Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Analysing existing datasets
T2 - some considerations arising from practical experience
AU - Yorke, Mantz
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - Data that have been collected for specific purposes may be exploited in the service of other interests (such as institutional research), though the exploitation may have to be accompanied by methodological compromises of various kinds. As a consequence, the findings might satisfy the criterion of being ‘good enough’ for the purposes of practical action while falling short of the expectations that would apply to original research in the social sciences. A number of examples related to the secondary analysis of datasets from higher education are presented to illustrate some of the challenges faced by analysts of existing datasets. This article stresses the need to examine given data carefully, to mitigate weaknesses in the data, where feasible, to indicate the limitations inherent in secondary analysis and to present the outcomes of analyses in a manner appropriate to the putative audience.
AB - Data that have been collected for specific purposes may be exploited in the service of other interests (such as institutional research), though the exploitation may have to be accompanied by methodological compromises of various kinds. As a consequence, the findings might satisfy the criterion of being ‘good enough’ for the purposes of practical action while falling short of the expectations that would apply to original research in the social sciences. A number of examples related to the secondary analysis of datasets from higher education are presented to illustrate some of the challenges faced by analysts of existing datasets. This article stresses the need to examine given data carefully, to mitigate weaknesses in the data, where feasible, to indicate the limitations inherent in secondary analysis and to present the outcomes of analyses in a manner appropriate to the putative audience.
KW - institutional research
KW - secondary data analysis
KW - institutional management
KW - data systems
U2 - 10.1080/1743727X.2011.609549
DO - 10.1080/1743727X.2011.609549
M3 - Journal article
VL - 34
SP - 255
EP - 267
JO - International Journal of Research and Method in Education
JF - International Journal of Research and Method in Education
SN - 1743-727X
IS - 3
ER -