7RM - Offical Statistics

Question 1

What type of methods are official statistics ?

Answer 1

Secondary methods that create quantitative data

Question 2

What are hard statistics ?

Answer 2

Usually accurate and fairly difficulty to manipulate. Often about consequences of events that are unlikely to be misinterpreted or manipulated

Question 3

What are soft statistics ?

Answer 3

Likely to lack accuracy/validity.
May be owing to government bias. Eg: gov may present themselves in a better light if they manipulate the statistics they present
Lack accuracy as they come from interpretation of events

Question 4

What are the two reasons sociologists use statistics in research

Answer 4

Practical reasons
Theoretical reasons

Question 5

What are practical issues of using official statistics in educational research

Answer 5

Easy to access - not time consuming and cheap
Researchers can make comparisons over time, between different social groups