Secondary Sources Flashcards
What kind of data is official statistics?
Quantitative
Give 3 characteristics of official statistics
Collected by the government
Liked by positivists
Reliable
Give 2 practical advantages of official statistics
They are cheap
Easy to access
Give 2 theoretical advantages of official statistics
Large sample so more representative
Easy to replicate the mode of collection so is more reliable
Give 2 disadvantages of official statistics
Interpretivists see it as subjective as they are only decisions individuals have made to record incidents
May have a political or male bias so are less valid
What kind of data are documents?
Qualitative
Why are the 3 types of documents?
Public
Personal
Historical
Describe public documents
Produced by organisations like government or schools. They are official and can be read by anyone
Eg OFSTED
Describe personal documents
First person accounts
Includes writers feelings and attitudes
Eg diaries and letters
Describe historical documents
A public or personal documents from the past
Give an advantage and disadvantage of public documents
Easy access
Less valid as the funding body will only produce favourable findings
Give an advantage and disadvantage of personal documents
Verstehen
Lack of confidentiality
Give an advantage and disadvantage of historical documents
No ethical interference
May not be representative as only things from the rich may have been saved - POLLOCK
What is the McPherson Report?
350 page inquiry into the police investigation around Stephen Lawrence’s death which found that the Met Police were institutionally racist
What kind of document was the McPherson report?
Public
What was the Black Report?
1978 Labour Government looked into wealth inequalities leading to differences in health which needed more benefits but when Margaret Thatcher published it she added a 9 page foreword decrying the need for benefits
What kind of document was the Black Report?
Public
Give an advantage of the McPherson report
In depth - 350 pages =more valid
Give a disadvantage of the MacPherson Report
Government funded so may have not been as critical as it could be
Give a disadvantage of the Black Report
Shows how political bias can influence public documents
What happened in Hey’s research?
Studied girls’ friendships through their notes which they passed to each other and from picking their discarded ones off the floor
What kind of document did Hey use in their research?
Private
Give an advantage of Hey’s research
The ones she took from the floor and the bin were valid
Give a disadvantage of Hey’s research
Informed consent for the ones she took from the floor
Who used historical documents?
Aries (see childhood for description)
Give an advantage of Aries’ research
Shows change over time
Give a disadvantage of Aries’ research
Only rich art was preserved = less representative POLLOCK
Who used official statistics for their research?
Durkheim
What was durkheim’s study?
Studied suicide statistics over 11 European countries and saw how variables like religion and family relationships affected the rates
Give 2 advantages of Durkheim
Geographically representative
Ethical
Give a disadvantage of Durkheim’s research
Can not control all other variables - less valid
