Research methods- Data handling and analysis Flashcards
What is qualitative data ?
Data which is displayed in words , is non-numerical.
What is quantitative data ?
Data that is displayed numerically, not in words.
What are the strengths of qualitative data ?
- More richness and depth of detail.
- Allows participants to further develop their opinions hence has greater external validity.
- A more meaningful insight into the participants’ views is achieved.
What are the limitations of qualitative data ?
- Difficult to analyse.
- Difficult to make comparisons with other data.
- Researcher bias presented as conclusions rely on the subjective interpretations of the researcher (interpretative bias).
What are the strengths of quantitative data ?
- Can be analysed statistically so converted to graphs or charts.
- This makes it easy to make comparisons with other data.
What are the limitations of quantities data ?
- Lack of depth in detail.
- No meaningful insight into participants’ views.
- As participants are not able to develop their opinions the results have low external validity.
What is primary data ?
This is when information is obtained first hand by the researcher for an investigation.
What are the strengths of primary data ?
-Targets the exact information which the researcher needs, so the data fits their aims and objectives.
What are the limitations of primary data ?
- Requires time and effort.
- Can be expensive.
What is secondary data ?
This is when information is collected by someone else other than the researcher yet is used by the researcher for their investigation
What are the strengths of secondary data ?
- Data is accessed so requires minimal effort to collect.
What are the limitations of secondary data ?
- Expensive
- It may be likely that the data is outdated or incomplete.
- The data may not be reliable
What is a meta analysis ?
This is when a researcher combines results from many different studies and uses all the data to form an overall view of the subject they are investigating.
What are the strengths of using meta analysis ?
- More generalisability is possible as a larger amount of data is studied.
- The researcher is able to view the evidence with more confidence as there is a lot of it.
What are the limitations of using a meta analysis ?
- Publication bias such as the file drawer problem may be presented- this is when the researcher intentionally does not publish all the data from the relevant studies but instead chooses to leave out the negative results. This gives a false representation of what the researcher was investigating.
