7. RESEARCH METHODS (Types of data (Qualitative/Quantitative, Primary/Secondary, Measures of Central tendency & Measures of dispersion)) Flashcards
What is quantitative data?
Quantitative data is expressed in numerical form, such as numbers on a Likert scale or yes/no answers, and is easy to analyse using statistical methods like graphs.
What is qualitative data?
Qualitative data is non-numerical and uses words to describe people’s thoughts, feelings, or experiences, such as written responses to open-ended questions.
What is a strength of quantitative data?
Quantitative data is objective, easy to analyse, and allows for easy comparison of responses across participants, which makes it reliable and valid.
What is a weakness of quantitative data?
Quantitative data lacks depth and detail, as it focuses on numbers and may not fully represent the complexity of human behaviour.
What is a strength of qualitative data?
Qualitative data provides rich, detailed information that can offer insights into the complexities of human behaviour.
What is a weakness of qualitative data?
Qualitative data is subjective, difficult to analyse statistically, and may not be reliable or easy to compare due to its non-numerical nature.
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative data?
Quantitative data involves numbers and is objective, while qualitative data involves words and is subjective, providing more detailed insights but harder to analyse.
What is primary data?
Primary data is original data collected directly by the researcher for a specific study.
What is secondary data?
Secondary data is data that already exists from previous studies or sources, which is used in a new research context.
What is an advantage of primary data?
Primary data is tailored to the researcher’s needs, which can increase the relevance and internal validity of the study.
What is a limitation of primary data?
Primary data collection is time-consuming and resource-intensive, as researchers must design, implement, and analyse new data.
What is an advantage of secondary data?
Secondary data is easy and quick to access, saving researchers time and resources in comparison to collecting primary data.
What is a limitation of secondary data?
Secondary data may lack context and detail, as researchers cannot clarify responses or understand the full context behind the data, potentially reducing its validity.
What is meta-analysis?
Meta-analysis is a statistical technique used to combine and analyse data from multiple studies on the same topic to provide an overall conclusion
What is a strength of meta-analysis?
Meta-analysis provides a clearer overall picture by aggregating data from multiple studies, often increasing external validity.
What is a limitation of meta-analysis?
Meta-analysis may suffer from low internal validity if studies included in the analysis used different research designs or had methodological weaknesses.
What are descriptive statistics?
Descriptive statistics are methods used to summarize and describe the features of a data set, including measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion.
What are measures of central tendency?
Measures of central tendency include the mean, median, and mode, which are used to find the central or typical value in a data set.
What is the mean?
The mean is the arithmetic average, calculated by adding all the values together and dividing by the number of values in the data set.
What is an advantage of the mean?
The mean uses all data points, making it a sensitive and representative measure of central tendency.
What is a limitation of the mean?
The mean can be distorted by outliers, making it unrepresentative of the data if extreme values are present.
What is the mode?
The mode is the most frequent value in a data set, representing the value that occurs most often.
What is an advantage of the mode?
The mode is not affected by outliers, as it simply reflects the most common value in the data set.
What is a limitation of the mode?
The mode does not make use of all data and can be uninformative if there are multiple modes or no clear mode.
What is the median?
The median is the middle value in a data set when the values are arranged in numerical order. If there is an even number of values, the median is the average of the two middle values
What is an advantage of the median?
The median is not affected by extreme values (outliers), making it useful when data is skewed
What is a limitation of the median?
The median does not take into account all values in the data set, so it may not be as sensitive or representative as the mean.
What are measures of dispersion?
Measures of dispersion describe the spread of data and include the range and standard deviation.
What is the range?
The range is the difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set, calculated by subtracting the lowest value from the highest value.
What is an advantage of the range?
The range is quick and easy to calculate, providing a simple measure of dispersion.
What is a limitation of the range?
The range is heavily influenced by extreme values (outliers) and does not account for the distribution of all values.
What is standard deviation?
Standard deviation is a measure of how spread out the values are around the mean, showing the variability of the data.
What is an advantage of standard deviation?
Standard deviation uses all data points and is less influenced by outliers than the range, providing a more accurate measure of dispersion.
What is a limitation of standard deviation?
Standard deviation can still be affected by extreme values, though not as much as the range, and can be more complex to calculate.
How do range and standard deviation help with interpreting data?
A small range or standard deviation indicates that the data points are close to the mean, suggesting consistency; a large range or standard deviation indicates more variability and individual differences.
