Qualitative secondary sources

What are qualitative secondary sources?

Existing sources with non-statistical content

What type of documents are qualitative secondary sources?

Personal, public and historical

How did Ashworth use qualitative secondary sources?

They used diaries and letters to study trench warfare in WW1

How did Laslett use qualitative secondary sources?

They used parish records to determine how common nuclear and extended families were in pre-industrial England

Why are historical sources vital for studying long term social changes?

As we can see how society has developed

How did Laslett use historical sources?

They used parish records to show how industrialisation led to an increase in extended family

How did Weber use historical sources?

They used religious tracts to study the relationship between religious belief and development of capitalism

What are issues with historical sources?

Only some have survived, they are not representative and the information sociologists want may not be available

What are life documents?

Private documents where individuals record subjective states such as diaries, letters and photos

What is an example of life documents being used in a study?

Thomas and Znaniecki used letters and statements to study Polish peasants who immigrated to America

What did Plummer say about personal documents?

They are not really used by contemporary sociologists as they’re not representative , however he also thinks they’re useful as it allows insights into people’s subjective states and reveal personal meaning that shapes behaviour

What do novels and autobiographies do?

Give insight to attitudes and behaviour of particular groups and help the author understand the world around them

What are issues with novels and autobiographies?

Fiction can exaggerate  actions and values and writing is typically for upper/middle class which limits insight into lower social classes

How can material be spread through the media?

Through newspapers, TV and the internet

What are issues with the media?

It may not tell the truth and can be bias

What did the Glasgow Media find about the British media?

They do not accurately portray information - eg the British media conveyed that Palestinian and Israeli deaths were at par, when more Palestinians were actually killed

What does the media not provide?

Lots of background

What are positives of media?

It can provide qualitative and quantitative data, it is cheap/free, accessible and has few ethical issues

What are strengths of qualitative secondary sources?

They can help gain insight of lives in the past, they have greater validity, it is cheaper and easier than primary methods and it provides in depth information

What are weaknesses of qualitative secondary sources?

It may be difficult to gain  access to personal documents, data is not generalisable, data may not be accurate and the content is subjective