types of data

Question 1

what is qualitative data?

Answer 1

data that is expressed in words and non-numerical

Question 2

what is quantitative data?

Answer 2

data that can be counted usually given as numbers

Question 3

strengths and weaknesses of qualitative data

Answer 3

• strengths - much more detailed, higher external validity
• limitations - difficult to analyse, conclusions are reliant on subjective interpretations (may be biased)

Question 4

strengths and weaknesses of quantitative data

Answer 4

• strengths - easy to analyse, more objective (less open to bias)
• limitations - lacks detail, may be unrepresentative of real life

Question 5

strengths and weaknesses of primary research

Answer 5

• strengths - researcher has more control over the data
• limitations - lengthy and expensive

Question 6

strengths and weaknesses of secondary research

Answer 6

• strengths - simpler and cheaper to
• limitations - the data may not exactly fit the needs of the study

Question 7

define meta analysis

Answer 7

the process of combining the findings from a number of studies on a particular topic