ESDS QualidataOverview

Louise CortiESDS Qualidata, UKDA

IASSIST WORKSHOP 27 May 2003

ESDS Qualidata

• Hosted by the UK Data Archive

• Will provide access to, and support for, a range of qualitative datasets

• The work builds on Qualidata's expertise and international reputation in this area, developed over the past eight years

Qualidata: initial remit

• UK national service for acquisition, dissemination and re-use of social science qualitative research data

• Used network of UK archives for deposit

• Worked closely with the ESRC to operate its Datasets Policy

• Outreach activities support for creating and depositing data, resource discovery, accessing and re-using data

Types of qualitative data

• Diverse data types: semi-structured interviews; in-depth interviews; focus groups; oral histories; open-ended survey questions; case notes/records of meetings; diaries/ research diaries

• Multi-media: audio, video, photos and text (typically transcriptions)

• Formats: digital, paper, analogue

• Data structures- differing across different ‘document types’

• Analytical content is typically thematic

• Diversity - much scope for reuse in different disciplines

Collections

• Data from National Research Council (ESRC) individual research grant awards

• Data from ESRC Programme research grant awards

• Data from ‘classic’ social science studies

• Other funders/sources

Classic sociology deposits

• Paul Thompson – oral history and Edwardians

• Peter Townsend – Poverty and old age

• F Bechhofer, J Goldthorpe, D Lockwood and J Platt – Affluent workers

• Stan Cohen– Mods and rockers and long-term imprisonment

• Brian Jackson – education and the working class

ESDS Qualidata:new remit

• ESRC tendering process 2001 demanded:• Core Data Archiving and Dissemination Service • Specialist Value-Added Data Development and Dissemination

Functions

• Ensure that key data sources are adequately supported and opportunities are provided to add value to them:

• Data acquisition • Data enhancement • Value-added data delivery • Specialist Advice • Specialist User Group activities • Dissemination Strategy • Liaison with data suppliers and depositors • On-line provision

Assessing strategies and priorities

• User survey 2000

• ‘Green paper’ exercise - UK resource provision for social science data

• National tendering exercise

• Informal feedback from own networks/user communities

• User consultation 2003 - web survey

Kinds of data used

• 4 in 10 had undertaken secondary analysis of qualitative data (SAQD)

• Textual data consulted far more than audio-visual• in-depth interviews and semi-structured interviews

consulted most (50% of respondents) • case study notes and interview summaries (38%) and

press clippings (35%)

• 70% thought they might use sources of qualitative data in future research

• Few existing databanks mentioned• Qualidata; CHILDES; TALKBANK databases

Researchers’ use of data

• While 70% of these had revisited their own data, there was a greater incidence of using colleague's data (44%) rather than acquiring archived data via a dissemination service (33%).

• Just under half of respondents said they had consulted data for either descriptive purposes or to undertake comparative research, a restudy or a follow-up study.

• 41% said they had used data either for secondary analysis, research design or methodological advancement, or for teaching and learning. Only 22% had consulted data for the purposes of verification.

Resources desired by users

• Online access to data held (96%)"samples of data on-line to aid selection of data sets for secondary study would be beneficial"

"the ability to access electronic and/or hard copies of e.g. transcripts away from archives and re-code/analyse using preferred software/manual methods“

• Thematic guides and data samples (96%)

• Coded data, in addition to raw data, from the original research (90%)

• Ability to explore data or conduct new basic thematic analysis online (94%)

Use of CAQDAS packages: Recent user survey feedback

• Under half (44%) used a CAQDAS packages on a regular basis

• NVivo (11%)• ATLAS-ti (11%),• N4-6/NUD*IST (10%)• WinMAX/MaxQDA (8%)• Qualrus (3%) • Ethnograph (1%).

• Other softwares mentioned: • answr; CLAN, TASX, Mineset, SPSS and Excel.

• 4 out of 10 respondents said that they would expect to use a CAQDAS package to re-analyse qualitative data

Specific user requests

"Easily downloadable data files in XML or RTF format for use in CAQDAS packages"

 "Making a search engine that connects the various datasets in several countries. These datasets or databases should provide a standardized (perhaps XML type) output. So the researcher could work in a cross-national database in the given topics"

 "Resources in other languages"

 "Linkage with existing international projects"

How can we provide user friendly qualitative data and

documentation?

Enhance…...enhance……enhance

Enhanced user guides and digital samplers

To provide a better understanding of the study and research methods

• Digital samplers of classic sociology collections

• Enhanced users guides – detailed notes on study methodology and re-use; ‘Behind the scenes’ interviews with depositors; FAQs

• Thematic pages

• Tailored training datasets

Exemplars and case studies of re-use

To provide guidance on data resources and how to re-use them

• Overview of ways of re-using data

• Case studies of re-use including reflections and commentary

• Full bibliography of re-use articles

• Online ‘packaged’ training resources

• User support and training programme

On-line access to qualitative data

• New emphasis on providing direct access to collection content Supports more powerful resource discovery

Greater scope for searching and browsing content of data (supplementary to higher level study-related metadata)

Since users can search and explore content directly… can retrieve data immediately

• Providing access to qualitative data via common interface (Edwardians Online)

• Supporting tools for searching, retrieval, analysis across different datasets

Workshops and Training Programme

Service specific and joint workshops

• Awareness days for new users

• Thematic data resources events

• Data confrontation - specific datasets; data handling skills; methodological issues; analytic skills - introductory and advanced level

• ‘Train the trainers’ workshops

Online training materials

• Build on workshop and existing/ contributed materials

• Establish templates; keep simple

• Commitment to keep up-to-date

• Use relevant T&L standards

• Build on existing/ forthcoming T&L projects: TRaMMS; CHCC; X4L; RM Programme