January 8, 2015 / C H Thompson

Personal documents

Diaries; letters; etc which provide a rich source of qualitative data on feeling; motives etc

Strengths

Provide a rich insight into a person’s feelings and motivations
They are usual in providing insights where no other data exists such as being held captive
They are often the only insight sociologists have into the past such as war veterans diaries or letters home
Personal documents can supplement official data such as school performance. A school might be high in league tables but pupils dislike the regime in which they learn

Weaknesses

They are a one person view of events which can be biased in order to justify a person’s actions and therefore invalid
The data is likely to be unreliable
The data is likely to be unrepresentative
The authenticity of the data is open to question
The sociologist might interpret the data in a way the author never intended

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