Secondary Data and Secondary Analysis

Within sociology, many researchers collect new data for analytic purposes, but many others rely on secondary data in order to conduct a new study. When research uses secondary data, the kind of research they perform on it is called secondary analysis. Key Takeaways: Secondary Data Secondary analysis is a research method that involves analyzing data collected by someone else.A great deal of secondary  data resources and data sets are  available for sociological research, many of which are public and easily accessible.  There are both pros and cons to using secondary data.Researchers can mitigate the cons of using secondary data by learning about the methods used to collect and clean the data in the first place, and by careful usage of it and honest reporting on it. Secondary Analysis Secondary analysis is the practice of using secondary data in research. As a research method, it saves both time and money and avoids unnecessary duplication of research effort. Secondary analysis is usually contrasted with primary analysis, which is the analysis of primary data independently collected by a researcher. How Researchers Obtain Secondary Data Unlike primary data, which is collected by a researcher herself in order to fulfill a particular research objective, secondary data is data that was collected by other researchers who likely had different research objectives. Sometimes researchers or research organizations share their data with other researchers in order to ensure that its usefulness is maximized. In addition, many government bodies within the U.S. and around the world collect data that they make available for secondary analysis. In many cases, this data is available to the general public, but in some cases, it is only available to approved users. Secondary data can be both quantitative and qualitative in form.  Secondary quantitative data is often available from official government sources and trusted research organizations. In the U.S., the U.S. Census, the General Social Survey, and the American Community Survey are some of the most commonly used secondary data sets within the social sciences. In addition, many researchers make use of data collected and distributed by agencies including the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Education, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, among many others at federal, state, and local levels. While this information was collected for a wide range of purposes including budget development, policy planning, and city planning, among others, it can also be used as a tool for sociological research. By reviewing and analyzing numerical data, sociologists can often uncover unnoticed patterns of human behavior and large-scale trends within society. Secondary qualitative data is usually found in the form of social artifacts, like newspapers, blogs, diaries, letters, and emails, among other things. Such data is a rich source of information about individuals in society and can provide a great deal of context and detail to sociological analysis. This form of secondary analysis is also called content analysis. Conduct Secondary Analysis Secondary data represents a vast resource to sociologists. It is easy to come by and often free to use. It can include information about very large populations that would be expensive and difficult to obtain otherwise. Additionally, secondary data is available from time periods other than the present day. It is literally impossible to conduct primary research about events, attitudes, styles, or norms that are no longer present in todays world. There are certain disadvantages to secondary data. In some cases, it may be outdated, biased, or improperly obtained. But a trained sociologist should be able to identify and work around or correct for such issues. Validating Secondary Data Before Using It To conduct meaningful secondary analysis, researchers must spend significant time reading and learning about the origins of the data sets. Through careful reading and vetting, researchers can determine: The purpose for which the material was collected or createdThe specific methods used to collect itThe population studied and the validity of the sample capturedThe credentials and credibility of the collector or creatorThe limits of the data set (what information was not requested, collected, or presented)The historic and/or political circumstances surrounding the creation or collection of the material In addition, before using secondary data, a researcher must consider how the data are coded or categorized and how this might influence the outcomes of secondary data analysis. She should also consider whether the data must be adapted or adjusted in some way prior to her conducting her own analysis. Qualitative data is usually created under known circumstances by named individuals for a particular purpose. This makes it relatively easy to analyze the data with an understanding of biases, gaps, social context,  and other issues. Quantitative data, however, may require more critical analysis. It is not always clear how data was collected, why certain types of data were collected while others were not, or whether any bias was involved in the creation of tools used to collect the data. Polls, questionnaires, and interviews can all be designed to result in pre-determined outcomes. When dealing with biased data, it is absolutely critical that the researcher is aware of the bias, its purpose, and its extent. However, biased data can still be extremely useful, as long as the researchers carefully consider the potential effects of the bias.

