Introduction And Choosing Research Topics Flashcards
What is a hypothesis?
The prediction about the relationship between variables.
What are the types of data?
✨Primary Data
✨Secondary Data
✨Quantitative Data
✨Qualitaive Data
What is Primary Data?
Data collected by the researcher first hand. It is the first production and it did not exist previously. You can use Interviews, Questionnaires, Observations and Experiments to get primary data.
What are the benefits and problems of Primary Data?
Benefits
✨New data collected by researcher
✨Reduces confusion as it is your own data
✨More reliable and valid as you can choose your own data collection method
Problems
✨Can be time consuming and expensive
✨Some methods may put the researcher in a dangerous situation
✨May be increased bias if the researcher’s own values mess with the research process
✨My be unethical if you do not get informed consent
What is Secondary Data?
Data that has already been collected by others. Secondary sources include official statistics, diaries, memoirs, emails, TV documentaries and newspapers.
What are benefits and problems of Secondary Data?
Benefits
✨Readily available so it is quick and easy to collect
✨You can study past events and compare past and present events
✨Do not have to worry about informed consent
✨Not as expensive as primary data
Problems
✨Existing data may not be reliable or valid
✨Documents may not be authentic, representative or credible
✨You may not be able to find the information you need
What is quantitative data?
Numerical data, it is quantifiable, more objective and value free
What are benefits and problems of quantitative data?
Benefits
✨Objective as it is numerical
✨Can see patterns easier and it is easier to manage
✨Easier to repeat, more reliable
✨Allow large samples
Problems
✨Cannot find the meanings behind the number
What is Qualitative Data?
Non-numerical data, more subjective as based on individual interpretation.
What are the benefits and problems of qualitative data?
Benefits
✨Highly detailed
✨High in Validity
✨Find out meaning and motives behind behaviour
✨Qualitative methods allow you build trust and research sensitive topics
Problems
✨Open to bias
✨Hard to repeat and not very reliable
✨Research is very small scale
What the PET Factors?
Practical Factors
Ethical Factors
Theoretical Factors
What are Practical Factors?
✨Time - data has to be collected to a deadline
✨Money - the researcher may need to use there own persoanl money to fund travel/food expenses
✨Requirements for funding bodies
✨Personal Skills and characteristics - being approachable, non-judgemental, being a good listener, learning how to respond to challenging situations
✨Subject Matter - Gender, age, social class, ethnicity, accent, general knowledge about a location
✨Research Opportunity/Accessibilty- it must be possible to identify and then gain access to a group of people
What are ethical factors?
✨Informed Consent - must be fully aware of what is happening within the research and have the right to refuse
✨Deception - misleading them, keeping aspects of the research hidden from the participant and with holding the truth
✨Confidentiality and Privacy - data protection act 1998
✨Effect on participants - police evolvement, employment prospects, psychological or physical harm
✨Vulnerable groups - consent must be provided, language should be used so the vulnerable person can understand.
What are theoretical factors?
✨Reliabilty - be repeated
✨Validity - how truthful
✨Representativeness - are people being studied ‘typical’ of that research population?
What is Quota Sampling?
When people are selected according to specific characteristics, but not randomly.
What is Random Sampling?
When everyone has an equal chance of being selected for research, such as drawing names out of a hat or a computer programme designed to select random numbers.
What is Systematic Sampling?
Where names are chosen at random from a sampling frame, such as every tenth name.
What is Snowball Sampling?
Where a few people are identified to take part in some research and then recommend or introduce the researcher to another person to participate.
What is Stratifed Sampling?
Where the researcher looks at characteristics of a given population and mirrors the proportions of it in their sample.
What is Quasi-random Sampling?
Names are selected at regular intervals until a sample size is reached. It has a random starting point ad a fixed periodic interval.
What is Opportunistic Sampling?
Finds participants that are easily found. Deliberately easy to access.
