What are the comparative advantages and disadvantages of using the running record and episodic records as sources of data?
What will be an ideal response?
There are three primary advantages to using the running record rather than the episodic record. The first is cost, in both time and money. A second, related advantage is the accessibility of the running record. Instead of searching packing crates, deteriorated ledgers, and musty storerooms, as users of the episodic record often do, users of the running record more often handle reference books, government publications, and computer printouts. A third advantage of the running record is that by definition it covers a more extensive period of time than does the episodic record. This permits longitudinal analysis and before-and-after research designs. The running record presents problems, however. One is that a researcher is at the mercy of the data collection practices and procedures of the record-keeping organizations themselves. Researchers are rarely in a position to influence record-keeping practices. A trade-off often exists between ease of access and researcher influence over the measurements that are made. Some organizations?some state and local governments, for example?do not maintain records as consistently as researchers may like. Even when clear records are kept, such as election returns for mayoral contests, researchers may face a substantial task in collecting the data from individual cities, because the returns from only the largest cities are reported in various statistical compilations. Another related disadvantage of the running record is that some organizations are not willing to share their raw data with researchers. Access to public information is not always easy. Finally, it is sometimes difficult for researchers to find out exactly what some organizations’ record-keeping practices are. Unless the organization publishes a description of its procedures, a researcher may not know what decisions have guided the record-keeping process. This question can be expanded by specifying how much detail the students should include in answering the question.
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