multipurpose tree species research for small farms: strategies ... - part

Important external data sources for MPTS
products include publications of annual statistics
by region, and censuses of agriculture,
manufacturers, population, etc. Internal data can
be obtained from MPTS research reports, MPTS
seminar proceedings, proceedings of a roforestry
seminars, and regional agriculture and forest
service reports and statistics.
Primary Data
Primary data is generated by the researcher to
answer the questions posed by a specific problem.
One type of data collected is demographic and
socioeconomic which includes information on age,
education, occupation, marital status, gender,
income, or social class,
Another type of primary data is the attitude or
opinion of the respondent to a certain product.
Attitude is claimed to be the forerunner of
behavior. Attitudes and opinions are used
interchangeably in market research (Myers and
Reynolds 1967).
Awareness or knowledge of products is also of
great interest. Primary data related to awareness
include general knowledge about the product,
where it can be purchased, product price, who
produces the product, how it is used and for what
purposes, and its specific distinctive features.
Motivation is important in market research. It
refers to a .ced, drive, wish, desire, or impulse that
energizes, activates, moves, directs, or channels
behavior toward goals. Typically, behavior in
marketing refers to purchasing.
There are several means for collectin primary
data. The most common are communication and
observation. Communication involves questioning
respondents through the use of questionnaires.
The question may be either verbal or written, and
the answer may be given in either form.
Questionnaires
Questionnaire design can include such types as
structurcd-undisguiscd, unstructured,
structurcd-disguscd, and questionnaires classified
by method of data collection.
The questions on the structured-undisguised
questiennaires as well as the answers are
siandardized. Few alternatives are used. The
following example considers the subject's attitude
toward MPTS product consumption, "How
important is fuelwood to you?"
40
- very important
- important
- not important
- no opinion
The advantages of this type of questionnaire
are the simplicity of its delivery and its facility in
tabulation and analysis of the data. This method
is most productive when the possible replies are
well known, limited in number, and clear cut.
Unstructured questionnaires are often
considered the cornerstone of motivational
research. The basic assumption is that the
individual's thoughts and behavior are relatively
unstructured. Examples of this method are
word association, sentence completion, and
storytelling.
Structured-disguised questionnaires were
developed in an attempt to revea! subconscious
motives and attitudes while maintaining the
advantages in coding and tabulation common to
the structured approach. This is the least used
in market research.
Questionnaire Design
Designing questionnaires is a skill and not a
science. The following seven steps are
presented as a guide or checklist for reference
(Churchill 1979):
- determine information needs;
- determine the appropriate type of
questionnaire andmethod o administration;
- determine the individual questions;
- determine the type of response to each
question;
- determine the number and sequence of
question;
- re-examine steps 1-5, and revise if
necessary; and
- pretest the questionnaire and revise.
The hypotheses guiding the descriptive study
are used to develop the questionnaires. They
determine the information needs because they
specify the relationship under investigation.
Sample Design
The next step in the process is to select a
sample. Probability and non-probability
samples are two common types.
Probability samples are divided into simple
random samples, stratified random samples,
and clusters. Simple random samples are those