Contrasting variable-analytic and case-based approaches to the analysis of survey datasets : expl... more Contrasting variable-analytic and case-based approaches to the analysis of survey datasets : exploring how achievement varies by ability across congurations of social class and sex.', Methodological innovations online., 5 (1). pp. 4-23.
We discuss a recent development in the set theoretic analysis of data sets characterized by limit... more We discuss a recent development in the set theoretic analysis of data sets characterized by limited diversity. Ragin, in developing his Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), developed a standard analysis that produces parsimonious, intermediate, and complex Boolean solutions of truth tables. Schneider and Wagemann argue this standard analysis procedure is problematic and develop an enhanced standard analysis (ESA). We show, by developing Schneider and Wagemann’s discussion of Stokke’s work on fisheries conservation and by discussing a second illustrative truth table, that ESA has problematic features. We consider how scholars might proceed in the face of these problems, considering the relations between limited diversity and the different methods of reducing truth tables instantiated in Ragin’s QCA and Baumgartner’s Coincidence Analysis.
Charles Ragin's crisp set and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA and fsQCA) ar... more Charles Ragin's crisp set and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA and fsQCA) are being used by increasing numbers of social scientists interested in combining analytic rigour with case-based approaches. As with all techniques that become available in easy-to-use software packages, there is a danger that QCA will come to be used in a routinised manner, with not enough attention being paid to its particular strengths and weaknesses. Users of fsQCA in particular need to be very aware of particular problems that can arise when fuzzy logic lies behind their analyses. This paper aims to increase its readers' understanding of some of these problems and of some means by which they might be alleviated. We use a critical discussion of a recent paper by Freitag and Schlicht addressing social inequality in education in Germany as our vehicle. After summarising the substantive claims of the paper, we explain some key features of QCA. We subsequently discuss two main issues,...
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
Selective and comprehensive school systems vary in both the degree and timing of selection. To st... more Selective and comprehensive school systems vary in both the degree and timing of selection. To study the consequences of such variation, cross-national comparisons are usually undertaken. Given that cultural differences between countries affect pathways and outcomes, apportioning causal influence in such studies can be difficult. In 1970s Britain, selective and comprehensive systems co-existed. This enables us to compare the influences of organisational arrangements without the complication of national cultural differences. We analyse, for children of various abilities, while taking account of gender and class, the effect on achievement of experiencing comprehensive or selective schooling. Assuming that contextual and individual factors work conjuncturally in producing outcomes, we employ Ragin's configurational Qualitative Comparative Analysis. By treating cases in the National Child Development Study as configurations of factors, we are able to analyse the sufficient and necessary conditions for achievement. We find that system differences affect only some high ability children's educational outcomes.
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
ABSTRACT Ragin’s (2008) Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) provides a way of undertaking case... more ABSTRACT Ragin’s (2008) Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) provides a way of undertaking case-based configurational analysis, focusing on necessary and sufficient conditions. QCA is increasingly used to undertake systematic set-theoretic analyses of small qualitative datasets and, occasionally, to analyse survey datasets. Ragin has discussed the problems caused by the “limited diversity” characteristic of social scientific data, and demonstrated how counterfactual analysis can alleviate these. The Standard Analysis module of his fsQCA software (Ragin 2008) incorporates this counterfactual reasoning approach. Schneider and Wagemann (2012, 2013) argue that there are problems with Ragin’s approach and propose an Enhanced Standard Analysis. They focus on the ways in which, during a QCA, necessary conditions can become “hidden” during the analysis of “truth tables” characterised by limited diversity. Our paper, having introduced the necessary background, argues that their proposed solutions introduce new problems, some of a logical kind, and must be treated with care.
In their article in Volume 1, No. 2, 1980 (pp. 193-205) of this journal, Sharma & Meighan... more In their article in Volume 1, No. 2, 1980 (pp. 193-205) of this journal, Sharma & Meighan, on the basis of a detailed statistical analysis of examination data for a stratified random sample of male and female entrants for the Cambridge'O'level in mathematics, reach several ...
Sociological approaches to assessment have taken a variety of forms. Broadly macro-structural per... more Sociological approaches to assessment have taken a variety of forms. Broadly macro-structural perspectives have focused on the relations between the criteria for assessment, social selection and the wider socio-economic context (for example, Bowles and Gintis 1976). Broadly ...
Abstract We examine the respective roles of substantive understanding (ie, understanding of factu... more Abstract We examine the respective roles of substantive understanding (ie, understanding of factual knowledge, concepts, laws and theories) and procedural understanding (an understanding of ideas about evidence; concepts such as reliability and validity, measurement and ...
Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum Qualitative Social Research 2012 Vol 13 Peer Reviewed Journal, Mar 28, 2012
Charles RAGIN's work, especially his development of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), offer... more Charles RAGIN's work, especially his development of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), offers social scientists a way of bringing together the strengths of the qualitative and quantitative traditions. QCA takes a case-based rather than a variable-based analytic approach to cross-case analysis. One problem that arises in attempting to use QCA to explore causation in larger datasets, especially survey datasets, is that the detailed case knowledge available to those working in the qualitative tradition is usually unavailable. In the same way therefore that it can be difficult to establish causation from correlational analyses, the derivation of causal claims from QCA analyses can also be problematic. We discuss these problems in detail and then argue that they can be addressed by using QCA to identify particular types of cases for detailed within-case analysis focusing on causal processes. More specifically, we show how such in-depth, within-case analysis can identify factors that can be used to improve QCA models, including those used to select these cases for analysis. We illustrate this particular mode of combining methods by drawing on our work on educational transitions in Germany, drawing on both the German SocioEconomic Panel (SOEP) dataset and 43 individual interviews with German 17-year olds.
