Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Collecting Qualitative Data to Enhance Social Network Analysis and Data Mining

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Social Network Analysis and Mining

  • 66 Accesses

Synonyms

Description; Generating data

Glossary

Data:

Recorded observations

Qualitative data:

Nonnumeric data in the form of words

Definition

Hollstein (2011) delineates six areas where qualitative research is helpful in social network research: (a) exploration of networks, (b) network practices, (c) network orientation and assessments, (d) how networks matter, (e) understanding network dynamics, and (f) validation of network data and field access. According to Leech and Onwuegbuzie (2008), there are four types of qualitative data – specifically, data generated from talk, observations, images (e.g., drawing, photograph, video), and documents. To collect these types of data, the researcher can implement the following strategies: interviews, focus groups, observations, and documents/material as cultural artifacts (Leech and Onwuegbuzie 2008). These qualitative data collection strategies when used individually or combined can increase the effectiveness of social network analysis research...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 2,500.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adler PA, Adler P (1987) Membership roles in field research. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Angrosino MV (2005) Recontextualizing observation: ethnography, pedagogy, and the prospects for a progressive political agenda. In: Denzin NK, Lincoln YS (eds) The SAGE handbook of qualitative research, 3rd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks, pp 729–745

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardazone G, Sy AU, Chik I, Corlew LK (2014) Mapping one strong 'Ohana: using network analysis and GIS to enhance the effectiveness of a statewide coalition to prevent child abuse and neglect. Am J Community Psychol 53:346–356. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-014-9641-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carolan BV (2013) Social network analysis and education: theory, methods and applications. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Clandinin DJ (ed) (2006) Handbook of narrative inquiry: mapping a methodology. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Collier J Jr, Collier M (1986) Visual anthropology: photography as a research method (Rev. ed). University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Creswell JW (2013) Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches, 3rd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Delay D, Hanish LD, Martin CL, Fabes RA (2016) Peer effects on head start children’s preschool competency. Dev Psychol 52(1):58–70. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000066

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhart MA, Howe KR (1992) Validity in educational research. In: LeCompte MD, Millroy WL, Preissle J (eds) The handbook of qualitative research in education. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 643–680

    Google Scholar 

  • Fontana A (2002) Postmodern trends in interviewing. In: Gubrium J, Holstein J (eds) Handbook of qualitative research: context and method. Sage, Thousand Oaks, pp 161–175

    Google Scholar 

  • Fontana A, Frey JH (2000) The interview: from structured questions to negotiated text. In: Denzin NK, Lincoln YS (eds) The SAGE handbook of qualitative research, vol 2. Sage, Thousand Oaks, pp 645–672

    Google Scholar 

  • Fontana A, Frey JH (2005) The interview: from neutral stance to political involvement. In: Denzin NK, Lincoln YS (eds) The SAGE handbook of qualitative research, vol 3. Sage, Thousand Oaks, pp 695–727

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerber HR, Abrams SS, Curwood JS, Magnifico AM (2016) Conducting qualitative research or learning in online spaces. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Guba EG, Lincoln YS (1989) Fourth generation evaluation. Sage, Newbury Park

    Google Scholar 

  • Haythornthwaite C (1996) Social network analysis: an approach and technique for the study of information exchange. Libr Inf Sci Res 18:323–342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollstein B (2011) Qualitative approaches. In: Scott JP, Carrington PJ (eds) The Sage handbook of social network analysis. Sage, Thousand Oaks, pp 404–416

    Google Scholar 

  • Hytönen K, Palonen T, Lehtinen E, Hakkarainen K (2014) Does academic apprenticeship increase networking ties among participants? A case study of an energy efficiency training program. High Educ 68:959–976. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-014-9754-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Institute ESR (n.d.) Environmental systems research institute. Retrieved on 13 Jul 2016 from http://www.esri.com/what-is-gis

  • Johnson RB, Onwuegbuzie AJ, Turner LA (2007) Toward a definition of mixed methods research. J Mix Methods Res 1:112–133. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689806298224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kajornboon AB (2005) Using interviews as research instruments. Retrieved on 13 Jul 2016 from http://hsmi.psu.ac.th/upload/forum/Annabelinterviewguide.pdf

  • Knoke D, Yang S (2008) Social network analysis, 2nd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Krueger RA, Casey MA (2000) Focus groups: a practical guide for applied researchers, 3rd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Laumann EO, Marsden PV, Prensky D (1989) The boundary specification problem in network analysis. In: Freeman LC, White DR, Romney AK (eds) Research methods in social network analysis. George Mason University Press, Fairfax, WA, pp 61–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Leech NL, Onwuegbuzie AJ (2008) Qualitative data analysis: a compendium of techniques for school psychology research and beyond. Sch Psychol Q 23:587–604. https://doi.org/10.1037/1045-3830.23.4.587

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levine JH (1999) We can count, but what do the numbers mean? In: Abu-Lughod J (ed) Sociology for the twenty-first century: continuities and cutting edges. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 83–93

    Google Scholar 

  • McFarland DA (2001) Student resistance: how the formal and informal organization of classrooms facilitate everyday forms of student defiance. Am J Sociol 107(3):612–678

