8 types of data and descriptive stats

quan and qual data

quan is numerical data

qual is descriptive data

ao3 quantitative data

+ good for identifying trends and patterns across a large data set

+ easier to collect in standardised methods, making it easier to reproduce studies

+ easily analysed - descriptive stats

- doesnt collect contextual info about personal circumstances

- oversimplified into numbers~ reductionist interpetations

qualitative data AO3

+ rich in data capturing contextual info

+ valuabke for understanding new or complex phenomena

+ questions are open in which allows flexibility in the research

- time consuming

- RSers interpretations of data can be subjective and introduce bias

primary and secondary data

primary: collected by RSer for purpose of data

secondary: data that already exists and that the RSer has used ti try to address the RSer’s aim

meta analysis

collation of data from several studies to look at general patterns. RSer hasnt conducted the RS themselves but found similar aims and methods.

SECONDARY

primary data ao3

+ tailored to a specific aim

+ up to date as data is collected at the time of rs

- costly time consuming and scope is limited

secondary ao3

+ cheaper and more time efficient

+ scope can be larger and can be across countries

- no control of methodology

- outdated

what are the measures of central tendency

mean: adding all scores divide by no. of scores

median: middle in chronological order

mode: more frequent score

ao3 mean

+ most sensitive, where all scores are used

- outliers can distort the mean, so may not be representative

- used with only interval data

median ao3

+ not distorted by outliers

+ more representative measure for skewed data

+ used for interval or ordinal data

- ignores most of data points~ not sensitive

mode ao3

+ used with all types of data: interval, ordinal nominal

+ easy to understand and calculate

- can be more than one mode (requires interpretation)

- ignores most data points so that the mode may not actually represent data accurately