
ST-LE-2023-06
Curriculum: Starter TrackManaging qualitative data
Motivation
The term “qualitative data” is used for various kinds of
non-standardized materials in qualitative social research, including
various types of text (e.g. interview transcripts, observation
protocols), images, audiovisual data, or material artefacts. From the
perspective of “quantitative” research – i.e., the application of
statistical methods to standardized numerical data –, qualitative
materials just seem to be data that need more structure. But qualitative
material is a specific type of data that is usually richer, more
context-dependent and more sensitive than quantitative data. On the
other hand, qualitative data can be fruitfully analyzed with common
tools of quantitative inquiry (e.g. text mining). Thus, this lecture
addresses both quantitative and qualitative researchers and aims to
introduce them to the particular ethical, legal and practical challenges
of managing qualitative materials – e.g. in terms of data protection,
informed consent, anonymization, documentation and data sharing – to
outline good practices as well as examples of fruitful data management.
Learning contents
1. Introducing qualitative data & research
- What is qualitative research? Aims, examples & characteristics
- Quantitative versus qualitative data & research processes
- Methodology, context and data in qualitative inquiry
- Mixing qualitative and quantitative data and research
2. Managing qualitative data in practice
- Data collection & informed consent
- Data transformations for analysis
- Anonymization/pseudonymization
- Documentation/contextualization
- Archiving & sharing data
- Finding & re-using data
Learning outcomes
Basic overview about qualitative research data and their management.
Prior knowledge
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Further reading
- Corti, Louise; van den Eynden, Veerle; Bishop, Libby; Woollard, Matthew
(2020): Managing and sharing research data: A guide to good practice.
2nd ed. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.
Motivation
The term “qualitative data” is used for various kinds of non-standardized materials in qualitative social research, including various types of text (e.g. interview transcripts, observation protocols), images, audiovisual data, or material artefacts. From the perspective of “quantitative” research – i.e., the application of statistical methods to standardized numerical data –, qualitative materials just seem to be data that need more structure. But qualitative material is a specific type of data that is usually richer, more context-dependent and more sensitive than quantitative data. On the other hand, qualitative data can be fruitfully analyzed with common tools of quantitative inquiry (e.g. text mining). Thus, this lecture addresses both quantitative and qualitative researchers and aims to introduce them to the particular ethical, legal and practical challenges of managing qualitative materials – e.g. in terms of data protection, informed consent, anonymization, documentation and data sharing – to outline good practices as well as examples of fruitful data management.
Learning contents
1. Introducing qualitative data & research
- What is qualitative research? Aims, examples & characteristics
- Quantitative versus qualitative data & research processes
- Methodology, context and data in qualitative inquiry
- Mixing qualitative and quantitative data and research
2. Managing qualitative data in practice
- Data collection & informed consent
- Data transformations for analysis
- Anonymization/pseudonymization
- Documentation/contextualization
- Archiving & sharing data
- Finding & re-using data
Learning outcomes
Basic overview about qualitative research data and their management.
Prior knowledge
---
Further reading
- Corti, Louise; van den Eynden, Veerle; Bishop, Libby; Woollard, Matthew (2020): Managing and sharing research data: A guide to good practice. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.
When?
April 20, 2023, 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Where?
UNICOM
7.1020, Large Seminar Room
Mary-Somerville-Str. 7
28359 Bremen
and
Online via Zoom
Register until:
April 17, 2023
Hollstein, Prof. Dr. Betina
SOCIUM Research Center at University of Bremen
Professor for Microsociology and Qualitative Methods at the University Bremen
Head of Qualiservice, national data service center for social science qualitative research data
Email: betina.hollstein@uni-bremen.de
Heuer, Dr. Jan-Ocko
SOCIUM Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy at University of Bremen
Postdoctoral Researcher at Research Data Center (RDC) Qualiservice
Email: jheuer@uni-bremen.de