Research methods

• Primary Data- Data that is collected by the researcher and not previously collected by others.
• Secondary data- data that has already been collected and stored by someone else.
• The Hawthroen effect-Wanted to see chainging effects in the working conditions.They discrved that whnever a change was made the workers would work harder because someone was watching them
• Quantitative Data- Data that can be measured, counted, or calculated.
• Quanititative Data- An advatnage of bebing useful like questionaries
• Questionaires- Popular research methdo which a cheap and quick to complete. The respondent completes the questionaire themselves saving money and time
• Postal Questionaires are a way of handing out questionaires but have a low responal rate as people may not be bother to complete the questionare and hand it back. Only people withs trong views on the topic making it unrepresentative
• Interviews- A face to face conversation between an interviewer and interviewee where questions are asked about their opinions and experiences
• Advantages of interviews include being able to ask follow up questions if needed and getting more detailed answers than questionnaires
• Disadvantages of interviews include the fact they take longer to conduct and cost more money due to paying staff to carry them out
• Advantages of interviews is they allow researchers to ask follow up questions if needed and also allows the researcher to gain more information from the person being interviewed
• Disadvantage of Interview is that some people might lie to make themselves look better than what they really are
• Observation- Watching and recording behaviour without interacting with those who are behaving
• Observation is when researchers watch what happens without taking part in the situation
• Participant Observation is when the observer takes part in the group/situation they're observing
• Observation is when researchers watch what happens without taking part or influencing events
• Weaknesses of observation is that it may not always give an accurate picture as people change their behaviour because they know they're being watched
• Strengths of Observation is it can be used to gather data on sensitive issues as there is no need to talk about these things, it's cheaper than other forms of research and it doesn't rely on memory so less likely to have errors.
• Weakness of participant observation is that the observer may become too involved in the situation, which could affect their objectivity
• Strengths of observation is it can be used on large groups, it can be done over long periods of time and it provides detailed data about how people behave
• Disadvantages of questionnaires include low response rates, some people don't understand the questions asked and it relies on self reporting which means people might lie
• Disadvantages of interviews include that interviewees might lie, some people don't like talking about themselves and it can take a lot of time to conduct them all
• Closed questions- easy to process and present.Doesn't allow respondent to expand on there answer
• Open Questions- Able to give more detailed answers but difficult to turn into statistics and more time comsuming