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Qualitative Comparative Analysis, necessary conditions and limited diversity: some problematic consequences of Schneider and Wagemann’s Enhanced Standard Analysis (2015)
Journal Article
Cooper, B., & Glaesser, J. (2016). Qualitative Comparative Analysis, necessary conditions and limited diversity: some problematic consequences of Schneider and Wagemann’s Enhanced Standard Analysis. Field Methods, 28(3), 300-315. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822x15598974

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, an... Read More about Qualitative Comparative Analysis, necessary conditions and limited diversity: some problematic consequences of Schneider and Wagemann’s Enhanced Standard Analysis.

Exploring the robustness of set theoretic findings from a large n fsQCA: An illustration from the sociology of education (2015)
Journal Article
Cooper, B., & Glaesser, J. (2016). Exploring the robustness of set theoretic findings from a large n fsQCA: An illustration from the sociology of education. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 19(4), 445-459. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2015.1033799

Ragin’s Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is often used with small to medium samples where the researcher has good case knowledge. Employing it to analyse large survey datasets, without in-depth case knowledge, raises new challenges. We present... Read More about Exploring the robustness of set theoretic findings from a large n fsQCA: An illustration from the sociology of education.

Analysing necessity and sufficiency with Qualitative Comparative Analysis: how do results vary as case weights change? (2015)
Journal Article
Cooper, B., & Glaesser, J. (2016). Analysing necessity and sufficiency with Qualitative Comparative Analysis: how do results vary as case weights change?. Quality and Quantity, 50(1), 327-346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-014-0151-3

Ragin’s Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and related set theoretic methods are increasingly popular. This is a welcome development, since it encourages systematic configurational analyses of social phenomena. One downside of this growth in popu... Read More about Analysing necessity and sufficiency with Qualitative Comparative Analysis: how do results vary as case weights change?.

Using Rational Action Theory and Bourdieu's Habitus theory together to account for Educational Decision-making in England and Germany (2014)
Journal Article
Glaesser, J., & Cooper, B. (2014). Using Rational Action Theory and Bourdieu's Habitus theory together to account for Educational Decision-making in England and Germany. Sociology, 48(3), 463-481. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038513490352

Both Rational Action Theory (RAT) and Bourdieu’s habitus theory are employed to explain educational decision-making. RAT assumes that decision-making involves cost-benefit analysis, while habitus theory sees educational pathways as shaped by disposit... Read More about Using Rational Action Theory and Bourdieu's Habitus theory together to account for Educational Decision-making in England and Germany.

Schneider and Wagemann's proposed Enhanced Standard Analysis for Ragin's Qualitative Comparative Analysis: Some unresolved problems and some suggestions for addressing them. COMPASSS Working Paper 2014-77 (2014)
Preprint / Working Paper
Cooper, B., Glaesser, J., & Thomson, S. (2014). Schneider and Wagemann's proposed Enhanced Standard Analysis for Ragin's Qualitative Comparative Analysis: Some unresolved problems and some suggestions for addressing them. COMPASSS Working Paper 2014-77

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... Read More about Schneider and Wagemann's proposed Enhanced Standard Analysis for Ragin's Qualitative Comparative Analysis: Some unresolved problems and some suggestions for addressing them. COMPASSS Working Paper 2014-77.

Exploring the consequences of a recalibration of causal conditions when assessing sufficiency with fuzzy set QCA (2013)
Journal Article
Glaesser, J., & Cooper, B. (2014). Exploring the consequences of a recalibration of causal conditions when assessing sufficiency with fuzzy set QCA. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 17(4), 387-401. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2013.769782

The use of Charles Ragin’s Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is increasing in the social sciences. However, some of its characteristics, especially those of its fuzzy set variant, are still not well understood by users. QCA, a set theoretic meth... Read More about Exploring the consequences of a recalibration of causal conditions when assessing sufficiency with fuzzy set QCA.

Gender, parental education and ability: their interacting roles in predicting GCSE success (2012)
Journal Article
Glaesser, J., & Cooper, B. (2012). Gender, parental education and ability: their interacting roles in predicting GCSE success. Cambridge Journal of Education, 42(4), 463-480. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764x.2012.733346

We investigate the relations between gender, parental education, ability, and educational achievement in Britain, focusing on the way in which gender and parental education interact with ability to contribute to a pupil’s obtaining secondary school q... Read More about Gender, parental education and ability: their interacting roles in predicting GCSE success.

Qualitative Work and The Testing and Development of Theory: Lessons from a Study combining Cross-Case and Within-Case Analysis via Ragin's QCA (2012)
Journal Article
Cooper, B., & Glaesser, J. (2012). Qualitative Work and The Testing and Development of Theory: Lessons from a Study combining Cross-Case and Within-Case Analysis via Ragin's QCA. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung, 13(2), Article 4

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 variabl... Read More about Qualitative Work and The Testing and Development of Theory: Lessons from a Study combining Cross-Case and Within-Case Analysis via Ragin's QCA.

Educational achievement in selective and comprehensive local education authorities: a configurational analysis (2012)
Journal Article
Glaesser, J., & Cooper, B. (2012). Educational achievement in selective and comprehensive local education authorities: a configurational analysis. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 33(2), 223-244. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2011.649833

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 pathw... Read More about Educational achievement in selective and comprehensive local education authorities: a configurational analysis.

Selectivity and Flexibility in the German Secondary School System: A Configurational Analysis of recent data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (2011)
Journal Article
Glaesser, J., & Cooper, B. (2011). Selectivity and Flexibility in the German Secondary School System: A Configurational Analysis of recent data from the German Socio-Economic Panel. European Sociological Review, 27(5), 57-585. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcq026

Debate continues in many European countries about both equality of opportunity and the continuing wastage of talent, and the ways in which differing systems of secondary schooling contribute to these. Drawing on Turner’s concepts of sponsored and con... Read More about Selectivity and Flexibility in the German Secondary School System: A Configurational Analysis of recent data from the German Socio-Economic Panel.

