Other research methods

Question 1

what is content analysis?

Answer 1

a kind of observational study in which behaviour is observed directly or indirectly in written or verbal materials such as interviews, conversations, books and diaries

Question 2

what is meta-analysis?

Answer 2

a researcher looks at the findings from a number of different studies and produces a statistic to represent the overall effect

Question 3

strengths and weaknesses of meta-analysis

Answer 3

reviewing the results from a group of studies rather than just one increases the validity of the conclusions because they are based on a wider sample of the population
The research design in the different studies sampled may consider variably which means that the studies are not compatible

Question 4

what are case studies?

Answer 4

a research investigation that involves a detailed study of a single individual, institution or event. Case studies provide a rich record of human experience but are hard to generalise

Question 5

strengths and weaknesses of case studies

Answer 5

complex interaction of may factors can be taken into account in contrasts with experiments where many variables are held contrast
it is difficult to generalise case studies as each has unique characterstics