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SustainAxis Academy · M&E Fundamentals · Module 4 Reading

Collecting Data You Can Trust

Primary vs secondary, matching method to question, a clean questionnaire, KoboToolbox, and the four marks of good data quality.

Primary and secondary data

Primary data you collect yourself (surveys, interviews, observation). Secondary data already exists (Ghana Statistical Service, district assembly records, health and school registers). Always look for secondary data first; it is cheaper and faster than sending a team to the field for something already written down.

Match the method to the question

Survey / questionnaire
Many people, counting. Answers how many, how much.
Key informant interview
Depth from a few knowledgeable people (chief, assembly member, extension officer).
Focus group discussion
A small group, perceptions and reasons. Answers why, how do they feel.
Observation
Seeing for yourself whether something is there and working.
Document review
Reading records that already exist.

A word on sampling: avoid the roadside bias

You cannot reach everyone, so study a smaller group that fairly represents the whole. Avoid the roadside bias of only reaching the easy households. Reach the far communities, the women, and the poorer households too.

Checklist for a clean questionnaire

  1. One idea per question.
  2. Plain, simple words.
  3. No leading questions.
  4. A sensible, logical order.
  5. Clear response options for closed questions.
  6. Sensitive questions handled with care and consent.
  7. In the language the respondent actually speaks (Dagbani, Ewe, Hausa…).
  8. Not too long; respect people's time.
  9. Piloted with a few people first.
  10. Enumerators trained on every question before going to the field.

Getting started with KoboToolbox

KoboToolbox is free and works offline, which makes it ideal for field work where there is no network.

  1. Go to kobotoolbox.org and create a free account.
  2. Create a new project and build your form, adding one question at a time and choosing the right answer type (number, choice, text, GPS, photo).
  3. Deploy the form and open it in the KoboCollect app on an Android phone.
  4. Collect in the community with no network; the data is saved on the phone.
  5. Sync when you reach a place with signal, then download your data for analysis.

The four marks of good data quality

Accurate. Complete. Consistent. Timely. Protect them by training enumerators, piloting the tool, checking data as it comes in, and never accepting armchair data filled in from memory.