Types of Data

Question 1

1) Primary data

Answer 1

Primary data are gathered first hand from source, specifically for the purpose of the investigation, directly by the researcher(s) from the participant.

Question 2

Examples of primary data

Answer 2

• Questionnaires
• Interviews
• Observations
• Experiments

Question 3

Advantages of primary data

Answer 3

1) Relevance; the data is gathered for the purpose of the investigation.
2) Credibility; likely to be scientifically gathered for the stated aim of the study.
3) Currency; primary data are likely to be gathered at the time of the study.

Question 4

Disadvantages of primary data

Answer 4

1) Expensive to obtain because the research team has to conduct the study requiring planning, preparation and resources.
2) For the same reason, it is time-consuming to collect.
3) Effortful on the part of the researcher for the reasons above.

Question 5

2) Secondary data

Answer 5

Data that already exists before the researcher starts the investigation and are used by someone else for further research.

Question 6

Examples of secondary data

Answer 6

• Journal articles
• Books
• Websites
• Government statistics (i.e. census)

Question 7

Advantages of secondary data

Answer 7

1) Secondary data are cheaper because they already exist.
2) Quick; accessed in a matter of minutes.
3) Easily accessed, minimal effort.

Question 8

Disadvantages of secondary data

Answer 8

1) They may not match exactly the researcher’s needs or be incomplete; likely to have been gathered for some other purpose.
2) It may be outdated; might have been gathered some time ago. Cultures, for example, change over time, as do people.

Question 9

3) Meta-analysis

Answer 9

An example of secondary data; a process in which a large number of studies, which have involved the same research question and methods of research, are combined and reviewed together.

Question 10

Advantage of meta-analysis

Answer 10

As the data comes from a much larger group of participants, the conclusions may be regarded with more confidence.

Question 11

Disadvantage of meta-analysis

Answer 11

Researcher will only have access to published research in addition, may only select the studies with positive results. As a result, data may be biased.

Question 12

4) Quantitative data

Answer 12

Quantitative research gathers data in numerical form which can be put into categories, or in rank order, or measured in units of measurement.

Question 13

Data from:

Answer 13

• Experiments
• (Closed questions) questionnaires
• (Closed questions) interviews
• (Structured) observations

Question 14

Advantages of quantitative data

Answer 14

1) Simple to analyse.
2) Comparisons easily drawn.
3) More objective, less open to bias.
4) Easily converted to graphs, tables, etc.

Question 15

Disadvantages of quantitative data

Answer 15

1) Data is rather superficial and ignores the social context.
2) Limits what a participant may wish to express.
3) Narrower in scope.
4) Artificial; may fail to represent ‘real life’.

Question 16

5) Qualitative data

Answer 16

Qualitative research gathers information that is in narrative form not in numerical form, expressed in words rather than numbers or statistics.

Question 17

For example, transcripts of:

Answer 17

• Open-ended questionnaires
• Unstructured interviews
• Unstructured observations
• Diary accounts

Question 18

Advantages of qualitative data

Answer 18

1) Useful for in-depth studies of individuals or groups.
2) Offers richness of detail.
3) It is broader in scope.
4) More meaningful, emphasizing meanings of experiences, descriptions, etc.
4) Offers greater insight.

Question 19

Disadvantages of qualitative data

Answer 19

1) Harder to analyse, expert knowledge of an area is necessary to try to interpret qualitative data.
2) Difficult to summarise so patterns and comparisons are hard to identify.
3) Subject to researcher bias.
4) Time-consuming to collect and analyse.