Chapter 10 Analyzing Content: Historical, Secondary, and Content Analysis, and Crime Mapping

Secondary Data Analysis Uses pre-existing data in a different way or to answer a different research question than intended by those who collected the data Four major types used in social science research Surveys Official Statistics Official Records Historical Documents

Sources of Secondary Data With the advent of modern computers and, even more importantly, the Internet, secondary data analysis has become an increasingly accessible social research method.

Advantages of Using Secondary Data Allow analyses of social processes in other inaccessible settings Saves time and money Allows the researcher to avoid data collection problems Other Advantages depending on the specific data set and topic

Limitations of Secondary Data May not be possible for a researcher to focus on the specific research question of original interest Secondary analyst is ‘victim’ of whatever problems exist in the data Errors Poor sampling techniques Poor response rate Poor validity in measurements

Historical Events Research Cross-sectional examination of something that occurred in the past May be a case study of important event to examine its potential long-term importance

Comparative Methods Usually examine phenomena across societies Focus on research questions that are more general in nature Limitations of single-society studies Generalization Causal inference

Content Analysis Systematic, objective, quantitative analysis of message characteristics Analysis of the content of communication from sources, including Books Newspapers Magazines TV Movies Videos Websites Historical documents Video games Songs Speeches Advertisements Conversations Graffiti

Content Analysis Issues with Content Analysis Unit of Analysis (whom or what is being studied) Sampling Coding

Analyze Content Data Use your codes to define items to analyze Count occurrences of particular items (ideas, words, etc.) Create form to record codes and their meaning General Procedures Select a few “cases” (stories, articles) “Read” the narrative (may be listen, view) Look for all types of things that are described Develop codes for these things Determine how best to identify the types of things you are particularly interested in As you “read” more, identify themes

Crime Mapping Purpose is to illuminate relationship between some category of crime and corresponding characteristics such as poverty and disorganization across given locations

Example: Crime Push Pin Map From Portland Police Bureau, online Crime Mapper: http://www.portlandonline.com/police/index.cfm?c=29830

Example of Relationship Map San Diego, CA 1 probationer Adult Education School

Ethical Issues in Secondary Data Analysis Generally, confidentiality is not an issue because existing data from research studies is usually in public use files Confidentiality may be an issue in historical records and official agency records IRB determines whether review is necessary

Conclusion: Secondary Data Analysis Advantages: It may be inexpensive and readily available. Might have been collected by experts It is often used to supplement primary sources of information Disadvantage: Very Dangerous Wasn’t collected for secondary purpose Validity and Reliability Concerns – Follow the paper trail

Conclusion: Secondary Data Analysis Herbert Jacobs (1984) “Like the apple in the garden of Eden, it is tempting, but full of danger for the unwary researcher.” Social Production of Data Discretionary actions by actors in the criminal justice system Do recorded #’s represent actual behavior?