types of data

Question 1

what is qualitative data?

Answer 1

data expressed in words and is non-numerical

Question 2

advantages of qualitative data

Answer 2

• offers a rich insight and details of people’s thoughts and feelings

Question 3

disadvantages of qualitative data

Answer 3

• can be difficult to analyse and may be subject to researcher bias
• time consuming to analyse

Question 4

what is quantitative data?

Answer 4

can be used to categorise and rate behaviour
is numerical data

Question 5

advantages of quantitative data

Answer 5

• easy to analyse
• conclusions can be drawn easily
• more objective and less open to bias

Question 6

disadvantages of quantitative data

Answer 6

• not as meaningful
• may not represent real life

Question 7

what is primary data?

Answer 7

data obtained first hand by the researcher for the purposes of the research project
usually gathered first hand e.g. questionnaire

Question 8

advantages of primary data

Answer 8

• authentic data obtained directly from the participant therefore targeted to get the information that is required

Question 9

disadvantages of primary data

Answer 9

• it can require a lot of time and effort in conducting the experiment etc

Question 10

what is secondary data?

Answer 10

information that pre-dates the research project and has already been gathered by someone else

Question 11

advantages of secondary data

Answer 11

• may be inexpensive and easily accessible requiring minimal effort

Question 12

disadvantages of secondary data

Answer 12

• there may be variation in the quality and accuracy of secondary data
• the content of the data may not quite match the researchers’ needs