Paradoxes and pitfalls in using fuzzy set QCA: illustrations from a critical review of a study of educational inequality (2011)
Journal Article
Cooper, B., & Glaesser, J. (2011). Paradoxes and pitfalls in using fuzzy set QCA: illustrations from a critical review of a study of educational inequality. Sociological Research Online, 16(3), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.2444

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 becom... Read More about Paradoxes and pitfalls in using fuzzy set QCA: illustrations from a critical review of a study of educational inequality.

Using case-based approaches to analyse large datasets: a comparison of Ragin's fsQCA and fuzzy cluster analysis (2011)
Journal Article
Cooper, B., & Glaesser, J. (2011). Using case-based approaches to analyse large datasets: a comparison of Ragin's fsQCA and fuzzy cluster analysis. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 14(1), 31-48. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2010.483079

The paper undertakes a comparison of Ragin's fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis with cluster analysis. After describing key features of both methods, it uses a simple invented example to illustrate an important algorithmic difference in the w... Read More about Using case-based approaches to analyse large datasets: a comparison of Ragin's fsQCA and fuzzy cluster analysis.

Selecting cases for in-depth study from a survey dataset: an application of Ragin's configurational methods (2011)
Journal Article
Glaesser, J., & Cooper, B. (2011). Selecting cases for in-depth study from a survey dataset: an application of Ragin's configurational methods. Methodological innovations on line, 6(2), 52-70. https://doi.org/10.4256/10.4256/mio.2010.0035

While ‘establishing the phenomena’, to use Merton’s phrase, is an important part of the sociological enterprise, in then accounting for such empirical regularities, theoretical models are required to understand causal processes. Both regression analy... Read More about Selecting cases for in-depth study from a survey dataset: an application of Ragin's configurational methods.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Case-Based Approaches to the Analysis of Quantitative Data (2011)
Journal Article
Cooper, B., & Glaesser, J. (2011). Introduction to the Special Issue: Case-Based Approaches to the Analysis of Quantitative Data. Methodological innovations on line, 6(2), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.4256/mio.2010.0032

Within the social sciences generally, the conventional approach to the analysis of survey data remains variable-based, employing some member of the regression family. Such methods address the effect of one or more supposedly “independent” variables o... Read More about Introduction to the Special Issue: Case-Based Approaches to the Analysis of Quantitative Data.

Students' approaches to open-ended science investigation: the importance of substantive and procedural understanding (2010)
Journal Article
Roberts, R., Gott, R., & Glaesser, J. (2010). Students' approaches to open-ended science investigation: the importance of substantive and procedural understanding. Research Papers in Education, 25(4), 377-407. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671520902980680

This paper investigates the respective roles of substantive and procedural understanding with regard to students’ ability to carry out an open-ended science investigation. The research is a case study centred on an intervention in which undergraduate... Read More about Students' approaches to open-ended science investigation: the importance of substantive and procedural understanding.

Contrasting variable-analytic and case-based approaches to the analysis of survey datasets: exploring how achievement varies by ability across configurations of social class and sex (2010)
Journal Article
Cooper, B., & Glaesser, J. (2010). Contrasting variable-analytic and case-based approaches to the analysis of survey datasets: exploring how achievement varies by ability across configurations of social class and sex. Methodological innovations on line, 5(1), 4-23. https://doi.org/10.4256/mio.2010.0007

The context for this paper is the ongoing debate concerning the relative merits, for the analysis of quantitative data, of, on the one hand, variable-analytic correlational methods, and, on the other, the case-based set theoretic methods developed by... Read More about Contrasting variable-analytic and case-based approaches to the analysis of survey datasets: exploring how achievement varies by ability across configurations of social class and sex.

Underlying success in open-ended investigations in science: using Qualitative Comparative Analysis to identify necessary and sufficient conditions. (2009)
Journal Article
Glaesser, J., Gott, R., Roberts, R., & Cooper, B. (2009). Underlying success in open-ended investigations in science: using Qualitative Comparative Analysis to identify necessary and sufficient conditions. Research in Science and Technological Education, 27(1), 5-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635140802658784

Both substantive (i.e. factual knowledge, concepts, laws and theories) and procedural knowledge (understanding and applying concepts such as reliability and validity, measurement and calibration, data collection, measurement error, the ability to int... Read More about Underlying success in open-ended investigations in science: using Qualitative Comparative Analysis to identify necessary and sufficient conditions..

Educational Expansion and Meritocracy in Britain: a Boolean Analysis. (2009)
Book Chapter
Cooper, B., & Glaesser, J. (2009). Educational Expansion and Meritocracy in Britain: a Boolean Analysis. In R. Becker, & A. Hadjar (Eds.), Expected and unexpected consequences of educational expansion in Europe and the US. Theoretical approaches and empirical findings in comparative perspective (167-177). Haupt

The roles of substantive and procedural understanding in open-ended science investigations: using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to compare two different tasks. (2009)
Journal Article
Glaesser, J., Gott, R., Roberts, R., & Cooper, B. (2009). The roles of substantive and procedural understanding in open-ended science investigations: using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to compare two different tasks. Research in Science Education, 39(4), 595-624. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-008-9108-7

We examine the respective roles of substantive understanding (i.e., understanding of factual knowledge, concepts, laws and theories) and procedural understanding (an understanding of ideas about evidence; concepts such as reliability and validity, me... Read More about The roles of substantive and procedural understanding in open-ended science investigations: using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to compare two different tasks..