data and reports Flashcards
questionnaires features
allows researcher to gain a large quantity of data quickly, cheaply, efficiently
starts with easy questions, saves those that may make people feel anxious or defensive til later
researcher often not present when the participant is taking part
use filler questions that are irrelevant but distract respondent from main purpose of Qs - reduce demand characteristics
should be piloted to check k clarity and appropriateness
open questions produce what type of data ?
qualitative
closed questions produce what types of data?
quantitative
interviews features
researcher verbally asking participants Qs, over the phone or face-to-face
starts with easy questions, saves those that may make people feel anxious or defensive til later
uses both open and closed Qs
interviews can be recorded by making notes or audio or video recorder
specialist training required
should be piloted to check clarity and appropriateness
structured interview
pre-determined list of questions
all participants asked in the same order
unstructured interview
new questions being developed in response to the participants answers
semi-structured interview
list of questions worked out in advance but the interviewers are also free to ask follow up questions
strengths of questionnaires
less researcher bias
external validity - bigger sample = can generalise
likert closed Qs
respondent indicates their agreement with a statement using a scale
how much do you like chocolate
1 - strongly agree
2 - agree
3 - neutral
4 - disagree
5 - strongly disagree
rating scaled closed Qs
gets respondents to identify a value that represents the strength of feeling about a particular topic
how much do you enjoy school
very enjoyable 1 2 3 4 5 not at all enjoyable
fixed choice closed qs
includes a list of possible options and respondents are required to indicate those that apply to them
what is your favourite type of film
romantic
horror
comedy
tragedy
errors that should be avoided when writing Qs
over use of jargon
emotive language
leading Qs
double-barrelled Qs
double-negatives
errors to avoid when writing Qs - over use of jargon
avoid using technical terms that are only familiar to those inn a specialist field
errors to avoid when writing Qs - emotive language
avoid using language that creates a strong emotional response in the participants that ay influence their response
errors to avoid when writing Qs - leading Qs
avoid using Qs that guide the participants to respond in a certain way
errors to avoid when writing Qs - double -barrelled Qs
avoid asking 2 Qs in one
errors to avoid when writing Qs - double - negatives
avoid asking questions that contain a double negative - 2 negative elements that produce a positive
quantitative data strength
P = ease to analyse
E = can draw graphs and calculate averages
E = so comparisons between groups can be made
quantitative data weakness
P = narrower in meaning
E: expressed less detail than qualitative
E: lower external validity – may be less like ‘real life’
qualitative data strength
P: richness of detail
E: much broader in scope than quantitative data
E: more meaningful – greater external validity
qualitative data weakness
P: difficult to analyse
E: hard to identify patterns and made comparisons
E: leads to subjective interpretation and researcher bias
primary data
‘first hand’ data collected for the purpose of the investigation
secondary data
collected by someone other than the person conducting research
meta-analysis
a type of secondary data that involved combining data from a large number of studies
questionnaire strength - test reliability
P = findings can be replicated
E = this is because they use pre-determined, standardised questions
E = this increases reliability
structure interview strength - test reliability
P = findings can be replicated
E = this is because they use pre-determined, standardised questions
E = this increases reliability
unstructured weakness - test reliability
P = can’t test same person twice and expect the same answers
E = this is because each interview is unique to the person that day
questionnaire strength - quick to carry out
P = can be distributed to lots of people
E = gather large amounts of data quickly and the researcher doesn’t need to be present
E = reduces effort involved and makes them cost effective
structured interview strength - quick to carry out
E = because they are a pre-determined list of questions
E = less time consuming
unstructured interview - weakness - quick to carry out
E = each participant must be interviews individually and the researcher also has to make responses to their answers
E = this is bad because there will take longer to gain large amounts of data and cost more money
questionnaire weakness - misunderstandings can be clarified
E = can’t speak too the researcher as they aren’t done face-to-face as they are a set list of questions
structured interview weakness - misunderstandings can be clarified
P = interviewers cannot elaborate
E = cannot deviate from the topic or explain their questions
E = this may limit richness of data collected
unstructured interview strength - misunderstandings can be clarified
P = no predetermined list
E = good flexibility so points can be followed up
E = can collect unexpected information
questionnaire weakness - can gain access to more detailed info
P = they collect quantitative data
E = this is because they are not face-to-face
E = standardised list of questions usually online
structured weakness - can gain access to more detailed info
P = set list of questions
E = cannot elaborate
e = limits the chance of more detail
unstructured strength - can gain access to more detailed info
p = they collect qualitative data
E = great flexibility, so points can be followed up
E = can gain access to more info
questionnaire strength - internal validity is affected by extraneous variables
P = there’s no researcher
E = so not affected by social desirability
structured weakness - internal validity is affected by extraneous variables
p = there is social desirability
e = contact between. the participant and researcher
E = opportunity for participants to change answers
unstructured weakness - internal validity is affected by extraneous variables
p = interviewer bias
e = closer dialogue between participant and researcher
e = opportunity for unconscious cues
