L13 - Types of Data

Question 1

what is QUANTITATIVE DATA?

Answer 1

QUANTITATIVE DATA INVOLVES NUMBERS and can be MEASURED OBJECTIVELY

It is IMMEDIATELY QUANTIFIABLE

Question 2

what does QUANTITATIVE DATA INCLUDE?

Answer 2

• the DEPENDENT VARIABLE in an EXPERIMENT
• CLOSED QUESTIONS IN QUESTIONNAIRES
• STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
• a TALLY of HOW MANY TIMES a BEHAVIOURAL CATEGORY is SEEN IN AN OBSERVATION

Question 3

what is QUALITATIVE DATA?

Answer 3

QUALITATIVE DATA INVOLVES WORDS and the data is based on the SUBJECTIVE INTERPRETATION of LANGUAGE

It is ONLY QUANTIFIABLE IF THE DATA IS PUT INTO CATEGORIES and the FREQUENCY IS COUNTED

Question 4

what does QUALITATIVE DATA INCLUDE?

Answer 4

• OPEN QUESTIONS in QUESTIONNAIRES
• A TRANSCRIPT from an UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEW
• researchers DESCRIBING WHAT THEY SEE IN AN OBSERVATION

Question 5

why is QUALITATIVE DATA HARD TO ANALYSE?

Answer 5

QUALITATIVE DATA is CHALLENGING TO ANALYSE because it RELIES ON INTERPRETATION BY THE RESEARCHER, which COULD BE INACCURATE, SUBJECTIVE or even BIASED

Furthermore, qualitative data may NOT BE EASY TO CATEGORISE/COLLATE into a SENSIBLE NUMBER OF ANSWER TYPES

The researcher could be left with LOTS OF INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES that CANNOT BE SUMMARISED

Question 6

what is PRIMARY DATA?

Answer 6

PRIMARY DATA is COLLECTED DIRECTLY BY THE RESEARCHER for the PURPOSE OF THE INVESTIGATION

Question 7

what is SECONDARY DATA?

Answer 7

SECONDARY DATA is information that was COLLECTED FOR A PURPOSE OTHER THAN ITS CURRENT USE

The researcher could use DATA COLLECTED BY THEM but for a DIFFERENT STUDY, or COLLECTED BY A DIFFERENT RESEARCHER. A researcher might make use of GOVERNMENT STATISTICS, such as MENTAL HEALTH STATS COLLECTED BY THE NHS

When the DESIRED RESEARCH ALREADY EXISTS there is NO NEED TO CONDUCT MORE RESEARCH. However there is SUBSTANTIAL VARIATION in the QUALITY and ACCURACY OF SECONDARY DATA and it can be HARD FOR RESEARCHERS TO KNOW HOW RELIABLE SECONDARY DATA IS

Question 8

what is a META ANALYSIS?

Answer 8

A META ANALYSIS refers to the PROCESS OF COMBINING RESULTS from a NUMBER OF STUDIES on a PARTICULAR TOPIC (SECONDARY DATA) to PROVIDE AN OVERALL VIEW

META ANALYSIS allows us to VIEW DATA with MUCH MORE CONFIDENCE and RESULTS CAN BE GENERALISED ACROSS MUCH LARGER POPULATIONS.

However, meta analysis can be PRONE TO PUBLICATION BIAS; the researcher may choose to LEAVE OUT STUDIES with NEGATIVE or NON SIGNIFICANT RESULTS