The War Of The Vietnam War - 1729 Words

Throughout the 1960’s, the United States of America was in the midst of change, advancements, and struggle. It was America vs. the Soviet Union, always trying to one up each other in both weaponry and space technology, but the main conflict was the spread of Communism. As the battle between Communists and Non-Communists raged on, America attempted to do everything in its power to stop the spread of communism all around the world. This is what lead to the gruesome war that lasted over a decade in Vietnam. A great deal of social changed happened all over the world, but particularly in America as the Vietnam War dragged on. As people became more aware of the atrocities going on in Southeast Asia, the endless domestic support turned into†¦show more content†¦The attempts to avoid the draft during the 1960’s became one of the first forms of â€Å"protest† at home. Many young men tried to get deferments once becoming eligible for the draft. They used methods s uch as going to school, joining the national guard, getting married, through legal action, or obtaining jobs so critical that they could not leave to fight in Vietnam (Moss 213). The draft also caused racial and social tensions between the American people. Those who were white/rich were able to evade the draft without much effort while minorities and the poor were sent to fight. As American occupation in Vietnam showed no signs of retreat, opposition to the war began to heighten. One aspect of American culture that contributed to this change from supporting the government to calling for their troops’ immediate return was the influence of music during the mid-1960’s to the early 1970’s. Many artists of the day, such as Bob Dylan, Peter Seeger, and Peter, Paul, and Mary, were recording anti-war ballads that were bringing issues about Vietnam to light that many American’s were oblivious to. These songs criticized both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and began inspiring American’s in an effort to stop the United States involvement in Vietnam. In the beginning of the opposition to the war, artists were putting out specific anti-war songs, pointing out precise incidents and individuals who they felt responsible for this losing battle. Around 1965, one

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy free essay sample

A study of this condition which causes parents to make their own children sick. This paper defines this conditions and examines what causes Munchausen. It tries to analyze why parents poison their own children from a psychiatric and social point of view. It also looks at treatment available for the disease. Many theories and case studies are provided. As a parent, you are expected to love and protect your child at any cost. Stories are heard about mothers who chose to give birth instead of taking chemotherapy drugs or fathers who jump in front of cars to save their child. Yet what happens when a parent is so mentally affected that they chose another route, a parent who, instead of protecting their child, chooses instead to hurt them. This is the case with the disease Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy or MSBP. Identified almost exclusively in mothers, MSBP has been one of the most misunderstood mental diseases in recent history. We will write a custom essay sample on Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Mothers who have Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy should be treated by a healthcare professional, not by the criminal justice system, yet still these mentally disturbed women are being prosecuted regularly for child abuse.

