Data collection is the process of gathering research data about the research topic. This is done in a systematic way to enable statistical analysis. Research instruments are the tools used to collect data for a research project. There are various types of data collection/research instruments, such as questionnaires, interviews, observation, and document or record reviews. According to Marshall & Rosen (1995:104), the principle of data collection is that the instrument should be related to the type of information being sought. Such techniques should be efficient, practical, feasible and ethical. They should permit the researcher to study issues in depth and detail. As mentioned earlier, questionnaires were selected as the data collection instrument under the survey research method.
3.4.1. Questionnaire
The nature and scope of this study naturally pointed to the use of questionnaires. Questionnaires were viewed as a logical technique for a population as dispersed as the LIS departments in South Africa.
Bless and Higson-Smith (2000:154) define a questionnaire as an instrument of data collection that consists of a standardized series of questions relating to the research topic that must be answered in writing by participants. Likewise, Van Rensburg, Landman and Bodenstein (2002:505) define a questionnaire as a set of questions on the same topic that a selected group of individuals must answer. The purpose of this, they note, is to gather data on the problem under investigation. Marshal and Rossman (1995:96) view a questionnaire as an instrument used to convert information directly provided by the respondent into data in order to gauge what he/she likes or dislikes and/or what he/she thinks. They believe that a questionnaire is based on the assumption that the respondents provide information that cannot be obtained anywhere else.
Questionnaires are classified according to the kind of questions set (Babbie, 2005:254; Behr, 1988:156; Zechmeister and Zechmeister, 1990:93; and Shaughnessy, Zechmeister and Zechmeister, 2006:155). Questions may be closed or open-ended, or both in combination (Behr, 1988:156).
According to Bechhofer and Paterson (2000:74), closed questions require the respondent to place a tick, make a mark or draw a line alongside one of several provided possible answers. The authors state that open-ended questions enable the respondents to reply as they like and do not confine them to a single alternative. According to Behr (1988:156), the closed form of questionnaire facilitates answering and makes it easier for the researcher to code and classify the responses. He further mentions that this is particularly useful if details from a large number of questionnaires have to be dealt with. However, according to Breakwell, Harmond and Fife-Schaw (1995:178), the fixed form of alternative answers may have the effect of forcing the respondents to think along certain lines, which they may not have done had they been left to make up their own responses. The open-ended form of questionnaire enables the respondent to state his/her case freely, and possibly provide reasons as well. It evokes a fuller and richer response, and probably probes deeper into the respondents’ opinions than close-ended questions. According to Behr (1988:157), the choice between open and close-ended questions depends on the purpose of the survey; the respondent’s level of knowledge about the problem being investigated; and the researcher’s knowledge and insight into the respondent’s situation. He further mentions that in practice, a good questionnaire should contain both open and close-ended questions so that the responses from both can be checked and compared.
A detailed questionnaire with both structured and unstructured questions was employed in this study. Close-ended questions enabled the researcher to present alternatives for the respondents to choose from according to what was closest to their own positions or views (Breakwell, Harmond and Fife-Schaw, 1995:178). The authors believe that such questions help clarify the intent of the question for the respondent and are easily coded to produce meaningful results for analysis. On the other hand, open-ended questions allow respondents to convey their opinions to their satisfaction, without having to choose one of the several responses usually found in close-ended questions (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister and Zechmeister, 2006:156). The authors also state that open-ended questions can be used when all of the possible answer categories are known, or where there is a need to explore the views of respondents. Thus, open-ended questions allowed the respondents to answer in a relatively unconstrained way. The decision to use both types was based on the strength that combining both types of questions has. This was expected to enrich the data collected and the subsequent findings (Behr, 1988:157).
Two different sets of questionnaires were prepared for the Heads of LIS Departments and the lecturers teaching information ethics. The questionnaires’ purpose was to obtain their views on information ethics education in their respective departments or schools. The questionnaires for the HODs consisted of the following sections:
Section A: General information (name of institution and department) Section B: Availability of information ethics courses
Section C: Information ethics teaching
Section D: Duration and level of information ethics education
The questionnaire for lecturers consisted of the following:
Section A: Personal information Section B: Information ethics course
Section C: Information ethics courses’ content Section D: Teaching and assessment methods
Section E: Challenges of teaching information ethics