Qualitative Secondary Analysis: A Case Exemplar

  • PMID: 29254902
  • PMCID: PMC5911239
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2017.09.007

Qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) is the use of qualitative data that was collected by someone else or was collected to answer a different research question. Secondary analysis of qualitative data provides an opportunity to maximize data utility, particularly with difficult-to-reach patient populations. However, qualitative secondary analysis methods require careful consideration and explicit description to best understand, contextualize, and evaluate the research results. In this article, we describe methodologic considerations using a case exemplar to illustrate challenges specific to qualitative secondary analysis and strategies to overcome them.

Keywords: Critical illness; ICU; qualitative research; secondary analysis.

Copyright © 2017 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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The Qualitative Report

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Recommendations for Secondary Analysis of Qualitative Data

Sheryl L. Chatfield , Kent State University - Kent Campus Follow

Publications and presentations resulting from secondary analysis of qualitative research are less common than similar efforts using quantitative secondary analysis, although online availability of high-quality qualitative data continues to increase. Advantages of secondary qualitative analysis include access to sometimes hard to reach participants; challenges include identifying data that are sufficient to respond to purposes beyond those the data were initially gathered to address. In this paper I offer an overview of secondary qualitative analysis processes and provide general recommendations for researchers to consider in planning and conducting qualitative secondary analysis. I also include a select list of data sources. Well-planned secondary qualitative analysis projects potentially reflect efficient use or reuse of resources and provide meaningful insights regarding a variety of subjects.

Qualitative Research, Secondary Analysis, Online Research Data

Author Bio(s)

Dr. Sheryl L. Chatfield, C.T.R.S., is Assistant Professor in the College of Public Health at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. She received her PhD in Health and Kinesiology with emphasis in health behavior and promotion from the University of Mississippi in University, MS, and received her M.S. degree in recreational therapy from The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS. Dr. Chatfield completed the Nova Southeastern Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Research in 2014 and is currently one of the Senior Editors of TQR . Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: [email protected]

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Share: a framework for secondary qualitative data analysis.

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  • Page/Article: 125–133
  • DOI: 10.21061/see.175
  • Accepted on 8 Apr 2024
  • Published on 8 May 2024
  • Peer Reviewed

Social Research Update is published quarterly by the Department of Sociology, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, England. Subscriptions for the hardcopy version are free to researchers with addresses in the UK. Apply by email to [email protected] .

Janet Heaton is a Research Fellow and a part-time DPhil student in the Social Policy Research Unit, Department of Social Policy and Social Work at the University of York. Her interest in secondary analysis of qualitative data developed through the intersection of these two roles. For her doctoral work she is re-analysing data from studies on which she worked as a primary researcher, focusing on the 'temporal imperatives' which characterise the discourses surrounding contemporary hospital discharge policy and practice.

Thorne, S. (1990) 'Secondary Analysis in Qualitative Research: issues and implications' in Morse, J.M. (Ed.) Critical Issues in Qualitative Research Methods . London: Sage.

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secondary analysis qualitative research

Curriculum Making Across Sites of Activity in Upper Secondary School Vocational Education and Training: A Review of the Research in Sweden

Purpose: This paper presents a qualitative systematic review of Swedish research on vocational education and training (VET) at the upper secondary school level over the past 20 years. The review is based on a theoretical model on curriculum making as social practice that may serve as model for comparative studies between countries. By introducing the model, the ambition is to open for new perspectives on VET curriculum in policy and practice. Questions regarding key themes and the interplay of discourses and processes across multiple sites in the education system have not been addressed in previous systematic reviews of Swedish VET research. 

Methods: The methodological approach in the present paper is a qualitative systematic research review with an integrative and interpretative purpose and research design. The qualitative review is based on the conceptual model of curriculum making as social practice, seeking to capture the inherent complexity and porous boundaries of education systems and movements of ideas, discourses and actors between sites of activity. The model is used for mapping the research, and a content analysis for identifying main themes and emphases and exploring and discussing the potential gaps that may inform future international research studies. 

