The Use of Qualidata Datasets in PG Unit

Dr Jo Haynes

Department of Sociology

University of Bristol

Rationale for using Qualidata archive in unit The assessment Problems Benefits Example of student approaches Summary of strengths/weaknesses of

submitted work

Rich data generated by students in dissertations going to waste

Lack of adequate training/support for qual data analysis, e.g. assumption that it is ‘easy’ or ‘self-evident’

Comparison with teaching of quantitative data analysis

Lack of adequate training in QDAS

Students are constantly reminded in the course of the unit that they:◦ Need to have a research question/issue◦ Research question/topic needs to relate to

previous studies/literature◦ Data analysis should address research

question/issue◦ Analysis should be data driven (not simply

confirmation of researcher’s views)

Virtually Second-Hand: a Case Study of eBay, the Internet Auction Site, 2004-2005

Consumption, Lifestyle and Identity : Reading the New Men's Lifestyle Magazines, 1985-1997

Dynamics of Transformative Ideas in Contemporary Public Discourse, 2002-2003

British Migrants in Spain: the Extent and nature of social integration, 2003-2005

Creating Citizen-Consumers: Changing Relationships and Identifications, 2003-2005

Employment and Working Life Beyond the Year 2000: Employee Attitudes to Work in Call Centres and Software Development, 1999-2001

A Qualitative Study of Democracy and Participation in Britain, 1925-2003

Context and Motive in the Perpetuation of Racial Harassment and Violence in North Staffordshire, 2004

The projects were selected on the basis that:◦ they appeal to a broad a range of substantive

interests as possible◦ there are identifiable ways in which the data

could be carved for up for sampling purposes◦ the project has ‘good’ quality data

◦ With your selected study, you will design and carry out your own ‘small-scale’ qualitative analysis on a sample of documents from the data. Choose an analytical approach that best suits the question/issue you want to address and what you want to do with the data, e.g. discourse analysis; narrative analysis, and so on. You must also incorporate Nvivo to support your analysis of this data. You should explore relevant literature that will provide theoretical/empirical support for your analysis.

You are expected to write a 4000 word research report which should contain the following elements:

Introduction: a discussion of the study and relevant theory/background detail

Methodology: a description of the analytic process and justification for the specific approach to the analysis, which should be linked to a discussion of how you incorporated Nvivo. You should also describe the sample of documents included in the study. There should also be a discussion of any issues raised by carrying out secondary analysis of this data.

Findings: presentation of the analysis carried out. This should include quotations or data from the study. You should also include your interpretation of the findings here.

Conclusion References Appendix You should include a list of the nodes used as part of

your analysis with descriptions explaining each node, any models, memos, or other pertinent information from Nvivo.

Secondary analysis◦ Common issues such as ethical considerations

and lack of insider perspective (Hammersley) For students

◦ Difficulty of coming up with ‘different’ or ‘original’ approach

◦ First/early encounter with qualitative data as secondary not primary researcher, i.e. from a distance

Project information and data◦ Uneven quality and amount of

information/guidance about each project◦ Mixed methodologies

Opportunity to critically evaluate the design, execution and conclusions of original research

Practice◦ Developing new theoretical rationale to re-interpret

data◦ Devising a data subset to explore same/new theme◦ Integrating theory, data analysis and discussion in a

report◦ Presenting qualitative data appropriately

Utilising QDAS to support data analysis

A Qualitative Study of Democracy and Participation in Britain, 1925-2003 by Devine and Roberts◦ Primary research: In-depth study of activists to explore

mobilisation processes, group life experiences and assessments of democracy and political life in Britain. It asked: “do voluntary activities generate social capital? Does group life sustain networks and norms of trust and reciprocity? Do positive experiences of group life instil wider feelings of confidence in political institutions and the system overall?”

◦ Student: Examined whether it is accurate to link affective social behaviour with perception of community and state-level political inclusion. S/he asked: “how do socially active citizens perceive their local community attachment? How do they asses their personal ties? Do social identifications with the local neighbourhood correlate with political participation? Is local attachment linked to trust in national politics?”

Consumption, Lifestyle and Identity : Reading the New Men's Lifestyle Magazines, 1985-1997 by Jackson and Stevenson.◦ Primary research: assessed mens’ magazines’ significance in

terms of competing theories of masculinity and in relation to Britain’s changing media and consumption cultures.

◦ Student A: explored how the interviewers participated in the knowledge production process of the interview, whether there were any clear gender differences in the amount of researcher involvement and the process of creating a group identity within the focus group as a whole.

◦ Student B: explored the extent to which discourses of new manhood permeated responses; shifting the emphasis from magazines to a broader examination of the constructs of the ‘new man’ and the ‘new lad’, analysing how these discourses are creatively utilised by the participants through resistance.

Dynamics of Transformative Ideas in Contemporary Public Discourse, 2002-2003 by McLennan, Osborne and Vaux◦ Primary Research: through two case studies of the LSE

and DEMOS, the research “sought to understand the way in which societal ideas (e.g. ‘the Knowledge society’ and ‘Third Way’) emerge into the wider cultural and political arenas; how they are initiated, established, networked and modified as their careers unfold”.

◦ Student A: provided a case study of the LSE- its present function and the role of intellectuals given tendency for universities to become ‘businesses’

◦ Student B: explored the organisational culture of LSE

British Migrants in Spain: the Extent and nature of social integration, 2003-2005 by Karen O’Reilly◦ Primary research: explored the trends, motivations,

mobility patterns, identity and way of life of British migrant communities in the Costa del Sol. A major theme in the findings was the lack of integration of British migrants with local Spanish people.

◦ Student: explored the reproduction of class differences amongst British migrants in Spain and how British migrants “engage with the cultural conception of class in constructing themselves in opposition not just to tourists, but to other expatriate Britons”.

Context and Motive in the Perpetuation of Racial Harassment and Violence in North Staffordshire, 2004 by Gadd, Dixon and Jefferson.◦ Primary research: addressed the question of “why some

people engage in racially-motivated violence, and how their motivations for doing so intersect and/or conflict with publicly-expressed nationalist, racist/anti-racist, and religious sentiments”.

◦ Student: explored whether “people use cognitive reduction strategies in the narrative construction of the self and how common modes of narrative construction themselves can […] contribute to consonance, a means which psychology, through the use of experimental methods, has failed to appreciate. It therefore seeks to create a bridge between a psychological concept and sociological practice [….]”

Comments fed back to students about ways to improve their data analysis concentrated on:

◦ Failure to identify an independent way of working with the data

◦ Lack of integration of theory with data analysis◦ Lack of clarity about analytical approach◦ Poor presentation and interpretation of data

Positive comments fed back to students included their

◦ Innovative, original lines of enquiry◦ Strong theoretical support for analysis◦ Integration of theory, analysis and

methodological discussion◦ Creative use of NVivo, e.g. modelling

frameworks, relationships between themes, etc.