CAFS REVISION QUESTION
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
1. Compare and contrast convenience and cluster sampling (4 marks)
Cluster sampling occurs when the population is divided into clusters and random selection takes place. Convenience sampling occurs when people are selected because they’re easily located. (E.g. friends) Both sampling methods do not provide an equal representation of the population.
2. Evaluate (make a judgement based on criteria) the credibility of print and digital sources (10 marks)
The credibility of print and digital sources is dependent on authority, accuracy, purpose and currency, and it relevance to the topic.
For the authority to be credible, the author needs to have the proper credentials to assure the researcher of the article’s accuracy. (E.g. Dr) Similarly, the information needs to be published by a reputable authority (E.g. Australian Bureau of Statistics) with sources properly cited. Likewise, if the URL isn’t official looking, the source is more likely to be unreliable (E.g. blogspot.com isn’t an incredibly trustworthy website to use information).
The accuracy of the article is also useful in determining the credibility of the source. A digital/print source with spelling and grammar errors is not a useful foundation of information as it is likely to be false. Alternatively, the accuracy of the source can be reinforced if it similar to other sources.
The purpose of the information needs to also be taken into consideration. (E.g. If the purpose of the information was to find what the most favourite colour is, this information isn’t helpful in finding out the number of people who have phones). Additionally, the intended audience needs to be considered, e.g. Information aimed at children isn’t as credible as information aimed at scholars.
The currency of the source is affected by the date of when the source was published, as it can affect the credibility of the source as, over time, the results of data changes. If the date of when...