Types of Data

• What is qualitative data?

  Data displayed in words and is non-numerical
• What is quantitative data?

  Data that is displayed numerically, not in words
• What is primary data?

  Information obtained first hand by the researcher for an investigation
• What are the strengths of primary data?

  • More richness and depth of detail
  • Allows participants to develop their opinions, enhancing external validity
  • Provides meaningful insights into participants' views
  • Can be analyzed statistically for graphs or charts
  • Facilitates easy comparisons with other data
  • Targets exact information needed by the researcher
• What are the limitations of primary data?

  • Difficult to analyze
  • Hard to make comparisons with other data
  • Researcher bias may affect conclusions
  • Lack of depth in detail
  • Low external validity due to limited participant opinion development
  • Requires time and effort, can be expensive
• What is secondary data?

  Information collected by someone else other than the researcher
• What is a potential drawback of secondary data?

  The data may be outdated or incomplete
• What is meta-analysis?

  Combining results from many different studies to form an overall view
• What are the strengths of meta-analysis?

  • More generalizability due to larger data sets
  • Increased confidence in findings from multiple studies
• What is publication bias?

  When researchers intentionally do not publish all data, omitting negative results
• How does publication bias affect research representation?

  It gives a false representation of what the researcher was investigating