Conventional Sources of Data

Calhoun (1994) describes conventional sources of data:

"Conventional sources of data are items that require communication, observation, or follow-up with members of the population and that often require instrumentation to standardize the information collected. Therefore, the collection of data from these sources requires the selection or development of data-collection instruments." (p. 55)

There are two types of conventional data sources: behavioral and perceptual. "Behavioral data sources provide the faculty with information about what a person is doing or has done," notes Calhoun (1994, p. 55). Examples of behavioral data sources include classroom observations, student observations, samples of children's work (refer to collection and analysis of representative samples of children's work), logs of students' classroom accomplishments (such as the number of books read), samples of student writing, and samples of lessons.

"Perceptual data sources provide the faculty with information about the feelings, opinions, and values of a person," notes Calhoun (1994, p. 56). Examples of perceptual data sources include questionnaires, surveys, interviews, and journals.

References