Findings: The results show that the research is focused on the micro and nano sites of curriculum making, with connections to macro site activities of national curriculum policy enactment. Research focusing on the macro site of activity has an emphasis on national policy and policymaking regarding the relationship between academic and vocational knowledge/programmes and apprenticeship and employability. In the micro and nano sites of activity – which comprise the majority of the research – the main themes are vocational knowing and identity, teaching, learning and assessment practices and work-based learning. 

Conclusion: An observation is the absence of principals and middle leaders as actors and informants in the studies. There is little evidence of actors moving between sites of activity and the meso site of activity only comprise a very small part of the research. In this respect, there is a potential gap to be explored, not least regarding how local curricula and syllabi are made and shaped in terms of the influence of representatives from local authorities, companies, trade unions, employer associations, universities and regional agencies. Curriculum making as social practice has the potential to be used for comparative international studies and as a framework that takes national differences in VET education systems into account. 

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secondary analysis qualitative research

IMAGES

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  3. 15 Secondary Research Examples (2024)

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VIDEO

  1. Qualitative Research Analysis Approaches

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  3. Systematic qualitative analysis salt-II (ALUMINIUM SULPHATE)

  4. A researcher wants to conduct a secondary analysis using a Centers for Disease Control and

  5. Secondary Research

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COMMENTS

  1. Conducting secondary analysis of qualitative data: Should we, can we

    SDA involves investigations where data collected for a previous study is analyzed - either by the same researcher(s) or different researcher(s) - to explore new questions or use different analysis strategies that were not a part of the primary analysis (Szabo and Strang, 1997).For research involving quantitative data, SDA, and the process of sharing data for the purpose of SDA, has become ...

  2. Conducting secondary analysis of qualitative data: Should we, can we

    Concerns about secondary data analysis when using qualitative data. The primary concerns about SDA with qualitative data surround rigor and ethics from a number of stakeholder perspectives, including research participants, funders, and the researchers themselves. Heaton (2004) suggests that a strength of secondary analysis of qualitative data ...

  3. Secondary Analysis Research

    Secondary data analysis research may be limited to descriptive, exploratory, and correlational designs and nonparametric statistical tests. By their nature, SDA studies are observational and retrospective, and the investigator cannot examine causal relationships (by a randomized, controlled design). ... Secondary analysis of qualitative data ...

  4. Qualitative Secondary Analysis: A Case Exemplar

    Qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) is the use of qualitative data collected by someone else or to answer a different research question. Secondary analysis of qualitative data provides an opportunity to maximize data utility particularly with difficult to reach patient populations. However, QSA methods require careful consideration and ...

  5. What is Secondary Research?

    Secondary research is a research method that uses data that was collected by someone else. In other words, whenever you conduct research using data that already exists, you are conducting secondary research. On the other hand, any type of research that you undertake yourself is called primary research. Example: Secondary research.

  6. Secondary Analysis of Qualitative Data: An Overview

    2.1 Re-use of pre-existing research data. Secondary analysis involves the re-use of pre-existing qualitative data derived. from previous research studies. These data include material such as semi. structured interviews, responses to open-ended questions in questionnaires, field notes and research diaries.

  7. Qualitative Secondary Analysis: A Case Exemplar

    Qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) is the use of qualitative data that was collected by someone else or was collected to answer a different research question. Secondary analysis of qualitative data provides an opportunity to maximize data utility, particularly with difficult-to-reach patient populations. However, qualitative secondary ...

  8. Conducting secondary analysis of qualitative data: Should we, can we

    increased, little is known about the current state of qualitative secondary data analysis or how researchers are conducting secondary data analysis with qualitative data. This critical interpretive synthesis examined research articles (n¼71) published between 2006 and 2016 that involved qualitative secondary data analysis and assessed the

  9. Recommendations for Secondary Analysis of Qualitative Data

    Secondary analysis of qualitative research data has similar advantages to secondary quantitative analysis. These include time savings in the sampling, data processing and collection processes and ready availability of rich data for research projects that qualify for exempt status or expedited review by most institutional research review boards. ...

  10. Conducting secondary analysis of qualitative data: Should we, can we

    School of Social Work, Wa yne State University, USA. Abstract. While secondary data analysis of quantitative data has become commonplace and encouraged. across disciplines, the practice of ...

