Using existing data
The term “secondary analysis” refers to the technique of:
Conducting a study of seconds, minutes and other measures of time
Analysing your own data in two different ways
Analysing existing data that has been collected by another person or organization
Working part time on a project alongside other responsibilities
Analysing existing data that has been collected by another person or organization
Large amounts of data are collected by researchers and published regularly. Government departments and agencies are obliged to collect and publish statistics relevant to their areas of responsibility. Bryman asks, (p309) would it not make sense to analyse this data instead of gathering new material? “Secondary analysis” is the term we give to this kind of activity, “coming second” to the data that someone else gathered first. The most important data for quantitative research strategies is, fairly obviously, reported statistics. Secondary analysis does not involve going over the same ground but, rather, developing new insights into the data previously gathered.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 309
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 309
Analysing existing data that has been collected by another person or organization Large amounts of data are collected by researchers and published regularly. Government departments and agencies are obliged to collect and publish statistics relevant to their areas of responsibility. Bryman asks, (p309) would it not make sense to analyse this data instead of gathering new material? “Secondary analysis” is the term we give to this kind of activity, “coming second” to the data that someone else gathered first. The most important data for quantitative research strategies is, fairly obviously, reported statistics. Secondary analysis does not involve going over the same ground but, rather, developing new insights into the data previously gathered.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 309
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 309
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The large samples used in national social surveys enable new researchers to:A. Avoid using probability sampling
B. Identify any bias in the question wording
C. Evaluate the inter-coder reliability of the data
D. Conduct subgroup analysis
Which of the following provides official statistics that could be analysed as secondary data?
A. Local Government Survey (LGS)
B. Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS)
C. Dwelling and Furnishings Survey (DFS)
D. Rowing and Oars Survey (ROS)
Why might secondary analysis be a particularly useful method for students?
A. It is relatively easy to do
B. It saves time and money
C. It does not require any knowledge of statistics
D. It only requires a half-hearted effort
Studying the official crime rate may provide unreliable data because:
A. Categories of criminal behaviour change over time
B. There is a “dark figure” of unreported and unrecorded crime
C. Police use their discretion to investigate some crimes and not others
D. All of the above
What is one of the advantages that official statistics have over structured interview data?
A. The researcher can conduct natural experiments in the field
B. They are completely objective and reliable
C. They have greater measurement validity
D. They allow the researcher to identify social trends over time
Which of the following is not an advantage of secondary analysis?
A. It immerses the researcher in the field they are studying
B. It tends to be based on high quality data
C. It provides an opportunity for longitudinal analysis
D. It allows you to study patterns and social trends over time
Why has the secondary analysis of official statistics been seen as an “unobtrusive” method?
A. It increases the risk of “reactive effects” from participants
B. The researcher is removed from the social settings that they are investigating
C. The data were originally collected for the same purposes as those of the current researcher
D. They do not intrude too much into the researcher’s spare time
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