types of data

Question 1

What is qualitative data?

Answer 1

• non-numerical data expressed in words (thoughts, feelings etc.).
• produced by observations, interviews, case studies, and questionnaires which are analysed using content analysis

Question 2

What are the strengths of qualitative data?

Answer 2

• rich data which provides more detailed answers
• greater external validity as it provides a more meaningful insight into the ppts view

Question 3

What are the weaknesses of qualitative data?

Answer 3

• difficult to analyse as it tends to not lend itself to being summarised statistically which means patterns are hard to identify
• conclusions rely on subjective interpretations of the research which can be biased

Question 4

What is quantitative data?

Answer 4

• numerical data which is collected as scores from ppts
• analysed by statistical analysis and converted into graphs, charts etc.

Question 5

What are the strengths of quantitative data?

Answer 5

• easy to analyse as comparisons can be easily made
• more objective as it is less open to bias

Question 6

What are the weaknesses of quantitative data?

Answer 6

• not very detailed which means it decreases its external validity

Question 7

What is primary data?

Answer 7

original data which has been obtained by the researcher from ppts

Question 8

What are the strengths of primary data?

Answer 8

• it can be designed so they specifically target the information that the researcher needs
• original data

Question 9

What are the weaknesses of primary data?

Answer 9

• takes time and effort to gather data

Question 10

What is secondary data?

Answer 10

data collected by someone else

Question 11

What are the strengths of secondary data?

Answer 11

easily accessed, inexpensive and requires minimal effort

Question 12

What are the weaknesses of secondary data?

Answer 12

• may be variation in the quality and accuracy as it can be out of date and incomplete
• contents may not match the researcher’s needs

Question 13

What is a meta-analysis?

Answer 13

combining results from a number of studies on a topic to provide an overview

Question 14

What are the strengths of a meta-analysis?

Answer 14

• produces a larger sample that is more varied which can be generalised to a larger population, increasing the validity

Question 15

What are the weaknesses of a meta-analysis?

Answer 15

publication bias as the researcher can leave out studies which have a negative impact. This produces biased data as it doesn’t represent all the data