TYPES OF DATA

Cards (13)

  • Quantitative data –
    Data in the form of numbers e.g. 26% of 16–24-year-olds in England and Wales had tried cannabis in the past year.
    This is particularly useful for measuring the strength of relationships between several factors. The example above would be useful for measuring relationships between age and illegal drug use =RELIABLE 
  • Strengths of quantitative data
    • Simple to analyse 
    • Objective – less open to bias 
  • Weaknesses of quantitative data
    • Narrower in meaning – low external validity – limited information 
  • Qualitative data –
    Data in the form of words or pictures – includes descriptive data from observations, quotes from interviews, written sources, pictures, films, and recorded music.
    This type of data can often provide a richer and more in-depth picture of social life than the numbers provided by qualitative data =VALID 
  • Strengths of qualitative data
    • More in depth – richness in detail 
    • Participants can expand and explain their answers more 
    • Greater external validity 
  • Weaknesses of qualitative data
    • More difficult to analyse  
    • Researcher biassubjective interpretation of data 
  • Primary data – information that was not present before the research began and was obtained first-hand, directly gathered from participants by experiments, observations, questionnaires, and interviews. 
  • Strengths of primary data
    • Fits the purpose of the experiment – gathered directly from the participants 
    Weaknesses of primary data
    • More time and effort (planning and prep of resources) 
  • Secondary data – refers to data which already exists and was collected prior by someone else and pre-dates the current research project. Includes data from historical records, official statistics, government reports, diaries, autobiographies, novels, newspapers, films, and recorded music 
  • Strengths of secondary data
    • Inexpensive and easily accessible 
    • Researcher may find pre-existing information so reduces need to conduct a study 
  • Weaknesses of secondary data
    • Substantial variation in the quality and accuracy of secondary data 
    • May be incomplete or outdated so invalid 
    • May not be related to the context of the study 
  • Meta analysis - Refers to a process in which several studies are identified which have investigated the same aims/hypothesis and a joint conclusion is produced 
  • Meta-analysis strengths and weaknesses
    Strength - more varied sample – can be generalised thus increasing validity
    Weakness - publication bias/file draw problem – choosing studies which prove hypothesis and therefore it does not represent research