JultikaUniversity of Oulu repository

Abstract

Digital data collection is practically the norm in current research. Countless studies make use of questionnaires and separate data collection methods in aim to gather scientific data from research subjects. Experience Sampling Method (ESM) collects data using stand-alone reports, very much like in traditional diary surveys. Such an approach reduces the risk of errors caused by subjects memory and reconstruction phase of past experiences. By minimising potential points of failure, data can be made more reliable. In addition, this allows data collection to be targeted at main points of the study. Purpose of the study is to explore the impact of ESM surveys on the participants, and further how the methodological questionnaires affect the surveys results. The study makes use of a mobile application used for data collection, a server connection, as well as a database for storing the results. The results did not allow drawing of direct links between ESM responses and sleep quality, albeit importance of timing of the ESM questions was identified, need of a necessary saturation of sleep data was confirmed, and an observation was made that the parameters contributing to the same metric should be placed close together timewise.