Qualitative Secondary Analysis (QSA): Extending FAIR Data Principles into Practice 

Qualitative Secondary Analysis (QSA): Extending FAIR Data Principles into Practice

Workshop Abstract

While many researchers understand the importance of making data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR), fewer have practical experience of reusing existing datasets.  This is particularly true of qualitative social science data, which presents unique challenges for open research.  Building on research with Irish social scientists, this workshop will provide practical engagement with qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) as an open research practice. 

The workshop has the following learning objectives: 

  • What is QSA and how does it align with open research principles? 
  • Why should we encourage QSA as part of FAIR implementation? 
  • What are the barriers to re-using qualitative data? 
  • How can we conduct QSA effectively and ethically? 

Learning Outcomes: Participants will become familiar with qualitative data archiving and re-use as essential components of open research practice.  They will learn how perceived barriers to re-using qualitative data can be addressed.  Participants will explore state-of-the-art QSA methodologies and gain practical experience through hands-on engagement with qualitative datasets. Through interactive exercises and case studies, participants will develop the skills and confidence to incorporate qualitative data reuse into their own research. 

Target Audience: Open to researchers at all career stages and disciplinary backgrounds. No prior experience with qualitative methods or secondary analysis required. 

About

Jane Gray is Professor of Sociology at Maynooth University. Her scholarship centres on questions relating to families, households and social change, with a particular focus on biographical life course analysis. She is principal investigator on the European Research Council funded project LINLOSS: Towards a Sociology of Loss – Disposals and Dead-ends in Lineages of Social Innovation and Change. She is also principal investigator on the National Open Research Forum funded project QSA*Net: Promoting Open Research in Qualitative Social Science (2035-2025). She has a longstanding interest in sharing and re-using qualitative social science data and played a leading role in the establishment of the Irish Qualitative Data Archive.   

Dr. Rong Bao, a post-doctoral researcher on QSA*Net, recently completed her PhD in Social Work and Social Policy at Trinity College Dublin, focusing on rural-urban migration among young mothers in Beijing, China. She holds an MA in Education and International Development from University College London and a BA in International Journalism and Communication from Beijing Foreign Studies University.