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.