether the organization could still benefit from proactively implementing a data collection initiative (for example, to help monitor the ongoing effectiveness and suitability of policies, programs and intervention strategies). Should you or shouldn't you collect your data through observation? For example, it can break it down to “disaggregated” data for a local labour market or for a particular occupational category. Whether quantitative and/or qualitative methods of gathering data are used, the analysis can be complex, or less so, depending on the methods used and the amount of data collected. A good research effort involves the use of both types. Are there best practices in the industry/sector or among similar organizations that can be learned from? [26] Data collection based on certain grounds, such as ethnic origin, sex and disability, has been done for many years under federal employment equity legislation, the national census that takes place every five years or in accordance with international requirements. This step depends on the organizational leadership's preference. Some of the non-exhaustive questions identified below may apply to a diverse range of organizations and audiences, including employees and service users. This potential weakness can be minimized by using accepted quantitative research methods and identifying appropriate warnings to explain the parameters and assumptions underlying the research, depending on the nature and size of the project, as well as the sophistication of the methods and analysis used, it can be costly to gather the required information. Is this system perceived to be applied fairly and consistently? Data which cannot be linked to an identifiable living individual is not personal data, as defined by the DPA 1998, and thus in principle falls outside the DP regime. newspaper clippings, case law, Statistics Canada census data, photographs) or is created by an organization during its routine business operations (e.g. In some cases, although it is not required, it is preferable to use pre-determined categories such as those developed by Statistics Canada. Step 1: Identify issues and/or opportunities for collecting data Identifying the logistics, resources, technology and people needed to develop and implement a data collection initiative. It might be obvious from your data collection, for instance, that, while violence or roadway injuries may not be seen as a problem citywide, they are much higher in one or more particular areas, or that the … can be conducted on a small or large scale. Overall suitability of different methods plays a vital […] The “comparator group”[24] should be persons who share one or more characteristics with the persons in the group of interest, but differ in the key characteristic(s) being studied (e.g. Data selection is defined as the process of determining the appropriate data type and source, as well as suitable instruments to collect data. This may prompt them to conduct a more detailed internal and external assessment (go back to Step 1) or try another approach. Interviews and focus groups (also referred to as “group interviews”) allow for information to be provided orally, either individually or in a group setting. Whatever format is chosen, it is important that the focus group is structured and managed in a way that cultivates a “safe space” for people to share their experiences. a focus on numbers and rankings alone can overly simplify or lead to an inaccurate understanding of complex situations and realities, unless a broader context is provided. Looking at two empirical researches based on injecting drug users Study 1 looked at a community based cross-sectional survey among out of treatment male opiate injecting drug users (IDU) between ages 15 to 45. After deciding to do an internal and external assessment (Step 1), and gather qualitative data using focus groups and interviews with current and past employees, senior leadership decides that barriers exist for women in the organization’s recruitment, hiring, promotion and human resources policies, processes and practices. Who the appropriate comparator group is will depend on the context and is often contested between litigants. Collecting data about a group of interest that shares characteristics, based on several. Some organizations, like FCP and Legislated Employment Equity Plan (LEEP)[21] employers, are given specific direction on what issues should be explored and how data must be collected. The OHRC’s recent edition of Human Rights at Work is a useful reference for this purpose. All rights reserved. subject to multiple interpretations of what the numbers actually mean, which can lead to a distorted understanding of a research topic of interest. Statistical significance Another essential factor to consider while choosing the research methodology is statistical results. Information gathered using observation techniques differs from interviewing, because the observer does not actively ask the respondent questions. Data is gathered from the community centre’s pre-existing records relating to its service users, including people who attend the youth literacy program or have expressed an interest in it. What categories will be used to identify the group of interest and comparator group. This group could include boards of directors, management committees, union representatives, employees, community groups, tenants, customers and service users. an effective and capable observer can provide an objective third viewpoint on what is going on, and draw out implications that are not obvious or that people are unaware of. Data collection enables you to improve your understanding of who your audience is and disseminate that information throughout your organization. Depending on factors like the goals of the data collection project, the organization’s size, resources and time, data may be gathered about many sub-sets within a broader group of interest (e.g. Staff is advised that the observed data gathered will only be used for research purposes and not shared with their managers. depending on the nature and size of the project, as well as the sophistication of the methods and analysis used, can take a significant amount of time, be very labour-intensive, and yield results that may not be general enough for policy-making and decision-making purposes. Collecting comparable data in the context of multinational, multiregional, and multicultural (‘3MC’) surveys is a highly complex task in which one can expect to encounter a variety of languages and cultural contexts. Potential Problem What It Means Example Bias The question influences responses in favour of, or against the topic of the data collection. The accuracy of quantitative data can be influenced by manipulation and bias of the researcher, among other factors, unless checked by the researcher’s professionalism and the use of accepted data collection research methods, quantitative data excels at summarizing, organizing and comparing large amounts of information, and drawing general conclusions about a research topic of interest. data has to be collected from appropriate sources. Simple factors to consider when collecting ESG performance data April 18, 2019 By BRE The success of our decision-making in life can be impacted by the quality of data which is used to inform this decision. Explaining the technical steps involved in analyzing and interpreting data is beyond the scope of this guide. Qualitative methods are aimed at describing a specific context, event, people or relationship in a broad contextual way, by trying to understand the underlying reasons for behaviour, thoughts and feelings. For more information about Statistics Canada’s “custom services” see Statistics Canada, supra note 27. However, the quality of data matters, too. This information might have been collected at the end of a project or activity, or throughout. Some practical considerations to keep in mind are whether the respondents can read, have language or cultural barriers, have disabilities, and can be easily reached. Did the respondent understand the term "human rights grievance"? As such, it is critical that you carefully consider whether the market segment that you intend to research has a reasonable level of interest in or use for what you plan on selling them. There are four types of observational methods that are available to you as a researcher: cross-sectional, case-control, cohort and ecological. What locations or geographical areas will the data be gathered from? may not provide an accurate measure of how others perceive a person’s background or experience. qualitative data excels at "telling the story" from the participant's viewpoint (it helps participants feel like they have been heard), can help others better understand the issue or problem by providing the rich descriptive detail that explains the human context of numerical results, perceived that the accuracy of qualitative data can be influenced by false, subjective or manipulated testimonies. Are equity, diversity and inclusiveness supported, reflected and promoted by senior leaders throughout the organization? This adds time to the project and folks willing to provide data initially may not be so amenable to participating in the data collection … … In the digital age data is one of the most valuable resources at your disposal. These decisions may be made in consultation with an expert. Step 2: Select issue(s) and/or opportunity(ies) and set goals the meaning of the word “freedom” – depending on the interpretation of the word chosen, it may produce different issues and results). There is no requirement that these steps be followed or pursued in the order that they are written. Does the organization have human resources and human rights policies, practices and procedures that are accessible to all employees or to the people they serve? Even within a single country, the target population may not be linguistically, ethnically, or culturally homogeneous. This type of information could be used as proxies or stand-ins for race, but would be less reliable than actually having self-reported racial data. Observation involves collecting information without asking questions. Let’s consider an example of a mobile manufacturer, company X, which is launching a new product variant. Management decides to collect qualitative information using focus groups consisting of a range of stakeholders, including customers and representatives of organizations from the disability community. This means collecting data on behalf of our customer – the city – from the end user who is not our customer. depending on the size of the organization, the purpose of the data collection, the internal expertise available and other factors, focus groups and interviews can be done with relatively little expense. 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