Knowing oneself Essay Example

Knowing oneself Essay Knowing oneself is the first step in becoming a fully functioning individual and recognizing that we have strengths and weaknesses that help us become better persons by building on what we are good at and by improving what we are not good at. As a worker and as a human being, we are required to interact and relate with other people. In any relationship, may that be of boss and subordinate or between parents and children or friends, we must be able to communicate effectively, and thinking that I am pretty good at this aspect, I was excited to take the assessment tests on communication to maybe validate what I believe is one of my strengths or to find out weaknesses that I may not be aware of. Moreover, we also took motivation skills assessment to test our level of motivation and our motivating skills in the workplace. The results are very important to me since I know that motivating others is not one of my greatest assets. What follows  Ã‚   is a presentation of my assessment result s in communication and motivation identifying my strengths and weaknesses and a plan of action that I would accomplish to become a better person, enhancing what I have and developing what I don’t have. Communication The communication assessment consisted of three subtests including communicating supportively, my personal use of supportive communication and my communication styles, as well as a role playing exercise that presented a communication dilemma. I discovered that I have a number of strengths in this aspect and have a few weaknesses as well. Strengths My communication style uses more of probing responses (86) which is an indicator of an effective communicator. I tend to ask people about what they feel and think about a situation or views on an issue and in the process clarify or gain a better understanding of other people. I do not use many advising responses (2) which actually may sound condescending to others and would make them feel incompetent. I try to let people know that I know that they are thinking individuals and I do not have to offer them any suggestions. In my supportive communication assessment, I tend to be problem-oriented, consistent, descriptive, validating and owned my statements (1a, 2b, 3a, 4b, 5a). I generally try to say to others what I mean and mean what I say, in the most diplomatic way and one that tells them that I understand their situation but that things have to be done and their cooperation is needed to get it done. Weaknesses I am not adept at reflecting responses (1), I seem to concentrate more on asking questions that makes the employee elaborate or clarify more on the issue or topic. I admit though that I do not make use of reflecting responses seems it feels redundant to me or just like repeating what the other person said. Generally though, it seems that I don’t have very good supportive communication skills. My total score is 69 which is almost half of the ideal score (120) and it places me in the bottom quartile. When I think about it I realize that I do lack the skill on coaching and counseling and I don’t know how to give negative feedback, I more often try to concentrate on the problem and what is to be done and usually end up doing it myself. In the role-playing exercise, I had difficulty communicating what I wanted to say and was also not attentive of my partners responses, hence I think I should develop more on this skill. Action Plan Based on the assessment results on my supportive communication skills and communication styles, I would strive hard to learn more about effective communication by reading books and following some of the tips in the lectures. I also need to work on my reflecting responses skills because I realize that this is the most effective style for supportive communication and yet I rarely use it. I also need to make a distinction between counseling and coaching and evidently I do not have any idea of how to do it properly, instead I might end up hurting other people’s feelings. Attentive listening is also a skill that I fail to use and must learn to use more often. What I learned from this experience is that no matter how good a communicator we are, but to actually b effective in it is a difficult to do, on that takes an honest assessment of my communicating skills and us it as a basis for further improvement. We will write a custom essay sample on Knowing oneself specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Knowing oneself specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Knowing oneself specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Motivation The second part of our assessment exercises involved measuring our level of motivation and our performance problems and our motivational skills. The results indicate that I do not have broad-based motivational problems at work but there are those that need to be looked into. While in motivating others, my score of 87 falls in the third quartile compared to the mean group and is not that far from the ideal score (120). Strengths I found out from the result of the assessment that I am good at motivating others by telling them that they are good at what they do (aptitude) and I expect them to successfully accomplish their tasks (expectations). It seems that this two approaches usually work for me and hence I repeatedly use it to motivate others. In the role-playing exercise I was able to reach a compromise with my subordinate, that when she shows an improvement in performance for the next week I will not put her under disciplinary action. This shows that I can actually settle conflicting views by being diplomatic about it and yet reaching an acceptable resolution to the issue. Weaknesses I had difficulty in motivating others by facilitating improvement of skills and by linking rewards to performance. I usually think that everybody is intrinsically motivated to become at what they do because it is self-gratifying, but I did not account for the fact that some people are not as driven as the rest of us. In the role-playing exercise, I realized that I did have a short patience for arguments and was almost becoming irritated thankfully I had the idea to reach a compromise rather than to insist in what I think should be the right solution. Action Plan I realized that there are more ways in motivating others and that I can learn it to become an effective motivator. There are a number of self-help books and the readings that the professor gave us can help me learn more about motivation and its many uses. I am also curious at how to Use effective punishment and reward because I might be unknowingly contributing to negative attitudes and behaviors in others. I also would like to learn more of my own levels of motivation and where it comes from and how to develop it more. I did understand that sometimes not getting what I want done is not a sign of failure, but finding ways to resolve and issue in the best possible means is more important.

Essay about History Notes for EXAM 1

Essay about History Notes for EXAM 1 Essay about History Notes for EXAM 1 Tuesday 2/9 1865-1877 What is it to be the legal, constitutional and political position of an ex-slave? SOCIAL -property -labor (replaced with Jim Crow) -race relations 3 amendments: Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth- vote w/o agitating for it for a long time Woman (1848- 1919) agitated for the right to vote. Group: Irish Blacks WASP- white Angelo saxton protestant (if you’re not all of them, you’re not white) Fear of the â€Å"battle of the cradle† – fear in rise of the population of blacks There was a promise of equality; without the reality Equality of races dates back to the mid-20th century. Up until then, people ranked races. 1. Equality before opportunity 2. Equality before law 3. Equality before God Thursday 2/12 Blacks in the late 19th century During the time of reconstruction, four civil rights acts were passed The last union was withdrawn from the south after 1877 (this was the end of the reconstruction era) Slaves fled their plantations throughout the south; this was called self-separation Blacks voted (republic) – in congress until 1901 Whited voted democratic Sandwiching- outvoted minority; pre-ordaining what the vote will be Paternalism: the idea that ex-slaves were to be taken care of and controlled by upper class whites; class is the most important factor They were surprised by the smoothness between relations of black and whites (whites being northerners) 1890’s- things fall apart (blacks in the south) Upper class of whites lost political power Rise of the lower class whites: late 19th century. They got tired of being in the position they were in Originally whites and blacks union Upper class used scare tactics to separate the poor whites and blacks by using racism. Segregation laws started to be made after the 1890’s Northern whites were no longer interesting 1895- more white people in the south were being lynched than blacks in the south (shortly that changed as a form of social control) 1893- bad depression from unemployment rates took place in south, which, in turn, created

