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SYA4300 Final Exam Study Guide.
Secondary data - Answer✔✔data or raw information collected by other researchers versus
primary data collected for a specific purpose by a researcher.
Benefits of Secondary Data - Answer✔✔-Availability of information
-Opportunities for replication
-Protection of participants
-Time effectiveness
-Cost effectiveness
-Large data sets
Availability of information - Answer✔✔Allows use of data that may have since become
impossible to collect
Ex: Emile Durkheim used secondary data to examine government statistics on suicide from
different countries.
Opportunities for Replication (two ways) - Answer✔✔Through primary data collection similar
to the original study but with different
populations and in a different location
Through use of secondary data to which we add additional information, in some cases from the
original study participants, that may be missing from the original study
Protection of Participants - Answer✔✔Useful with sensitive populations of interest
Ex: a researcher interested in conducting research with victims of childhood abuse can gather
secondary data such as through police reports
Time Effectiveness - Answer✔✔Collecting primary data requires a great deal of time
1
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Collecting quantitative and qualitative data can take a few months to a
few years, particularly for larger studies
Secondary data eliminates the time and effort involved with primary data collection
Cost Effectiveness - Answer✔✔Primary data collection can be costly and often requires a large
budget
Primary data collection costs include funds for tools, participant incentives,
and so on
These costs are not present when working with secondary data
Large Data Sets - Answer✔✔In secondary data the researcher is able to use large amounts of
data (e.g., census data)
Large data sets also allow the researcher the ability to generalize his or her findings to the
population at large
Data Scraping - Answer✔✔A method by which researchers extract large amounts of information
from websites (e.g., social media and media sites) into a readable spreadsheet (e.g., Excel)
Major Sources of Secondary Data - Answer✔✔-Government statistics (e.g., Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the National Institutes for Health)
-Research University Data (e.g., Panel Study of Income Dynamics, data collected by a specific
researcher)
-Institutional Data (e.g., institutional information on students, staff, and other employees)
-Online Sources (e.g., Facebook and Twitter)
-Popular data sources (e.g., Driven Data, Kaggle, and Enigma)
2
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Disadvantages of Secondary Data - Answer✔✔-Uncertainty of constructs
-Ambiguity of measurement error
-Passage of time
Uncertainty of constructs - Answer✔✔The original study focus may be different from your study
focus
Ambiguity of measurement error - Answer✔✔With secondary data, you may not be aware of all
the details of the study
procedures
Passage of time - Answer✔✔-The information may be outdated (e.g., census data is collected
once every 10 years).
-This is both a limitation and a strength if one is interested in studying how a concept has
changed over time.
Secondary Data and Ethical Considerations - Answer✔✔Though a researcher using secondary
data does not interact with the study participants ethical concerns are still important to consider
----Consider the ethical decisions made in the original study
----Consider how much information you intend to reveal in your study and be responsible for
protecting the identities of your participants
Experimental Research - Answer✔✔In experimental research, a group is exposed to a variable of
study (e.g., testing a new drug or trying out an intervention)
Need to assess whether any changes observed in the experimental group are due to the
experimental condition
Ethical Considerations - Answer✔✔-When conducting experimental research be vigilant about
ethical issues
-Treat participants with respect
-Notify participants about risks
-Obtain consent to participate
Quasi-Experimental Research - Answer✔✔Experimental designs, namely our ability to
randomly assign participants to control and experimental groups, are not possible in every
context
3
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Collecting Data Through Questionnaires - Answer✔✔-Conducting surveys is a common
procedure for data collection particularly in social science
-A survey refers to the method of data collection
-A questionnaire is the instrument containing the questions
Untested questionnaires = - Answer✔✔non-standardized survey questionnaires
Tested questionnaires = - Answer✔✔standardized survey questionnaires (e.g., math,
writing or reading tests we complete in school)
NSSQ often measure vars that have not been tested extensively - Answer✔✔-Hard to indicate
questionnaire's reliability or validity for this case we say results indicate face validity
-Would need to report as a limitation in results section of a peer-reviewed article
Collecting Data Through Questionnaires (cont.) - Answer✔✔-Designing questionnaires is a skill
that takes time to develop
-Nine steps to follow when creating survey questionnaires
Designing Questionnaires: Step 1 - Answer✔✔Develop a list of constructs
---Examine your hypothesis and develop a list of constructs to be measured
---For example: If we hypothesize gender influences college students' choice of major, then
gender is one construct and major is another. Other constructs of interest may be race, age,
parental education, and so on
Designing Questionnaires: Step 2 - Answer✔✔Determine how each construct will be accurately
measured in question form
--Search for established instruments measuring these constructs (e.g., census data, Centers for
Disease Control questionnaires, etc.)
--Examine the literature to find examples of other constructs
--Review the appropriateness of the instruments based on your research goals and the
appropriateness of the instrument for your sample
Designing Questionnaires: Step 3 - Answer✔✔Think of all possible answers to these questions
--Some questions will be simple
--Answers should always be mutually exclusive (e.g., when answer choices do not overlap with
each other)
4
SYA4300 Final Exam Study Guide.
