Research Methods- Data Analysis Flashcards
How can quantitative data be obtained?
By categorising and rating behaviour
What might qualitative data consist of?
Video or audio recording, written notes, or observation reports
Why must there be adequate data sampling?
To ensure that a representative sample of participants’ behaviour has been seen
What kind of data is obtained with closed questions?
Quantitative
What kind of data is obtained with open questions?
More detailed qualitative
What must you remember when conducting interviews?
- Context is important
- Researcher should clearly distinguish between what is said and how they interpret it
- Selection of data
- Interviewer bias
What is the benefit to collecting quantitative data?
It can be easily and objectively analysed
How is qualitative data sometimes seen as?
‘Of limited use’ because it’s difficult to analyse objectively
What does thematic analysis involve?
Making summaries of data and identifying key themes and categories
What is the process of thematic analysis?
Researcher becomes familiar with the data —> start to look for different themes —> review the themes —> define and name the themes —> write a report
How can thematic analysis be subjective?
Different researchers may read different things into the themes
What are 3 strengths of thematic analysis?
- Qualitative analysis preserves detail in the data
- Creating hypotheses during analysis allows new insights to be developed
- Some objectivity established using triangulation
What are 2 criticisms of thematic analysis?
- Unsure which categories to use
- Unsure what to leave out of the summary
What is content analysis?
Data is analysed into categories, reducing it to numbers
What is the method of content analysis?
Representative sample of qualitative data collected —> coding units identified to analyse the data —> qualitative data analysed —> statistical analysis carried out