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 2015
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
Contrasting variable-analytic and case-based approaches to the analysis of survey datasets : expl... more Contrasting variable-analytic and case-based approaches to the analysis of survey datasets : exploring how achievement varies by ability across congurations of social class and sex.', Methodological innovations online., 5 (1). pp. 4-23.
We discuss a recent development in the set theoretic analysis of data sets characterized by limit... more We discuss a recent development in the set theoretic analysis of data sets characterized by limited diversity. Ragin, in developing his Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), developed a standard analysis that produces parsimonious, intermediate, and complex Boolean solutions of truth tables. Schneider and Wagemann argue this standard analysis procedure is problematic and develop an enhanced standard analysis (ESA). We show, by developing Schneider and Wagemann’s discussion of Stokke’s work on fisheries conservation and by discussing a second illustrative truth table, that ESA has problematic features. We consider how scholars might proceed in the face of these problems, considering the relations between limited diversity and the different methods of reducing truth tables instantiated in Ragin’s QCA and Baumgartner’s Coincidence Analysis.
Charles Ragin's crisp set and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA and fsQCA) ar... more Charles Ragin's crisp set and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA and fsQCA) are being used by increasing numbers of social scientists interested in combining analytic rigour with case-based approaches. As with all techniques that become available in easy-to-use software packages, there is a danger that QCA will come to be used in a routinised manner, with not enough attention being paid to its particular strengths and weaknesses. Users of fsQCA in particular need to be very aware of particular problems that can arise when fuzzy logic lies behind their analyses. This paper aims to increase its readers' understanding of some of these problems and of some means by which they might be alleviated. We use a critical discussion of a recent paper by Freitag and Schlicht addressing social inequality in education in Germany as our vehicle. After summarising the substantive claims of the paper, we explain some key features of QCA. We subsequently discuss two main issues,...
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
Selective and comprehensive school systems vary in both the degree and timing of selection. To st... more Selective and comprehensive school systems vary in both the degree and timing of selection. To study the consequences of such variation, cross-national comparisons are usually undertaken. Given that cultural differences between countries affect pathways and outcomes, apportioning causal influence in such studies can be difficult. In 1970s Britain, selective and comprehensive systems co-existed. This enables us to compare the influences of organisational arrangements without the complication of national cultural differences. We analyse, for children of various abilities, while taking account of gender and class, the effect on achievement of experiencing comprehensive or selective schooling. Assuming that contextual and individual factors work conjuncturally in producing outcomes, we employ Ragin's configurational Qualitative Comparative Analysis. By treating cases in the National Child Development Study as configurations of factors, we are able to analyse the sufficient and necessary conditions for achievement. We find that system differences affect only some high ability children's educational outcomes.
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
ABSTRACT Ragin’s (2008) Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) provides a way of undertaking case... more ABSTRACT Ragin’s (2008) Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) provides a way of undertaking case-based configurational analysis, focusing on necessary and sufficient conditions. QCA is increasingly used to undertake systematic set-theoretic analyses of small qualitative datasets and, occasionally, to analyse survey datasets. Ragin has discussed the problems caused by the “limited diversity” characteristic of social scientific data, and demonstrated how counterfactual analysis can alleviate these. The Standard Analysis module of his fsQCA software (Ragin 2008) incorporates this counterfactual reasoning approach. Schneider and Wagemann (2012, 2013) argue that there are problems with Ragin’s approach and propose an Enhanced Standard Analysis. They focus on the ways in which, during a QCA, necessary conditions can become “hidden” during the analysis of “truth tables” characterised by limited diversity. Our paper, having introduced the necessary background, argues that their proposed solutions introduce new problems, some of a logical kind, and must be treated with care.
In their article in Volume 1, No. 2, 1980 (pp. 193-205) of this journal, Sharma & Meighan... more In their article in Volume 1, No. 2, 1980 (pp. 193-205) of this journal, Sharma & Meighan, on the basis of a detailed statistical analysis of examination data for a stratified random sample of male and female entrants for the Cambridge'O'level in mathematics, reach several ...
Sociological approaches to assessment have taken a variety of forms. Broadly macro-structural per... more Sociological approaches to assessment have taken a variety of forms. Broadly macro-structural perspectives have focused on the relations between the criteria for assessment, social selection and the wider socio-economic context (for example, Bowles and Gintis 1976). Broadly ...
Abstract We examine the respective roles of substantive understanding (ie, understanding of factu... more Abstract We examine the respective roles of substantive understanding (ie, understanding of factual knowledge, concepts, laws and theories) and procedural understanding (an understanding of ideas about evidence; concepts such as reliability and validity, measurement and ...
Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum Qualitative Social Research 2012 Vol 13 Peer Reviewed Journal, Mar 28, 2012
Charles RAGIN's work, especially his development of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), offer... more Charles RAGIN's work, especially his development of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), offers social scientists a way of bringing together the strengths of the qualitative and quantitative traditions. QCA takes a case-based rather than a variable-based analytic approach to cross-case analysis. One problem that arises in attempting to use QCA to explore causation in larger datasets, especially survey datasets, is that the detailed case knowledge available to those working in the qualitative tradition is usually unavailable. In the same way therefore that it can be difficult to establish causation from correlational analyses, the derivation of causal claims from QCA analyses can also be problematic. We discuss these problems in detail and then argue that they can be addressed by using QCA to identify particular types of cases for detailed within-case analysis focusing on causal processes. More specifically, we show how such in-depth, within-case analysis can identify factors that can be used to improve QCA models, including those used to select these cases for analysis. We illustrate this particular mode of combining methods by drawing on our work on educational transitions in Germany, drawing on both the German SocioEconomic Panel (SOEP) dataset and 43 individual interviews with German 17-year olds.
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 2015
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
Uploads
Papers by barry cooper