Data Source Reliability Assessment

Name:

Date:

Success Criteria:

• I can distinguish between primary and secondary data sources
• I can evaluate the reliability of different data sources using appropriate criteria
• I can identify factors that make data sources more or less trustworthy
• I can design methods for collecting reliable data

ANSWER KEY

Part 1 - Data Source Detective:

1. Source A: Reliability 5, Secondary data (collected by Stats NZ, not by you)

2. Source B: Reliability 1, Secondary data (unreliable - no evidence or methodology)

3. Source C: Reliability 4-5, Primary data (you collected it yourself)

4. Source D: Reliability 2, Secondary data (outdated and second-hand information)

5. Source E: Reliability 5, Secondary data (official government data with methodology)

Part 2 - Data Quality Checklist:

6. All boxes should be checked - these are all important factors

7. Sample answers: Larger samples are more representative of the population and reduce the impact of outliers. Example: Surveying 5 students vs 500 students about study habits.

8. Primary: Survey Year 11 students directly; Secondary: Use existing research studies or government reports on teenage social media use

Part 3 - Extension:

9. Sample answer for Source B: Survey a random sample of at least 200 teenagers using standardised questions, ensure anonymous responses, use multiple schools to avoid bias

10. Sample answer: Different time periods, different populations, different methodologies can all lead to different but valid results