Topic 5- Secondary resources

Question 1

What are secondary sources an what are some examples?

Answer 1

Refers to findings which already exist that others have gathered or created. This could include:
1. Official stats
2. Media
3. Other sources i.e. Diaries, letters
4. Other researchers i.e. sociologists, journalists, gov departments

Question 2

What type of secondary sources are quantitative?

Answer 2

Official stats, non official stats, existing quantitative sociological research

Question 3

What secondary sources can be qualitative?

Answer 3

Public documents, personal documents, historical documents, existing qualitative sociological research.

Question 4

What are official stats and who favours them?

Answer 4

Data gathered by the government or official bodies producing quantitative data so positivists favour them.

Question 5

What are P, E and T strengths of official statistics?

Answer 5

P- Free and easily available online - most are published in reports
E- Anonymity and confidentiality- No personal information is given, it is all kept confidential
T- Representative- Produced in a standardised way meaning studies can be easily replicated so comparisons can be made.

Question 6

What are P, E and T weaknesses of Official statistics?

Answer 6

P- Access- some information is protected so it is harder to access
E- Stats can be manipulated by political parties for their own political growth.
T- Lack validity- Errors can be made when producing data

Question 7

What are documents and who favours them?

Answer 7

Any written text including personal diaries, government reports, medical records, novels, letters etc. And is favoured by interpretivists.

Question 8

What are the three type of documents?

Answer 8

1. Public
2. Personal (letters, diaries)
3. Historical

Question 9

How did Aries use historical documents to look at childhood?

Answer 9

Looked at child rearing manuals and paintings of children from the past to study the modern notion of childhood.

Question 10

What are P, E and T strengths of Documents?

Answer 10

P- Accessibility- Able to be accessed through libraries, online databases, archives etc.
E- Credibility- Undergo rigorous peer review and quality control making them high in credibility.
T- High in Validity- Personal documents allow for the researcher to see the reality of their view.

Question 11

What are P, E and T weaknesses of documents?

Answer 11

P- Availability Bias- Factors such as funding, publication, preferences and language can impact the availability of sources
E- Misinterpretation- Authors can misinterpret the primary sources they rely on
T- Low in reliability- There may be biases that influence interpretations