Secondary Research: Documents, Official Statistics, Existing Sociological Research Flashcards
(15 cards)
Who creates public/official documents?
Organisations
Are Government Inquiries public?
Yes
What does it mean if documents are public?
Anyone is able to view them
Are OFSTED inspection reports public?
Yes
Why is access a strength for official documents? Is it P, E or T?
They are public. It is a practical strength
What did the MacPherson report find with the police force?
They were institutionally racist
Why can specialist knowledge be a weakness for official statistics? Is it P, E or T?
Specific knowledge is needed to analyse data. It is a practical weakness.
What are personal documents?
Documents that were meant to be kept private
Who did a study with personal documents?
Hey
What did Hey study?
Notes passed around by schoolgirls
Why is validity a strength of Hey’s study? Is it P, E or T?
They were written to express real thoughts. Theoretical strength
Why is sensitivity an issue in Hey’s study? Is it P, E or T?
Some notes may have covered sensitive topics. Ethical weakness.
What is existing sociological research?
Research that has already been done
Why is reliability a potential weakness for existing sociological research? Is it P, E or T?
The research might not be able to be done again. This is a Theoretical Weakness
Why is existing research being applicable to other topics a strength? Is it P, E or T?
Research can be used to look at other topics. Theoretical strength.
