Title: “Using Archived Qualitative Data to Understand Sociology of Crime and Control”.
Instructions: You should begin by following steps 1 to 5 of this assignment, then produce a 3000 word* report containing 10 sections which are outlined in the sections below. Please write your report under section headings.
*Word count for each section is a guide and need not be strictly adhered to as long as the final report’s word count does not exceed 3000 words.
Date for submission: 19 January 2012.
Aims of this assignment:
· To gain an awareness of and the ability to access and use, the resources on Crime and Control held by ESDS Qualidata and the UK Data Archive.
· To develop a critical approach to assessing secondary resources.
· To develop research design skills.
· To understand how other real-life researchers have approached the study of Crime and Control.
Reading
A reading list is provided at the end of this assignment, which contains a range of articles on reuse as well as essential course readings. You should also reference the archived collections which you use. The citation for collections can be found in the documentation section of the data catalogue records.
Step 1: Explore the websites for the UK Data Archive http://www.data-archive.ac.uk and for ESDS Qualidata http://www.esds.ac.uk/qualidata.
Step 2: Register by reading through and following the instructions ‘Registering with the ESDS’ which can be found here: http://www.esds.ac.uk/support/e9.asp.
Write Section 1: Based on wider reading from the reading list and from the UK Data Archive and ESDS Qualidata websites, write a brief introduction to the UK Data Archive and ESDS Qualidata and then outline how archived data collections can be used as a secondary resource. In this section you should define secondary analysis, and write about three advantages and three disadvantages of secondary analysis.
{300 words}
Step 3: Using the ESDS catalogue locate the two data collections for this assignment which are listed in the Crime and Control thematic guide.
These are:
1. Gender Difference, Anxiety and the Fear of Crime, 1995, Hollway, W. and Jefferson, T.
2. Doing Youth Justice: Analysing Risk and Need Assessments in Youth Justice Practice, 2004-2005, Phoenix, J.
Step 4: Read through the catalogue records and supporting documentation[1] for these two collections.
Step 5: Download the data for your two data collections and read through at least 3 data transcripts (i.e. interviews, focus groups, diaries etc) from each. It is recommended that you download the data onto your m-drive.
Write Section 2: In your own words write a short abstract for each of these two collections (i.e. Who were the principle researchers? What was the collection about? How did they do the research? What were the key findings? What were the key publications to come out of these research projects?). {500 words}
Write Section 3: Now select one of the two collections you have written about to base the rest of your assignment on then write a short rationale for why you have chosen to select this particular data collection. {150 words}
Write Section 4: Identify the main research question/s posed by the primary researchers in your chosen data collection? {50 words}
Write Section 5: Critically assess the methodology used in your chosen collection. (I.e. What methods were used? Do you think these methods were the most appropriate for studying this topic? If yes, why? If no, why not? What alternative methods could the researcher have used? What could a different methodological approach have brought to this study?).
{350 words}
Write Section 6: Answer the question that relates to the data collection that you chose in section 3 and read the relevant article from the list to guide your answer.
Either
1. Does the ‘fear of crime’ appear to be related to crime reports?
Or
2. How helpful are risk assessments when dealing with delinquent youth?
{1200 words}
Based on your reading of the data and documentation from your chosen collection and the research you have done for this assignment so far, start to think about how this can be applied to your future research.
Write Section 7: Design an overall research question on the theme of Crime and Control, which you could potentially use in your third year dissertation. {50 words}
Write Section 8: Design an interview schedule consisting of at least 5 questions which you could ask the research participants in order to investigate your overall research question. Briefly explain why you have chosen this selection of questions and what you would hope to find out.
{250 words}
Write Section 9: Reflect upon what you have learnt in this assignment then conclude your report. {150 words}
Write Section 10: Bibliography {not included in word count}
Essential reading
(For collection 1) Gadd, D and Jefferson T (2007) Psychosocial Criminology, London: Sage. (Chapter 5)
(For collection 2) Phoenix, J. (2009) ‘Beyond Risk Assessment: The Return of Repressive Welfarism?’ In Barry M & McNeill F, Youth Offending and Youth Justice, London: Jessica Kingsley.
Barbour, S. and Eley, S. (eds.) (2007) 'Refereed special section: reusing qualitative data', Sociological Research Online, 12(3), www.socresonline.org.uk/12/3/contents.html.
Hollway, W. and Jefferson, T. (2000) Doing qualitative research differently, London: Sage.
Examples of how researchers have reused qualitative collections held by ESDS Qualidata: http://www.esds.ac.uk/qualidata/support/reuseexamples.asp
http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/502/1080
Suggested Reading on Secondary Analysis and Reuse
Bornat, J. (2003) 'A second take: revisiting interviews with a different purpose', Oral History, Spring, pp. 47-53.
Corti, L., Witzel, A. and Bishop, L. (2005) 'On the potentials and problems of secondary analysis. An introduction to the FQS Special Issue on secondary analysis of qualitative data', Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research [Online journal], 6(1).
Corti, L., Witzel, A. and Bishop, L. (2005) 'Secondary analysis of qualitative data', Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research [Online journal], 6(1).
Corti, L. and Thompson, P. (2003) 'The secondary analysis of archived qualitative data' in C. Seale et al. (eds.) Qualitative research practice, London: Sage.
Heaton, J. (2004) Reworking qualitative data, London: Sage.
Hinds, P., Vogel, R. and Clarke-Steffen, L. (1997) 'The possibilities and pitfalls of doing a secondary analysis of a qualitative data set', Qualitative Health Research, 7(3), pp. 408-424.
Irwin, S. and Winterton, M. (2011) Debates in Qualitative Secondary Analysis: Critical Reflections, Timescapes Working Paper Series, No. 4.
Irwin, S. and Winterton, M. (2011) Timescapes Data and Secondary Analysis: Working across the Projects, Timescapes Working Paper Series, No. 5.
Kuehn, T. and Witzel, A. (2000) 'Strategies in using a qualitative database for the analysis of problem-centered interviews', Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research [Online journal], 1(3).
Parry, O. and Mauthner, N. (2005) 'Back to basics: who re-uses qualitative data and why?', Sociology, 39(2), pp. 337-342.
Savage, M. Revisiting Classic Qualitative Studies, Forum: Qualitative Social Research (FQS), Volume 6, No. (1), January 2005
Thompson, P. and Corti, L. (eds.) (2004) 'Celebrating classic sociology: pioneers of contemporary British qualitative research', International Journal of Social Research Methodology, Theory and Practice, 7(1), February 2004, journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/openurl.asp?genre=issue&issn=1364-5579&volume=7&issue=1".
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[1] Supporting documentation can be found in the table at the bottom of each catalogue record.