1. Secondary Data Sources & Secondary Analysis
Why consider using secondary data sources?
Teaching Research Methods: Resources for HE Social Sciences Practitioners

2. Session Objectives By the end of the session you will:
Understand what secondary data sources are
Using quantitative sources in teaching research and issues to consider
Understand some of the ways in which you can use secondary analysis in student projects
Teaching Research Methods: Resources for HE Social Sciences Practitioners

3. Secondary Sources: What are they?
Qualitative
Quantitative
Research design and methods
Interview questions and transcripts
Diaries
Visual – photographs or video
Design
Survey measurement tools
Sampling details
Survey data files
Official statistics
Secondary data sources are basically a resource that is available for re-use or re-analysis for a new research project. They can also be used as examples in your teaching to enable students to visualise the outputs from research and link to the related published research.
Historically the term secondary sources and data have been focussed on quantitative resources as these have been available more easily and in greater numbers.
However the Economic and Social Research council both funds a UK Data archive that encapsulates both qualitative and quantitative data resources that are free to access for registered UK users.
We have also seen the rise of other repositories of data including on the qualitative side the Mass Observation at Sussex University and on the quantitative side much improved general public accessible online service distributing data from large Government surveys such as the census.
United Kingdom
European Union
Global
Teaching Research Methods: Resources for HE Social Sciences Practitioners

4. From Secondary data to secondary analysis
Hakim (1982:1) “… any further analysis of an existing data set which presents interpretations, conclusions or knowledge additional to, or different from those presented in the first report.”
Can form either the main focus or simply the background for research project.
In thinking about secondary sources we need to think about how we can integrate their use into research methods teaching
Taking an existing data resource and using it is called secondary analysis.
Here Hakim has a useful quote to help us.
It is not just the restating of an existing piece of research that uses the data but involves further analysis that helps draw new interpretations, understanding and knowledge of an area.
We can use this resource to either form the main part of our research or help inform our research project by providing background contextual data.
For example, I could use the British election Study to find out what young people think about the government across England and then use this to contextualise my local qualitative project, using focus groups, to explore the views of government and democratic processes with college students.
Teaching Research Methods: Resources for HE Social Sciences Practitioners

5. Forms of Quantitative Data
Aggregated Data
Sample Survey Data
Longitudinal: Cohort or Panel studies
With regard to quantitative research data available for secondary analysis it is useful to consider the different formats in which we can access this data. Simply this can be divided into:
1. Aggregated Data:
Easiest to access and incorporate with data already manipulated and condensed into summary tables;
Data presented as a variety of outputs: tables, charts, maps – e.g. Office of National Statistics, Census, Neighbourhood Statistics, WorldBank
Increasing availability of interactive services to tailor outputs
2. Sample Survey Data
Data from specific surveys that can be accessed, anonymised and manipulated by statistical and data analysis package such as SPSS
General Lifestyle Survey (GLS);
Labour Force Survey (LFS);
British Social Attitude Survey;
Crime Survey for England.
Data on each individual case in the study
Useful as you have flexibility to do the analysis that helps you address you research question(s)
Two ways of analysing this data:
(1) Analyse the cases in packages like SPSS
MUST look at the survey methodology, methods and measurement tools used to critically engage with the data
Need to register to use UK Data Archive – need to follow the rules.
Data protection issues
3. Longitudinal Cohort or Panel Studies: These studies reflect that
All social research researches people in social settings. We are born, we live our lives and then die, in between we act in a social setting.
The social makes you make the social, we evolve and change our surroundings. Some things will happen, some things might happen and these will depend on who you are.
We know that generally people now:
People live longer
People move around more
People live alone more
People get divorced more
People are better educated
People are more individualistic
People travel more
Peoples attitudes change
These events shape your life course. Longitudinal analysis allows you to consider how these life course events shape attitudes, views, behaviour, decisions.
Take repeated measures from individuals over a longer period, used in longitudinal research;
Examples include the National Child Development Study (NCDS) and British Household Panel Survey (BHPS); Understanding Society
Allows complex data analysis taking account of the developmental, age and historical events of an individual’s life course.
Teaching Research Methods: Resources for HE Social Sciences Practitioners

6. Forms of Qualitative Data
An emerging area:
UK Data Archive ( previously Qualidata)
Textual
Images
Audio
Mass Observation archive (Sussex)
The availability of qualitative secondary data has historically been less than for quantitative data resources.
However things are changing and many of these changes are bought about by the development qualitative approaches to encompass other types of data and greater inter-disciplinary research that is taking place.
Just to give you an example:
Title:Enduring Love? Understanding long-term adult couple relationships in contemporary Britain Depositor:Jacqui Gabb, Open University Principal investigator(s):Jacqui Gabb, Open University Sponsor(s):Economic and Social Research Council  Grant number:RES
ABSTRACT
Enduring Love? is a psycho-social qualitative investigation into long-term adult couple relationships in contemporary Britain. The project will examine the ways in which gender, generation and parenthood get inscribed in meanings and practices around the idea of 'the couple'. The study will explore the gendered 'relationship work' that women and men do to stay together in the socio-cultural context of shifting discourses on love, 'marriage', partnership, intimacy and commitment.The study will comprise 50 couples (aged 18-65), including couples with and without children. It will use an innovative qualitative mixed methods approach, involving participants in diary writing, designing emotion maps, photo-elicitation and semi-structured interviews. These different methods aim to draw upon a broad spectrum of research senses, to access rich accounts of couples' emotional lives and everyday relationship practices.Enduring Love? is based in the Research Centre for Citizenship, Identities and Governance (CCIG), where it is connected to the Families and Relationships Programme and the Psychosocial Studies Programme. It was developed through start-up funding provided by the OU in support of the Intimate Futures and Relational Lives Research Group.
Dates of fieldwork:12 September November 2013Country:United Kingdom  Observation units:Families  Individuals  Kind of data:Alpha-numeric  Textual  Method of data collection:Online quantitative survey Diaries Emotion maps Individual interviews Couple collage interviews 
Teaching Research Methods: Resources for HE Social Sciences Practitioners

7. Advantages
Often a convenient data source – no primary research required. Cost effective, time efficient
UK Data Archive datasets collected using robust and reliable survey techniques
Measurement tools
Sampling
Large Samples (N)
Deposited research has undergone an ethical clearance process
Undertake comparative research
Provides breadth: Use as part of a mixed methods approach.
Often a convenient data source – no primary research required. Cost effective, time efficient
UK Data Archive datasets collected using robust and reliable survey techniques
Measurement tools
Sampling
Large Samples (N).
Undertake comparative research
Provides breadth: Use as part of a mixed methods approach.
Teaching Research Methods: Resources for HE Social Sciences Practitioners

8. Points to consider Topics available
Coverage : geographical / population/sub-population
Timeliness / Timeline
Longitudinal Data Analysis can be complex
Sometime compromise is required …
Teaching Research Methods: Resources for HE Social Sciences Practitioners

9. So how can you use these resources?
To provide background (broad) data that helps inform qualitative (depth) research. Aggregated Data
To help you answer a new research question – sometimes published tables but more likely an analysis of sample survey data.
And …
You can also look at these studies to help support you or students to
Understand the design and methods used.
Identify robust and reliable survey questions
Understand sampling techniques, especially the more complex
Teaching Research Methods: Resources for HE Social Sciences Practitioners

10. So here is an example … A student is interested in …
To be discussed at the evaluation event
I would like to discuss the types of topics that would be engaging for students to follow at the evaluation event
Teaching Research Methods: Resources for HE Social Sciences Practitioners