SECONDARY SOURCE OF DATA COLLECTION

Secondary Source of data collection- refers to data that already exixt and may or may not
have been produced by sociologist.

Secondary source of data collection can be quantitative for example officialstatistcis or

qualitative foe example documents.They can also be published for example statistics, official
reports,history texts, novels. Secondary data can also be unpublished for example diaries
oral history or other researchers’ work.

Situation in which secondary data is used

⮚ When places are inaccessible to the researcher

⮚ If it is unsafe for the researcher to collect data

⮚ When researcher is NOT alloed to get information from closed group

⮚ When historical data is needed and participants are no longer alive

⮚ In triangulation studies (used with other primary data)

OFFICIAL STATISTICS

Official statistics refer to data collected for administrative purpose, usually by government
organizations. One of the major sources of government statistics is censuses, which are large
scale survey of the population. Official statistics also give information concerning
births,deaths,marriage a diviorce,unemployment and crime

ADVANTAGES OIF OFFICIAL STATISTICS

⮚ Information is accessible since it is already collected

⮚ If saves the researcher time and money

⮚ Provides greater detail than a sociologist can collect on his or her own( for example
ccensus)
⮚ Positivist favour this method as they provide factual data

⮚ Shows changes in trend since comparison can be made from one year to another

DISAVANTAGES OF OFFICIAL STATISTICS

⮚ Though the data exist they may not be accessible for example unpublished data
 ⮚ Data may also be restricted

⮚ Difficulty in telling if there was bias in the collection of data

⮚ Statistic may become oudtaed even before they are published

⮚ Defintions used by producers of statistics may not be the same as those used by the
researcher for example social categories such as ethnicity and social class
⮚ Official statistics are seen by the interpretivist as been unreliable and invalid

⮚ Interpretivist believe that official ststitics are socially constructed and can be
manipulated to suit particular interest
⮚ Interpretivist believes that even though official ststistcis provide a lot of information
they canot provide a reasons or motives for people’s actions

DOCUMENT STUDIES

These are qualitative sources of data that are preferd by interpretivists. These include
diariries. Letters oral memoirs,biographiesand auto biographies. They can be contemporary
as well as historical

ADVANTAGES OF DOCUMENT STUDIES

⮚ They save the researcher time since they already exist

⮚ Information can be gleaned about the past and better understanding of the social
and economic life of the predecessor
⮚ Greater validity with documents such as diaries which eeexpress and individual
private thought

DISADVANTAGES OF DOCUMENT STUDIES

⮚ When writing for an audience individuals my exaggerate and glorify themselves

when giving the account of an issue for example in letters or biographies
⮚ dIfferent interpretation may obtained from the same issue

⮚ oral memoir may be invlaid as individual views could be skewed : events may be
forgotten downplayed or overstated
⮚ some historical documents may be difficult to understand or may have been
misinterpreted while being rewritten or translated
 ⮚ some documents may be forged

⮚ valuable data may be loss or stolen and become inaccessible

⮚ Positivist see document studies as unreliable and cannot be replicated

⮚ Generalization cannot cannot be made since the sample is not representative of the
population

LONGITUDINAL AND CROSS SECTION STUDY

This is a research that studies the smaee group over a period of time to gauge how much
their lives have changed. There are two types of longitudinal studies : cohort or panel

COHORT STUDIES

The same group is studied ate intervals (up to 20 years) over a long period of time . These
studies usually involve a large sample and cohort members are not replaced ifthey drop out

PANEL STUDIES

These studies are conducted over a short time frame Members of the panel are asked the
same questions but more frequently. This type of study is popular in politics to gauge
wether members have changed their political views. Unlike cohort studies panel members
can be replaced by others with similar characteristics if they choose to drop out.

DISADVANTAGES OF COHORT STUDIES

⮚ Longitudinal studies are expensive to carry out and thus it is difficult to obtain
funding
⮚ It is difficult to keep track of samples since people may move die or simply opt out of
study if they become bored of it.
⮚ The reduced sample size over time in cohort studies affects the representativeness

CROSS SECTIONAL STUDIES

Cross sectional studies are large scale studies but thay are only conducted once. They study
the opinionsof various groups based on characteristics that reflect the general population .
This allows the researcher to gain a good idea of the opinions and attidudes of a wide cross
section of the population. Validity of the data is highespecially if the sample is representative
of the general population. However the validityis only for that occasion as people change
their minds about the issue.
MIXED METHODS

The use of mixed method is referd to as triangulation or methological pluralism. Though

similar these are not necessarily the ame thing . Methological pluralism is used to obtain a
deeper and more detailed picture than to check for validity. Triangulation on the other hand
is used to improve the validity of research by cross checking data. The research can be
looked at from three various angles using various methods nad can be of three type

⮚ Investigatory triangulation- different researchers from different soial backgrounds

are used to analysed the same transcript from an interview or observation . This help
to check for observer and interviewer bias
⮚ Data Triangulation- where cross checks are done using primary and secondary data.
This also involves collecting data at different times fromdifferent people in same
places
⮚ Triangulation of Methods- where cross checking is carried out via various methidsfor
example questionnaires participant observation and interviews]

ETHICS IN RESEARCH

All researchers regardless of their methological persuasion ,must follow ethical procedures

⮚ Obtain people’s consent to participate in a study.Permission must be sought to

record interviews
⮚ aEmphasies confidentiality and enure anomytity. Auase pseudonyms where possible

⮚ Participation in or knowledge of dangerous and illegal activities implicitly sanctions

bad behaviour
⮚ Be aware of people’s rights to privacy. This is a delema for covert participant
observation
⮚ Researchers must be aware of the sensitive nature of the topic under study

⮚ Avoid mis representation of events. Results should not be manipulated to prove

hypothesis and enhance careers
⮚ Offer special care to those who may feel threatened due to age,staus or
powerlessness
⮚ Be aware that funding agencies may set conditions as well as criteria for findings
⮚ Inform respondents of the results of the study, especially if requested . Results must
be truthful and accurate
⮚ Avoid plagiarism. Ensure that research is collected independently