Types of Data

Type of Data

Throughout your research you will collect both primary data and secondary data. Primary data is information that you collect by conducting your own research. Secondary data is information that you collect from another researcher or from a source such as a newspaper article, book or website. The sources that you use to collect your primary and secondary data will vary according to your research topic, sample group and research methodologies.

Sources of data can include individuals and groups, print and digital. It is extremely important to collect data from a variety of sources, in order to provide greater perspective on your research topic. If you were to use data from only one source, it would be difficult for you to reflect the range of views and opinions that exist with regard to the topic. Researchers will use a variety of methods to conduct primary research and these methods will use both qualitative and quantitative data. 

Quantitative research involves measuring or collecting facts in the form of numbers and drawing relationships between facts through statistical analysis and experimentation. Quantitative methodologies are objective and reliable and less subject to bias than qualitative research. Quantitative research includes structured interview, questionnaire and experiments.

Quantitative methodologies are useful when you want to:

 *  Show percentages or ratios 

* Compare numbers in text 

* Visually represent the amounts or levels of something in tables or graphs.

Qualitative research involves collecting non-numerical data to provide an explanation for something. Commonly

used when researching social issues and looking at the human aspects as it assesses individual opinions or perceptions of a specific situation.

This type of research enables researchers to obtain more detailed information about beliefs, feelings, values and

attitudes. Qualitative research includes questionnaire, interview, observation and case study.  Qualitative methodologies are useful when you want to:

*   Compare people’s opinions or ideas

*   Present arguments for and against something

*   Illustrate the positive and negative effects of something

*   Support quantitative data studies 

Activity 2:

Create a summary table in your books. For each of the type of data (Primary, secondary, quantitative, qualitative), provide columns for a definition, advantages, limitations, research methods used to collect this data, examples. Use the text page 120 for help.