esds qualidata: qualitative data preparation and use john southall esds 26 november 2003
TRANSCRIPT
ESDS Qualidata: Qualitative Data
Preparation and Use
John SouthallESDS
26 November 2003
ESDS Qualidata
• provides access and support for a range of qualitative datasets, and is hosted by the UK Data Archive
• the work builds on Qualidata's expertise and international reputation in this area, developed over the past eight years
ESDS Qualidata
Qualitative data collections
• Data from National Research Council (ESRC) individual and programme research grant awards
• Data from ‘classic’ social science studies
• Other funders/sources
• Focus on DIGITAL Collections, but also facilitate paper-based archiving
Types of qualitative data
• Diverse data types: in-depth interviews ; semi-structured interviews; focus groups; oral histories; mixed methods data; open-ended survey questions; case notes/records of meetings; diaries/ research diaries
• Multi-media: audio, video, photos and text (most common is interview transcriptions)
• Formats: digital, paper, analogue audio-visual
• Data structures - differ across different ‘document types’
Classic datasets
• Peter Townsend – Poverty, old ageand Katherine Buildings
• Paul Thompson – oral history and Edwardians
• Ray Pahl –Hertfordshire Villages studies
• National Social Policy and Social Change Archive
Diverse uses for existing data
• Enrich context description• How was it really done
documentation of methods– Team “discussions” about coding– What, exactly, is “semi-structured”?
• Augment data you collect– Historical comparative case– Expand sample size
• Datasets for teaching
Good archiving = good research
• Thorough documentation
• Well organised and labelled files
• Major stages of research recorded
• Consent, copyright and related issues clarified
Characteristics of a good archived research collection
• Intellectual content
• Extensive raw data created
• Supporting documentation
• Consent
• Transcription
• Identifiers removed
• Listing
Intellectual content
• Builds on previous research
• Addresses new issues
• Innovative approach to discipline
• Innovative approach to qualitative methodology
Extensive raw data
• Types of research data assembled
– In-depth interviews– Focus groups– Field notes / participant observation– Case study notes
• Images and sound recordings
• Range of material – broad focus
Supporting Documentation• Examples
– Funding application– Description of methodology– Communication with informants on confidentiality– Coding schemes / themes– Technical details of equipment – Interview schedules– End of award report– Documentation from CAQDAS software packages, e.g.,
analytical memos– Bibliographies, resulting publications
• Anything that adds insight or aids understanding and secondary usage
Consent in Qualitative Research
• Obtained
• Clear and coherent - Examples
• Reflects needs and views of all
• Supports archiving and re-use
• Consent that works in practice
Transcribing Research 1
• Integrated into the ongoing research
• Full transcriptions or summaries
• Avoid stockpiling
• Costs and Benefits– Self transcription– Internal team transcription– External transcription
Transcribing Research 2
• Budget
– estimated number of interviews x 4 hours x 60 minute tape x hourly salary
• Examples of good and bad
• Full transcriptions– Consistent layout– Speaker tags– Line breaks– Header with identifier / other details – Checked for errors
Identifiers removed
• Confidentiality respected
• Anonymisation?
• Problems of anonymisation– Applied too weakly– Applied to strongly– Timing – Potential for distortion– Examples
• User undertakings
• Appropriate and sympathetic
Listing Research
• Contents
• Key elements– General– Specific to project
• Template approach
• Point of entry
Conclusion: Archivable Research
• Electronic Dissemination
• Suitable formats for use and preservation
• Problems of preparation– Cleaning up research– Repairing minor errors– User expectations
• Meeting users needs
Exploring qualitative data
• Topic: Health inequalities
• ESDS Qualidata | Introduction• http://www.qualidata.essex.ac.uk/
Supplemental slides
• Emergency screen dumps!
ESDS Qualidata:key activities
• enhanced user guides and digital samplers
• exemplars and case studies of re-use
• online access to qualitative data
• user support and training activities to support secondary analysis of qualitative data
Enhanced user guides and digital samplers
providing a better understanding of the study and research methods
• enhanced users guides – detailed notes on study methodology and re-use; ‘behind the scenes’ interviews with depositors; FAQs
• thematic pages – combining interviews
• digital samplers of classic sociology collections
Exemplars and case studies of re-use
providing 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
Online 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, and analysis across different datasets
Qualidata Online: Edwardians Online – Phase I
Creation of a digital multimedia resource that integrates a wealth of existing primary and secondary materials:
• a catalogue of 444 interview summaries • 5 full electronic interview transcripts • thematic browsing of interview transcripts • a collection of digital sound clips • a set of contextual images of Edwardian life • background information and press reviews on the
original Paul Thompson study • details of publications based upon secondary studies
of the collection • an account of the digitization methodology
Qualidata Online