Topic 6 - Secondary Sources

Question 1

Secondary sources

Answer 1

• Official statistics
• Other researchers
• Media
• Other resources

Question 2

What kind of data can secondary sources be

Answer 2

• Quantitative
• Qualitative

Question 3

Who likes official statistics

Answer 3

• Positivists

Question 4

Ways of collecting official statistics

Answer 4

• Registration
• Offical surveys

Question 5

Practical strengths of secondary sources

Answer 5

• Free and easily availbale online
• Government compels civilians to provide the information
• Allows comparisons amongst groups

Question 6

Ethical strengths of secondary sources

Answer 6

• All ethical guidelines have already been considered by the government so no additional consent is needed as the statistics are publically available, but all personal information is hidden

Question 7

Theoretical strengths of secondary sources

Answer 7

• Reliable
• Representitativeness

Question 8

Practical weaknesses of secondary sources

Answer 8

• Government may not gather statistics on the topics the researcher is interested in
• Some information is protected and requires permission to access some of the statistics
• Definitions for official statistics changes over time

Question 9

ATKINSON (Practical weakness)

Answer 9

• Used qualitative methods to look at how coroners reach the decision to label a death as suicide
• Concluded that suicide statistics are not a true reflection, but a social construct defined by coroners, doctors, and relatives

Question 10

Ethical weaknesses of secondary sources

Answer 10

• Risk that official statistics may be manipulated to downplay or exaggerate issues such as unemployment and crime rates

Question 11

Theoretical weaknesses of secondary sources

Answer 11

• Lack validity as errors can be made on the behalf of either the government or the participant

Question 12

Documents

Answer 12

• Interpretivists
• Written text

Question 13

Public documents

Answer 13

• Used for public knowledge
• Produced by organisations

Question 14

THOMAS and ZNANIECKI (Personal documents)

Answer 14

• Used letters to look at the meanings individuals gave to their experiences of migration

Question 15

Personal documents

Answer 15

• Are usually private documents for a person’s own use
• First hand accounts of events and experiences and usually includes feelings and attitudes

Question 16

Historical documents

Answer 16

• Personal/public documents created in the past so often the only source of information available

Question 17

LASLETT (documents)

Answer 17

Used parish records in his study of the pre-industrial family

Question 18

Assessing documents

Answer 18

1. Authenticity
2. Credibility
3. Representativeness

Question 19

Authenticity

Answer 19

• Is the document what is claims to be with any pages missing and free from errors, who actually wrote the document
• Adolf Hitler’s diaries were purchased after being authenticated by historians = found to be a complete forger

Question 20

Credibility

Answer 20

• Is the document believable and was the author sincere, is the document accurate
• THOMAS and ZNANIECKIS migrants may have lied in their letters home to family aboyt how good life was in the USA to justify their decision to emigrate

Question 21

Representativeness

Answer 21

• Is the evidence in the document typical and can it be generalised from

Question 22

Practical strengths of documents

Answer 22

• May be the only source of information
• Cheap
• Mostly accessible
• Efficient

Question 23

Ethical strengths of documents

Answer 23

• Credbility

Question 24

Theoretical strengths of documents

Answer 24

• Validity

Question 25

Practical weaknesses of documents

Answer 25

• Availability bias

Question 26

Ethical weaknesses of documents

Answer 26

• Misinterpretation
• Mispresentation

Question 27

Theoretical weaknesses of documents

Answer 27

• Reliability