The Shared Fate of Two Innovations in Qualitative Methodology: The Relationship of Qualitative Software and Secondary Analysis of Archived Qualitative Data

Abstract

This article considers the contribution that software to support qualitative data analysis can make in the secondary analysis of qualitative data. The article suggests some benefits of secondary analysis of qualitative data and addresses some of the methodological criticisms that have been made about secondary analysis in qualitative research. The article's focus is largely practical, but it also offers an account of why the apparent advantages of using qualitative software in the secondary analysis of qualitative data have not so far been fully exploited. It does so by reference to the social context of the research environment. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0003224