Secondary data - Answer✔✔data or raw information collected by other researchers versus
primary data collected for a specific purpose by a researcher.
Benefits of Secondary Data - Answer✔✔-Availability of information
-Opportunities for replication
-Protection of participants
-Time effectiveness
-Cost effectiveness
-Large data sets
Availability of information - Answer✔✔Allows use of data that may have since become
impossible to collect
Ex: Emile Durkheim used secondary data to examine government statistics on suicide from
different countries.
Opportunities for Replication (two ways) - Answer✔✔Through primary data collection similar
to the original study but with different
populations and in a different location
Through use of secondary data to which we add additional information, in some cases from the
original study participants, that may be missing from the original study
Protection of Participants - Answer✔✔Useful with sensitive populations of interest
Ex: a researcher interested in conducting research with victims of childhood abuse can gather
secondary data such as through police reports
Time Effectiveness - Answer✔✔Collecting primary data requires a great deal of time
1
, ©FYNDLAY.
Collecting quantitative and qualitative data can take a few months to a
few years, particularly for larger studies
Secondary data eliminates the time and effort involved with primary data collection
Cost Effectiveness - Answer✔✔Primary data collection can be costly and often requires a large
budget
Primary data collection costs include funds for tools, participant incentives,
and so on
These costs are not present when working with secondary data
Large Data Sets - Answer✔✔In secondary data the researcher is able to use large amounts of
data (e.g., census data)
Large data sets also allow the researcher the ability to generalize his or her findings to the
population at large
Data Scraping - Answer✔✔A method by which researchers extract large amounts of information
from websites (e.g., social media and media sites) into a readable spreadsheet (e.g., Excel)
Major Sources of Secondary Data - Answer✔✔-Government statistics (e.g., Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the National Institutes for Health)
-Research University Data (e.g., Panel Study of Income Dynamics, data collected by a specific
researcher)
-Institutional Data (e.g., institutional information on students, staff, and other employees)
-Online Sources (e.g., Facebook and Twitter)
-Popular data sources (e.g., Driven Data, Kaggle, and Enigma)
2
, ©FYNDLAY.
Disadvantages of Secondary Data - Answer✔✔-Uncertainty of constructs
-Ambiguity of measurement error
-Passage of time
Uncertainty of constructs - Answer✔✔The original study focus may be different from your study
focus
Ambiguity of measurement error - Answer✔✔With secondary data, you may not be aware of all
the details of the study
procedures
Passage of time - Answer✔✔-The information may be outdated (e.g., census data is collected
once every 10 years).
-This is both a limitation and a strength if one is interested in studying how a concept has
changed over time.
Secondary Data and Ethical Considerations - Answer✔✔Though a researcher using secondary
data does not interact with the study participants ethical concerns are still important to consider
----Consider the ethical decisions made in the original study
----Consider how much information you intend to reveal in your study and be responsible for
protecting the identities of your participants
Experimental Research - Answer✔✔In experimental research, a group is exposed to a variable of
study (e.g., testing a new drug or trying out an intervention)
Need to assess whether any changes observed in the experimental group are due to the
experimental condition
Ethical Considerations - Answer✔✔-When conducting experimental research be vigilant about
ethical issues
-Treat participants with respect
-Notify participants about risks
-Obtain consent to participate
Quasi-Experimental Research - Answer✔✔Experimental designs, namely our ability to
randomly assign participants to control and experimental groups, are not possible in every
context
3
, ©FYNDLAY.
Collecting Data Through Questionnaires - Answer✔✔-Conducting surveys is a common
procedure for data collection particularly in social science
-A survey refers to the method of data collection
-A questionnaire is the instrument containing the questions
Untested questionnaires = - Answer✔✔non-standardized survey questionnaires
Tested questionnaires = - Answer✔✔standardized survey questionnaires (e.g., math,
writing or reading tests we complete in school)
NSSQ often measure vars that have not been tested extensively - Answer✔✔-Hard to indicate
questionnaire's reliability or validity for this case we say results indicate face validity
-Would need to report as a limitation in results section of a peer-reviewed article
Collecting Data Through Questionnaires (cont.) - Answer✔✔-Designing questionnaires is a skill
that takes time to develop
-Nine steps to follow when creating survey questionnaires
Designing Questionnaires: Step 1 - Answer✔✔Develop a list of constructs
---Examine your hypothesis and develop a list of constructs to be measured
---For example: If we hypothesize gender influences college students' choice of major, then
gender is one construct and major is another. Other constructs of interest may be race, age,
parental education, and so on
Designing Questionnaires: Step 2 - Answer✔✔Determine how each construct will be accurately
measured in question form
--Search for established instruments measuring these constructs (e.g., census data, Centers for
Disease Control questionnaires, etc.)
--Examine the literature to find examples of other constructs
--Review the appropriateness of the instruments based on your research goals and the
appropriateness of the instrument for your sample
Designing Questionnaires: Step 3 - Answer✔✔Think of all possible answers to these questions
--Some questions will be simple
--Answers should always be mutually exclusive (e.g., when answer choices do not overlap with
each other)
4