Teaching for Exceptionalities Essay Example

Teaching for Exceptionalities Essay Example Teaching for Exceptionalities Essay Teaching for Exceptionalities Essay Teaching for Exceptionalities First Heading Education is one of the top concerns of millions in the country for all children of all ages and any complications or barriers they may have. At one point children were not only divided by age and level of knowledge but also by their disabilities. Teachers who taught special education to children with disabilities had to be certified to be allocated to teaching children with all types of disabilities. With each passing year, as the number of children being educated increases, teachers who may have never had the pleasure of teaching children with disabilities are now being tasked with educating them and understand how to incorporate lesson plans that is successful not only for themselves but as well as their regular students and those with disabilities (Ogletree, Billy T. 2000). Physical disabilities are typically the easiest disability that are visible to others and can be noticed immediately (Landers Courtade Ryndak 2012). During the practicum hours and interaction with students of the summer program at Kyrene de la Esperanza Kids Klub, the author was able observe how the children with physical disabilities were able to interact with other children and not allow their disability to impact their performance as much as possible. Considering the observation was completed during summer vacation there wasn’t much curricular or academic lessons taught on a daily basis but the summer camp incorporated some teaching ideas as much as they possibly could to allow the students to still learn while having fun. One of the activities that were played was a physical/math exercise called Place Value Math which the children loved. To play the game there were cones labeled with numbers 0-9. The children were then paired up and one would decide to be the â€Å"tens† and the other child would be the â€Å"ones†. The object was to have the teacher yell out math problems and together the students would come up with the answers and divide up to go to the cone that identified their â€Å"tens† numbers or â€Å"ones† number. For example, the teacher would yell out â€Å"7+8† since the answer is 15 the child who was designated to the â€Å"tens† would run over to the cone marked â€Å"1† while the other student who was designated as the â€Å"ones† would run over to the cone marked â€Å"5†. The author was able to observe the children participating in Place Value Math exercise during two separate observations days and noticed that not all children were up to speed or on the same level as other children. The game was played with children between the second and fifth grade, so the math skills of some students weren’t as advanced as others but not to any fault of their own or disabilities. The author figured that it would be beneficial to either divide the game between grade levels and keep the math questions consistent for all of the children’s level, or only include math questions of the youngest child so they wouldn’t become discouraged and quit. Another accommodation that was noticed by the author was that some children couldn’t hear as well as others and needed the teacher to shout the math problem slightly louder or even repeat the problem several times before allowing the children to run to the designated comes. Finally the last accommodation was for the children who were physically disabled, one student had a disability with his leg (one leg was visibly shorter than the other leg and he had gone through several surgeries as a child) that didn’t allow him to move as fluently as the other children and another student only had the use of one of her arms (one had been amputated when she was four years old from a car accident). The accommodation to the children with physical disabilities was to eliminate any competition for racing to the cones, simply getting the answer correct as a team would result in points given out. After making the accommodations the teachers were able to see an immediate change and increase of students participating because they felt like they actually had a chance of understanding the game rules and being successful while playing. Going forward the teachers and the author both agreed that the changes were extremely successful and the activity should be continued with the new changes because all students of all ages could be involved and join in on the fun. The most interesting aspect of the observation and making changes to the activity was that they author realized that over time all lesson plans and activities would need to be modified at some point to keep up with the all the different students and their levels of knowledge. Teachers of all subjects and specialties including special education teachers should always be looking for ways to prefect their lesson plans and activities once they see a need to make changes so that each student walks away feeling as if they have a clearer understanding of material and their knowledge increases to the level it needs to. Being able to interact with students that have disabilities provides a different level of understanding on how to deliver lesson plans regardless if they are math related, writing related or physical education related. Teachers want to ensure that their lesson plans are able to adequately instruct each of their students throughout their entire career of being a teacher, and when that doesn’t happen teachers definitely need to make immediate changes. Teachers should try to implement lesson plans that are prepared to teach any student they may encounter through several semesters with very little, to no modifications required on their behalf. Having lesson plans that could be taught to children with or without disabilities and be successful is the goal of millions of teachers and teachers of the future. References Dorries, Bruce Haller, Beth (2001). The News of Inclusive Education: A Narrative Analysis. Disability and Society, Vol. 16 (Issue 6), pg 871-89,1 21 pages. Retrieved on August 3, 2012 from http://ehis. ebscohost. com. library. gcu. edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? sid=13de37cc-368c-4eff-a438-a4cfb85bfdb6%40sessionmgr13vid=4hid=102 Ogletree, Billy T. (2000). Educating Children with Multiple Disabilities. Education Treatment of Children Vol. 23 Issue 1, pg. 96-98 2 pages. Retrieved on August 3, 2012 from http://ehis. ebscohost. com. library. gcu. edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? sid=13de37cc-368c-4eff-a438-a4cfb85bfdb6%40sessionmgr13vid=4hid=22 Harp, Beverly Harrison, Elizabeth Jones, Melissa Kleinert, Harold Sheppard-Jones, Kathleen (2012). Students with Intellectual Disabilities going to College? Absolutely! Teaching Exceptional Children Vol. 44 Issue 5, p26-35 10 pages. Retrieved on July 12, 2012 from http://ehis. ebscohost. com. library. gcu. du:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? sid=59cdfe93-7131-436b-835d-3d9b4cdf3479%40sessionmgr110vid=4hid=101 Landers, Eric Courtade, Ginevra Ryndak, Diane (2012). Including Students With Severe Disabilities in School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Perceptions of State Coordinators, Research Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities Vol. 37 Issue 1 p1-8 8 pages. Retrieved on July 20, 2012 from http://ehis. ebsco host. com. library. gcu. edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? sid=451e3ffd-0f17-4955-b45a-be4e2c4226e2%40sessionmgr15vid=8hid=3

