meta analysis

Question 1

what is a meta analysis?

Answer 1

• the quantitative synthesis (merging) of studies that are similar to eachother
• usually conducted when there is a huge body of research/where the research is inconsistent
• can include research from different cultures, times and places
• aims to find patterns and relationships between factors
• focuses on the effects and direction of factors/concepts being investigated

Question 2

what are strengths of using a meta analysis?

Answer 2

• more generalisable, as they use large samples and include data from different cultures, places and times
• alows reliability, as they can uncover contradictory findings and where research tends to agree
• ethical - resesrchers examine data from previous studies, using secondary data
• ## objective - only uses quantitative data, and forms statistical analysis of combined data