Choosing a Research Method (PET) - Introduction to Research Methods Flashcards
Primary data
Information collected by sociologists themselves for their own purposes
What may the sociologist’s purpose be for collecting primary data? (Two items)
To obtain a first hand picture of a group or society
To test a hypothesis
What do social surveys involve?
Asking people questions in a written questionnaire or an interview
What type of data are social surveys?
Primary data
What does the sociologist do in a participant observation?
They join in with the activities of the group they are studying
What type of data does a participant observation give a sociologist?
Primary data
Advantage of primary data for a sociologist
Primary data allows them to gather precisely to information they need to test their hypothesis
Disadvantages of collecting primary data (two)
Costly
Time consuming
Secondary data
Information that has been collected or created by someone else for their own purposes, but a sociologist can use them
Examples of organisations which produce official statistics
Government
Charities
Churches
Businesses
What type of data are official statistics an example of?
Secondary data
Examples of documents
Letters
Emails
Diaries
Photographs
Official reports
Internet articles
What type of data are documents?
Secondary data
Advantage of secondary data
Can be a quick and cheap way of doing research
Disadvantage of secondary data
Secondary sources may not provide sociologist with information they need