International relations in theory and practice Essay

International relations in theory and practice - Essay Example Its attributes, the population, the territory ("the very foundation of principality and sovereignty" (Foucault, 1991, p93) and the authority of the government exercised upon its subjects, demanded that a dominant role be played by the nation state. Social and economic development were key factors for two seemingly antagonistic phenomena: on the one hand, there was the strengthening of the state power, and on the other hand, once World War I came to an end, the international system was faced with new actors exercising power of decision-making; the globalisation of political, economic, social and cultural relations gave rise to international actors, multinational companies, international organizations (the League of Nations, and then, the United Nations), integrating organisation (process which automatically implies a delegation of sovereignty to a higher level); among non-state actors, especially after 9/11 one can also mention terrorist organisations and "the new form of trans-national terrorism which is far more complex and difficult to monitor, analyse, and combat ()some claim that this 'new' terrorism is displacing the older forms of terrorism and has now become the major threat" (Wilkinson, 2001). This multiplication is regarded, by some analysts as being a shift in orientation from the "nation state" as the dominant actor on the international scene towards other types of actors; the motivation for such claims resides in the apparent loss of substance which the state has suffered, especially from the perspective of the integrationist process; furthermore, the arguments consider that this diminution in sovereignty is transferred to the other actors, in such a way as to legitimize their position on the international scene. Thus, the position of the state as a principal actor represents one of the most controversial aspects of IR theory. On order to present the debates surrounding the issue, the arguments and its opponents, it is important to first analyse the realist perspective on the concept of "state" and the arguments supporting its central role in the international structure of the XXI century. Seen from the perspective of the international relations, the political realism considers that if the behaviour of the states, as it had been shown up until then, cannot be reformed, it can at least be controlled. The realist tradition can be traced back to Thucydides and Hobbes, although it rose to great heights as the dominant paradigm in American policymaking during the Cold War (Roggeveen, 2001).Even so, the first valuable theory writings belong to XX st century. The classic realist theorists start their argumentation from the clear premises stated by Morgenthau who acknowledges "the nation state as the ultimate point of reference of contemporary foreign policy" (Morgenthau, 1978); moreover, as one of the leading theoreticians of realism, Morgenthau pointed out a second principle that defined the goals of politics "The main signpost that helps political realism to find its way through the landscape of international politics is the concept of interest defined in terms of power". When correlating the two ideas, the conclusion is that the nation state regards the practice of foreign policy as a means to