Review: Janet Heaton (2004). Reworking Qualitative Data

Abstract

For more than a quarter of a century, researchers have systematically analyzed quantit­at­ive data from secondary data sets. Many of these data sets are widely available and researchers are encouraged to explore new questions. This widely accepted practice is being expanded to include qualitative data sets and, in this book, HEATON provides a fairly extensive review of such efforts, especially in the United Kingdom. She identifies some sixty-five studies and uses them to explore issues about procedures, ethics and epistemology. Further, she puts forth the idea that conducting qual­itative secondary analyses might become a new methodology. One interesting idea she pre­sents is that there are different characteristics of se­condary analyses, varying by function, focus, type of data and source of data. Just over 100 pages, this book will provide you with some new insights into the practice of secondary analysis. I was left, however, with wanting more than HEATON provided. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0503150