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marsden PV (2005) Recent developments in network measurements. In: Carrington PJ, Scott J, Wasserman S (eds) Models and methods in social network analysis. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge/London

    Google Scholar 

  • Miles MB, Huberman AM, Saldaña J (2014) Qualitative data analysis: an expanded sourcebook, 3rd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Moreno JL (1953) Who shall survive? Beacon House, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Onwuegbuzie AJ (2003) Effect sizes in qualitative research: a prolegomenon. Qual Quant 37:393–409

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Onwuegbuzie AJ, Dickinson WB, Leech NL, Zoran AG (2009) Toward more rigor in focus group research: a new framework for collecting and analyzing focus group data. Int J Qual Met 8(3):1–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Onwuegbuzie AJ, Dickinson WB, Leech NL, Zoran AG (2010a) Toward more rigor in focus group research in stress and coping and beyond: a new mixed research framework for collecting and analyzing focus group data. In: GS Gates, WH Gmelch, M Wolverton (series eds) and KMT Collins, AJ Onwuegbuzie, QG Jiao (vol eds) Toward a broader understanding of stress and coping: mixed methods approaches (pp. 243–285). The search on stress and coping in education series (vol 5). Charlotte: Information Age Publishing

    Google Scholar 

  • Onwuegbuzie AJ, Gerber HR, Abrams J (in press) Mixed methods. In: Matthes J (ed) International encyclopedia of communication research methods. Wiley-Blackwell and the International Communication Association, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Onwuegbuzie AJ, Leech NL, Collins KMT (2008) Interviewing the interpretive researcher: a method for addressing the crises of representation, legitimation, and praxis. Int J Qual Met 7:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Onwuegbuzie AJ, Leech NL, Collins KMT (2010b) Innovative data collection strategies in qualitative research. Qual Rep 15:696–726

    Google Scholar 

  • Onwuegbuzie AJ, Leech NL, Collins KMT (2011) Innovative qualitative data collection techniques for conducting literature reviews/research syntheses. In: Williams M, Vogt WP (eds) The SAGE handbook of innovation in social research methods. Sage, Thousand Oaks, pp 182–204

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Patton MQ (1990) Qualitative evaluation and research methods, 2nd edn. Sage, Newbury Park

    Google Scholar 

  • Pink S (2014) Doing visual ethnography, 3rd edn. Sage, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Ripley RM, Snijders TAB, Boda Z, Vörö A, Preciado P (2016) Manual for Siena version 4.0. Oxford, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Robins G (2015) Doing social network research: network-based research design for social scientists. Sage, Los Angeles

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossman GB, Rallis SF (2012) Learning in the field: an introduction to qualitative research, 3rd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider SJ, Kerwin J, Frechtling J, Vivari BA (2002) Characteristics of the discussion in on-line and face-to-face focus groups. Soc Sci Comput Rev 20(1):31–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/089443930202000104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwandt TA (2007) The SAGE dictionary of qualitative inquiry, 3rd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Scott J (1988) Social network analysis. Sociology 22:109–127. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038588022001007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serrat O (2009) Social network analysis. Asian Development Bank, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Stake RE (2010) Qualitative research: studying how things work. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Suzuki LA, Ahluwalia MK, Arora AK, Mattis JS (2007) The pond you fish in determines the fish you catch: exploring strategies for qualitative data collection. Couns Psychol 35:295–327

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werner O, Schoepfle GM (1987) Systematic fieldwork: ethnographic analysis and data management. Sage, Newbury Park

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaltman G (1996) Metaphorically speaking: new technique uses multidisciplinary ideas to improve qualitative research. Mark Res 8:13–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Ziller RC (1990) Photographing the self: methods for observing personal orientations. Sage, Newbury Park

    Google Scholar 

Recommended Reading

  • Borgatti SP, Everett MG, Freeman LC (2002) Ucinet for Windows: software for social network analysis. Analytic Technologies, Harvard

    Google Scholar 

  • Denzin NK, Lincoln YS (eds) (2011) The Sage handbook of qualitative research, 4th edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Onwuegbuzie AJ, Combs JP (2010) Emergent data analysis techniques in mixed methods research: a synthesis. In: Tashakkori A, Teddlie C (eds) SAGE handbook of mixed methods in social & behavioral research, 2nd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks, pp 397–430

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Provalis Research (2011) QDA Miner 4.0: user’s guide. Author, Montreal

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education and Human Development, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA

    Nancy L. Leech

  2. Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Fayetteville, AR, USA

    Kathleen M. T. Collins

  3. Department of Educational Leadership, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA

    Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie

  4. Faculty of Education, University of Johannesburg, B-Ring 433, Kingsway Campus, Auckland Park, South Africa

    Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie

Authors
  1. Nancy L. Leech
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kathleen M. T. Collins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nancy L. Leech .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Reda Alhajj

  2. Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Jon Rokne

Section Editor information

  1. University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    V. S. Subrahmanian

  2. RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology), Melbourne, Australia

    Jeffrey Chan

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media LLC, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Leech, N.L., Collins, K.M.T., Onwuegbuzie, A.J. (2018). Collecting Qualitative Data to Enhance Social Network Analysis and Data Mining. In: Alhajj, R., Rokne, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Social Network Analysis and Mining. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7131-2_395

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation