From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishRelated topics: Newspapers, printing, publishing, Geographysource1 /sɔːs $ sɔːrs/ ●●● S2 W1 AWL noun [countable] 1 a thing, place, activity etc that you get something from They get their money from various sources.

noun. (in academic research) a document, first-hand account, or other source that constitutes direct evidence of an object of study. ‘She will discuss the primary sources she used in the process of doing research on the war. ‘

(historiography) A historical document that was created at or near the time of the events studied, by a known person, for a known purpose.

Examples of Primary Sources

• archives and manuscript material.
• photographs, audio recordings, video recordings, films.
• journals, letters and diaries.
• speeches.
• scrapbooks.
• published books, newspapers and magazine clippings published at the time.
• government publications.
• oral histories.

6 Free Online Resources for Primary Source Documents

1. National Archives. The National Archives is a fantastic resource.
2. DocsTeach. Also run by the National Archives, DocsTeach is full of activities for educators.
3. Spartacus Educational.
4. Fordham University.
5. The Avalon Project.
6. Life Magazine Photo Archive.

Primary and secondary source examples

Examples of secondary sources include:

• journal articles that comment on or analyse research.
• textbooks.
• dictionaries and encyclopaedias.
• books that interpret, analyse.
• political commentary.
• biographies.
• dissertations.
• newspaper editorial/opinion pieces.

Primary sources can be described as those sources that are closest to the origin of the information. Secondary sources often use generalizations, analysis, interpretation, and synthesis of primary sources. Examples of secondary sources include textbooks, articles, and reference books.

Secondary data can be obtained from different sources:

• information collected through censuses or government departments like housing, social security, electoral statistics, tax records.
• internet searches or libraries.
• GPS, remote sensing.
• km progress reports.

The hair colors of players on a football team, the color of cars in a parking lot, the letter grades of students in a classroom, the types of coins in a jar, and the shape of candies in a variety pack are all examples of qualitative data so long as a particular number is not assigned to any of these descriptions.

Examples of qualitative data include sex (male or female), name, state of origin, citizenship, etc. A more practical example is a case whereby a teacher gives the whole class an essay that was assessed by giving comments on spelling, grammar, and punctuation rather than score.

Here are some example of quantitative data:

• A jug of milk holds one gallon.
• The painting is 14 inches wide and 12 inches long.
• The new baby weighs six pounds and five ounces.
• A bag of broccoli crowns weighs four pounds.
• A coffee mug holds 10 ounces.
• John is six feet tall.
• A tablet weighs 1.5 pounds.

Qualitative data does not include numbers in its definition of traits, whereas quantitative data is all about numbers. The cake is orange, blue, and black in color (qualitative). Females have brown, black, blonde, and red hair (qualitative).

Good Qualitative Research Topics

• Effective therapy for patients recovering brain surgery.
• Influence of pop music on erratic youth behaviour.
• Approaches to improving maternal healthcare in developing countries.
• Possible solutions for alleviating pain during childbirth.

A good example of a qualitative research method would be unstructured interviews. This is because these generate qualitative data through the use of open questions allowing a respondent to talk at length, choosing their own words.

In a school setting, qualitative data may include:

• Notes from classroom observations.
• A student’s work sample with comments from their teacher.
• Feedback from a teacher about a student’s progress.
• A transcript from a focus group with parents.
• Audio/visual recordings of a class.
• A transcript from a staff meeting.

Qualitative data is any type of data that can be observed and described non-numerically (generally by words or letters). The results are used to gain insight about experiences or beliefs of certain groups or individuals.

Types of common quantitative data in schools might include:

• Student assessment scores and other student outcomes (for example reports found on Scout)
• Aggregates of responses from surveys (for example Tell Them From Me)
• Financial or Human Resources (HR) information.

There are a variety of ways teachers might collect qualitative data. Common approaches include interviews, focus groups, observations, teacher reflections, or case studies. Additional useful information can be found in written documents such as school policies, student records, reports, and work samples.

Qualitative data describes qualities or characteristics. It is collected using questionnaires, interviews, or observation, and frequently appears in narrative form. For example, it could be notes taken during a focus group on the quality of the food at Cafe Mac, or responses from an open-ended questionnaire.

There are a variety of methods of data collection in qualitative research, including observations, textual or visual analysis (eg from books or videos) and interviews (individual or group). However, the most common methods used, particularly in healthcare research, are interviews and focus groups.

In simple words, Qualitative education means the level of education with which a person can become a contributor to society. For education to be qualitative, it must focus not just on “teaching students” but also on “what is being taught (curriculum) and “how it is being taught” (Pedagogy).