Archival research can involve complex measurement and analysis of historical qualitative data. In one study, researchers examined the relationship between optimism and health by analyzing open-ended questionnaires about wartime experiences completed by college students in the 1940s. They used content analysis to extract an explanatory style score for each participant, and then assessed the statistical relationship between these early optimism scores and archival measures of the men’s health at age 60, finding a positive correlation (Pearson’s $$r = +.25$$).

Example of Archival Research: Optimism and Health

Which systematic approach is used to measure and extract meaning from complex archival data by locating and analyzing occurrences of specific keywords, phrases, or ideas of interest?

Content analysis is a family of systematic approaches used to measure and extract meaning from complex archival data. It requires researchers to specify keywords, phrases, or ideas of interest and then locate all occurrences of them within the data so they can be counted, timed (e.g., the amount of time devoted to a specific topic on a news show), or analyzed in a variety of other ways.

Google

New York University

- big data
- sociometric (RFID)badges
- physiological metrics
- content analysis
- external observer

Methods for measuring Cohesion in OLC

Archival research is an observational approach that involves analyzing pre-existing archival data that were originally collected for some other purpose, rather than actively collecting new data.

Archival Research

Salas, E., Grossman, R., Hughes, A. M., & Coultas, C. W. (2015). Measuring team cohesion: Observations from the science. Human factors, 57(3), 365-374.

Measuring team cohesion: Observations from the science

https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/psychmethods4e/

KPU Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition

Automatic gathering of cohesion measurements through electronic methods such as email, texting, social media exchanges, search history, etc.; the measurements can be obtained from the patterns of interaction or the nature and content of the interactions.

This method is useful for investigating cohesion in teams that are large, rapidly changing, high-stakes, or operate in high-risk environments.

Big Data method

A sociometric electronic device that tracks the whereabouts of team members, which can be used to determine cohesion based on the proximity in time, frequency, and duration of interactions.

This method would be useful for high-stakes and/or fast-paced, dynamic groups such as during surgery or long-duration space flights.

Sociometric (RFID) badges method

This tracks physiological changes in an individual such as eye gaze, bodily gestures, brainwaves. These can be used to analyze a team's thought processes and state of mind while working with others. 

This method also works for large, fast-paced, high-risk, or dynamic teams. 

Physiological metrics method

This method uses individuals who have a deep understanding of the team's operations can assess the team's cohesiveness, avoiding the requirement of gathering opinions from every team member. This can help determine construct validity for the method that will ultimately be used to assess a larger, more dynamic and rapidly-changing team.

External Observer method

Content Analysis

The primary advantage of archival research is its efficiency in terms of time and money. Since this method involves analyzing existing data, researchers do not need to interact directly with participants, which considerably reduces the resources required for data collection.

Pros of Archival Research

The main disadvantages of archival research stem from the data being pre-existing. Researchers have no control over how or what kind of data was collected, must frame their questions based on the available data, and may face inconsistencies across datasets that hinder comparison.

Cons of Archival Research

An illustration of archival research involves a researcher examining the academic records of college students from the last decade. By analyzing data points such as the time taken to graduate, course loads, grades, and participation in extracurricular activities, the researcher can identify patterns. This analysis can reveal which student demographics are more likely to successfully complete their degrees and highlight potential risk factors for those who struggle academically.

Example of Archival Research: Analyzing College Records

Archival records can take different forms. Historically, researchers relied on physical archives, which often took the form of stacks of paper files kept on shelves. Today, digital records are prevalent, with data stored and accessed via computers.

Forms of Archival Records: Physical vs. Digital

A team of researchers wants to investigate the relationship between urban green space and public health outcomes over the last 50 years in a major city. Which of the following proposed research activities best exemplifies an archival research approach?

What is the primary characteristic of archival research?

A researcher examines 30 years of hospital admission records to investigate seasonal patterns in depression diagnoses. This qualifies as archival research because the hospital records were originally created for medical and administrative purposes, not for the researcher's current study.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After