  11. Qualitative Secondary Analysis: A Case Exemplar

    Qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) is the use of qualita-tive data that was collected by someone else or was collected to answer a different research question. Secondary analysis of qualitative data provides an opportunity to maximize data utility, particularly with difficult-to-reach patient popula-tions.

  12. Secondary analysis of qualitative data: an overview

    2017. TLDR. This paper asserts thatsecondary data analysis is a viable method to utilize in the process of inquiry when a systematic procedure is followed and presents an illustrative research application utilizing secondary data analysis in library and information science research. Expand. 585.

  13. Qualitative Secondary Analysis: A Case Exemplar

    Qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) is the use of qualitative data that was collected by someone else or was collected to answer a different research question. Secondary analysis of qualitative data provides an opportunity to maximize data utility, particularly with difficult-to-reach patient populations. However, qualitative secondary ...

  14. Recommendations for Secondary Analysis of Qualitative Data

    Publications and presentations resulting from secondary analysis of qualitative research are less common than similar efforts using quantitative secondary analysis, although online availability of high-quality qualitative data continues to increase. Advantages of secondary qualitative analysis include access to sometimes hard to reach participants; challenges include identifying data that are ...

  15. Conducting secondary analysis of qualitative data: Should we, can we

    This critical interpretive synthesis examined research articles (n = 71) published between 2006 and 2016 that involved qualitative secondary data analysis and assessed the context, purpose, and methodologies that were reported.

  16. The Value of Secondary Analysis for Qualitative Inquiry

    As research funding becomes more difficult to obtain, secondary analysis of a primary qualitative data set is cost-effective and ensures maximum use. The reuse of data can increase the benefits of publicly funded research for the good of the public. Theory development is another benefit of secondary qualitative analysis.

  17. SHARE: A Framework for Secondary Qualitative Data Analysis

    secondary data analysis qualitative research. Year: 2024; Volume: 5 Issue: 1; Page/Article: 125-133; DOI: 10.21061/see.175; Submitted on 1 Apr 2024; Accepted on 8 Apr 2024; Published on 8 May 2024; Peer Reviewed; CC Attribution 4.0; Contents ...

  18. Protecting against researcher bias in secondary data analysis

    Introduction. Secondary data analysis has the potential to provide answers to science and society's most pressing questions. An abundance of secondary data exists—cohort studies, surveys, administrative data (e.g., health records, crime records, census data), financial data, and environmental data—that can be analysed by researchers in academia, industry, third-sector organisations, and ...

  19. Social Research Update 22: Secondary analysis of qualitative data

    Secondary analysis of qualitative data. Janet Heaton. Janet Heaton is a Research Fellow and a part-time DPhil student in the Social Policy Research Unit, Department of Social Policy and Social Work at the University of York. Her interest in secondary analysis of qualitative data developed through the intersection of these two roles.

  20. "Recovery is Complicated": A Qualitative Exploration of Canadian

    RC is a useful lens to understand student recovery experiences in a post-secondary context, as it allows for analysis beyond the dominant disease model of addiction, that often does not consider the person's broader context, ... This study has several limitations that are common in qualitative research. The use of a single site to recruit ...

  21. Curriculum Making Across Sites of Activity in Upper Secondary School

    Purpose: This paper presents a qualitative systematic review of Swedish research on vocational education and training (VET) at the upper secondary school level over the past 20 years. The review is based on a theoretical model on curriculum making as social practice that may serve as model for comparative studies between countries. By introducing the model, the ambition is to open for new ...

  22. Secondary Data Analysis: Ethical Issues and Challenges

    Issues in Secondary analysis of Qualitative data. In qualitative research, the culture of data archiving is absent . Also, there is a concern that data archiving exposes subject's personal views. However, the best practice is to plan anonymisation at the time of initial transcription.

  23. Request for Proposal (RFP)

    The National Democratic Institute (NDI) requests proposals for the organization, implementation, and analysis of qualitative research (e.g., focus groups and key informan interviews) in Romania to identify and analyze prevailing attitudes among youth from different ethnic and religious backgrounds toward tolerance and inclusion.