7. Secondary Sources

What are secondary sources in sociology?

Data not collected by the researcher, e.g., stats, documents, media.

Examples of secondary sources?

Official statistics, letters, media, historical documents, previous studies.

Types of secondary sources?

Official statistics and documents (public, personal, historical, digital).

What are official statistics?

Quantitative data collected by the government, e.g., census, crime rates.

Strengths of official statistics?

Cheap, accessible, allow comparisons, show trends over time.

Limitations of official statistics?

May lack specific data, changing definitions, questionable accuracy.

Positivist view on statistics?

Useful for testing hypotheses; seen as objective (e.g., Durkheim).

Interpretivist view on statistics?

Stats are socially constructed (e.g., Atkinson).

Marxist view on statistics?

Stats may be manipulated to serve ideological purposes (e.g., Irwin).

What are documents in sociology?

Qualitative sources like diaries, blogs, reports, and digital content.

Examples of public documents?

School policies, Ofsted reports.

Examples of personal documents?

Diaries, letters, blogs.

What are historical documents?

Archived records like old school reports.

What are John Scott's 4 criteria for assessing documents?

Authenticity, Credibility, Representativeness, Meaning.

What is content analysis?

Categorising content into patterns or themes; can be qualitative or quantitative.

Example of content analysis?

Lobban (1974) analysed gender roles in children's books.

Interpretivist view on documents?

Valued for deep meaning and insight.

Positivist view on documents?

Use structured content analysis for reliability.

Marxist view on documents?

Seek ideological bias or state influence in content.

How are official stats used in education research?

Track trends like exam results and exclusions; generalisable data.

Limitations of official stats in education?

May change definitions (e.g., truancy) and lack context.

How are documents used in education research?

Provide insight through policies, reports, and school records.

Limitations of using documents in education?

May lack credibility, representativeness, and can be image-focused.