Statistic is a collection of methods for planning based on the data gathered
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Answer:
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Step-by-step explanation:
Introduction
When faced with a research problem, you need to collect, analyze and interpret data to answer your research questions. Examples of research questions that could require you to gather data include how many people will vote for a candidate, what is the best product mix to use and how useful is a drug in curing a disease. The research problem you explore informs the type of data you’ll collect and the data collection method you’ll use. In this article, we will explore various types of data, methods of data collection and advantages and disadvantages of each. After reading our review, you will have an excellent understanding of when to use each of the data collection methods we discuss.
Types of Data
Data Collection Methods - AP® Statistics
Quantitative Data
Data that is expressed in numbers and summarized using statistics to give meaningful information is referred to as quantitative data. Examples of quantitative data we could collect are heights, weights, or ages of students. If we obtain the mean of each set of measurements, we have meaningful information about the average value for each of those student characteristics.
Qualitative Data
When we use data for description without measurement, we call it qualitative data. Examples of qualitative data are student attitudes towards school, attitudes towards exam cheating and friendliness of students to teachers. Such data cannot be easily summarized using statistics.
Primary Data
When we obtain data directly from individuals, objects or processes, we refer to it as primary data. Quantitative or qualitative data can be collected using this approach. Such data is usually collected solely for the research problem to you will study. Primary data has several advantages. First, we tailor it to our specific research question, so there are no customizations needed to make the data usable. Second, primary data is reliable because you control how the data is collected and can monitor its quality. Third, by collecting primary data, you spend your resources in collecting only required data. Finally, primary data is proprietary, so you enjoy advantages over those who cannot access the data.
Despite its advantages, primary data also has disadvantages of which you need to be aware. The first problem with primary data is that it is costlier to acquire as compared to secondary data. Obtaining primary data also requires more time as compared to gathering secondary data.
Secondary Data
When you collect data after another researcher or agency that initially gathered it makes it available, you are gathering secondary data. Examples of secondary data are census data published by the US Census Bureau, stock prices data published by CNN and salaries data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
One advantage to using secondary data is that it will save you time and money, although some data sets require you to pay for access. A second advantage is the relative ease with which you can obtain it. You can easily access secondary data from publications, government agencies, data aggregation websites and blogs. A third advantage is that it eliminates effort duplication since you can identify existing data that matches your needs instead of gather new data.
Despite the benefits it offers, secondary data has its shortcomings. One limitation is that secondary data may not be complete. For it to meet your research needs, you may need to enrich it with data from other sources. A second shortcoming is that you cannot verify the accuracy of secondary data, or the data may be outdated. A third challenge you face when using secondary data is that documentation may be incomplete or missing. Therefore, you may not be aware of any problems that happened in data collection which would otherwise influence its interpretation. Another challenge you may face when you decide to use secondary data is that there may be copyright restrictions.
Now that we’ve explained the various types of data you can collect when conducting research, we will proceed to look at methods used to collect primary and secondary data.
Methods Employed in Primary Data Collection
When you decide to conduct original research, the data you gather can be quantitative or qualitative. Generally, you collect quantitative data through sample surveys, experiments and observational studies. You obtain qualitative data through focus groups, in-depth interviews and case studies. We will discuss each of these data collection methods