Data Collection with Penna Produced a Record Amount of Textual Data for Marjo Ring
Since 2017, Penna has been used to collect dozens of textual research materials on diverse topics. The most prolific collection in Penna’s history has been by researcher Marjo Ring, who gathered writings from practical nurses and nurses who left the profession, detailing their experiences and reasons for the change.1
Ring collected her material in 2021 for her project "Auttajasta ammatinvaihtajaksi" (From a Helper to Career Changer), funded by the Finnish Work Environment Fund. While exploring different data collection methods, she recalled hearing about FSD during her doctoral studies and discovered Penna through an online search.
"When I read about Penna, I thought it seemed too good and easy to be true, but it was true. I didn’t consider other methods once I found Penna," says Ring.
Her collection with Penna was a success. From approximately 300 manuscripts, Ring obtained rich research data for her and her research group. There is enough material for others to analyse once the data is opened for reuse. The large number of responses received surprised Ring herself.
"I thought that if I got 30 entries, I would be very satisfied. The number of responses was a complete surprise," Ring exclaims.
Effective communication about the data collection in Penna is crucial for its success. To reach the target group, the researcher must find the right channels to spread the invitation to write. Ring shared the invitation in a Facebook group for former nurses and other social media channels, where it received numerous shares from individuals and organisations.
"I’ve thought about why I received so many responses so easily. I believe it’s simply because people in the nursing profession have a strong need to be heard and wanted to share their experiences with someone. I also wondered if my background in nursing had any influence," she reflects.
The research topic is personal to Ring, who began her career as a nurse. She later earned a master’s degree in health sciences and completed a dissertation. Ring received her doctorate from the Department of Health and Social Management at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) in the summer of 2021. She then worked at the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare on a project investigating the notifications of concern targeting elderly before focusing on her research on why nurses leave the profession.
Ring currently works as a researcher at both UEF and the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (XAMK). At UEF, she is involved in the SOLDEX project, which investigates marginalisation of the elderly in domiciliary care. At XAMK, she works on a project examining the conditions for socially sustainable work in the care sector.
In a way, Ring has left the care industry herself, although she continues to work on related themes as a researcher. Her own experience of changing fields also sparked her interest in studying the topic as a researcher.
"I wanted to continue doing research, and as a former nurse with a doctorate in health administration, I was really interested in why nurses leave the profession. I decided it was a phenomenon worth investigating," she says.
Articles Published and a Book on the Way
About three years after the data collection with Penna, the research has produced significant outputs. The first article based on the material was published in the Focus Localis journal in January 2024 2. Ring co-authored the article with Minna Kaarakainen, a docent at the Savonia University of Applied Sciences. Another article was published in February in the Journal of Applied Gerontology 3, co-written with colleagues from the SOLDEX project, Hanna Ristolainen and Elisa Tiilikainen, focusing on domiciliary care workers. More publications based on the data are expected.
"There is still a manuscript about the professional agency of nurses waiting to see the light of day," Ring notes.
In addition to the articles, Ring is working with sociologist Antti Maunu on a book about nurses’ experiences. They aim to scrutinize the writings with scientific accuracy while making the book accessible to a broader audience.
"Antti and I are also work supervisors, and we want to bring the nurses’ powerful experiences to public discussion this way too," says Ring.
Key Research Findings
What are the most important findings based on the texts collected by Ring?
"Perhaps the most central takeaway is that to retain nurses, they should be genuinely seen as experts in their field, active and competent employees who want to develop their work and continuously grow as professionals. Currently, nurses are not exactly equal actors in the development of the work. Their know-how is not utilised," thinks Ring.
Antti Maunu, who is also very familiar with Ring's material, has also made important observations.
"One main observation is also the importance of experientiality. Nurses and their duties are not just about dimensioning, resources or open positions in the health and social care sector. Their experiences paint a vivid picture of individual wishes and life paths, as well as everyday functions, values, and changes in the healthcare service system," Maunu emphasises.
Maunu also suggests a tempting direction of gathering similar experiences from other former public sector employees, such as those in education and teaching, to see if the challenges are unique to the health and social care sector or in the current social situation more broadly applicable to statutory services.
The data will be released in the spring of 2026
Marjo Ring’s qualitative dataset "Hoitoalan jättäneiden lähihoitajien ja sairaanhoitajien kokemuksia alanvaihdosta 2021" (Experiences of Practical Nurses and Nurses Leaving the Care Industry 2021) will be available in May 2026. FSD’s registered customers can then download the dataset from Aila for research, study, and teaching purposes. Although there is still much to work on, Ring believes the time will be right to open the data for others to explore new perspectives.
Ring’s future research plans are already quite clear.
"Next year at the University of Eastern Finland, we will start a project ‘Ajokortin tuolla puolen’ (Beyond Driver’s License), funded by the Kone Foundation. We aim to explore the experiences of older men regarding driving and giving up their driver’s license. I noticed that FSD has data related to this theme, and I think we should definitely look into it more closely," she says.
In addition to the Penna tool, Ring also uses other FSD services.
"I regularly use the Data Management Guidelines and the Qualitative Research Methods Guidebook to support my research and teaching. I also keep an eye on new research data entering the repository," she concludes.
Test: Jarkko Päivärinta (translation: Tuomas J. Alaterä). Image: Ada Ring.
The article was first published in the Tietoarkisto-lehti in May 2024. Compared to the printed version in Finnish, this version has been updated with the year of data relase
PENNA FACILITATES THE COLLECTION AND ARCHIVING OF TEXTUAL DATA
Penna, a tool developed by FSD, simplifies the collection and archiving of qualitative written data. When a researcher collects texts using Penna, the process of informing research participants and handling the data can be carried out with archiving and future use in mind.
A significant portion of the qualitative data archived at FSD have been collected using Penna. These data can be archived if the authors give their permission and if the collection is sufficiently large and suitable for further use. Datasets collected with Penna have been extensively downloaded for reuse.
In addition to researchers, students can also use Penna to collect data for their master's theses. Penna is particularly well-suited for collecting data when studying entire writings that are relatively freely composed in an essay style. The collection is usually more successful the easier it is to reach the target audience.
The data collection always includes a concise and appealing writing guide prepared by the researcher, necessary background questions, and possible auxiliary questions to assist the writers. Background questions must not allow the identification of respondents.