Secondary Data - Research Methods #8

Question 1

P.E.R.V.E.R.T

Answer 1

• Practical – Time and money, difficult to analyse
• Ethical – Is it right or wrong?
• Reliable – Can it be replicated?
• Validity – Are the results true to life?
• Evidence of studies – What studies have used this method?
• Representativeness – Does it reflect society as a whole?
• Theoretical - Positivist or Interpretivist

Question 2

What are five strengths of Secondary Data?

Hint: (Use Acronym TOSLOW)

Answer 2

• TIME and cost-effective: Secondary data is readily available, and using it can be more time and cost-effective than collecting primary data, which involves the process of collecting new data from scratch.
• OBJECTIVITY: Secondary data is often collected using standardized methods, making it less susceptible to bias and subjectivity.
• Large SAMPLE SIZE: Secondary data often has a large sample size, making it easier to generalize findings to the wider population of pupils in schools.
• LONGITUDINAL analysis: Secondary data often includes data collected over an extended period, allowing researchers to conduct longitudinal analysis and investigate changes over time.
• OPPORTUNITIES for cross-sectional analysis: Secondary data may include data from different schools, allowing for cross-sectional analysis to compare academic progress across schools.

Question 3

What are five limitations of Secondary Data?

Hint: (Use Acronym LL-DD-L)

Answer 3

• LACK of control over data collection: Researchers have no control over the data collection process used by the original collectors of the data, which may affect the quality and relevance of the data for their research question.
• LIMITED variables: Secondary data often only includes the variables that were relevant to the original data collection process and may not include variables that are important to the research question.
• DATA quality: The quality of secondary data can vary, and researchers must assess the validity and reliability of the data before using it.
• DATA incompleteness: The data collected by others may be incomplete or contain missing values, limiting the extent to which researchers can analyse and draw conclusions from the data.
• LACK of context: Secondary data may lack contextual information about the pupils and schools, which can make it difficult to understand the reasons behind the observed trends and patterns.