Research methods

• What is primary data?

  Data collected firsthand for a specific purpose
• What are the advantages of primary data?

  Reliable, relevant, and scientific
• What are the disadvantages of primary data?

  Costly and time-consuming
• What are examples of primary data collection methods?

  Interviews, surveys, experiments, questionnaires
• What is secondary data?

  Data collected from existing sources
• What are the advantages of secondary data?

  Large scale, cheap, and useful for historical issues
• What is a disadvantage of secondary data?

  It may not be reliable
• What are examples of secondary data sources?

  Census, websites, books, articles
• What is a representative sample?

  A sample typical of the wider population
• What is an unrepresentative sample?

  A sample that is difficult to generalize
• What is a simple random sample?

  A sample generated randomly by a computer
• What is systematic random sampling?

  A method that picks every nth person
• What is stratified random sampling?

  A method that picks from diverse groups
• What is non-probability sampling?

  Sampling methods that do not use random selection
• What is snowball sampling?

  A method where one participant refers others
• What is quota sampling?

  A method where interviewers have exact numbers
• What is purposive sampling?

  A method based on known criteria
• What are the methods of qualitative research?

  • Observations
  • Interviews
  • Case studies
  • Focus groups
• What is qualitative data?

  Data presented in descriptive form
• What is quantitative data?

  Data presented in numerical form
• What are the advantages of postal/email questionnaires?

  Quick and easy to send to many people
• What is a disadvantage of postal/email questionnaires?

  Low response rate and potential misunderstandings
• What is structured/semi-structured interviewing?

  All participants are asked some questions
• What is the benefit of qualitative interviews?

  Ability to explain answers in detail
• What is the purpose of official statistics?

  To provide data based on the whole population
• What is a problem with official statistics?

  They may be particularly biased
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of group interviews?

  Strengths:

  • Access to a wide range of views
  • Participants may feel more at ease
  • Saves time and resources

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Some may dominate the discussion
  • Cannot assure confidentiality
• What does evaluating research involve?

  Assessing validity, reliability, and representativeness
• What is validity in research?

  Data gives a true picture of reality
• What is reliability in research?

  Data is consistent across different researchers
• What does representativeness mean in research?

  Sample represents a large group of people
• What are ethics in research?

  Morally acceptable ways of conducting research
• What does generalization in research imply?

  Assuming results are valid and reliable
• What are closed questions?

  Questions that are easy to process
• What is a problem with closed questions?

  They don't allow expansion on answers
• What are open questions?

  Questions that allow detailed answers
• What is a problem with open questions?

  They are time-consuming and hard to convert