General considerations :qualitative analysis
- data in the form of text, written words, phrases, or symbols describing or representing people, actions and events.
- stats are rarely used here
3 majr challenges associated with qualitative research
- the absence of systematic rules for analyzing and presenting qualitative data
- the enormous amount of work required to organize data
- difficulties in reducing the data and reporting purposes
Qualitative analysis styles
- template analysis style
-developing a template to organize the data - Editing analysis style
- researcher acts as an interpreter who searches the
data for significant segments
- researcher acts as an interpreter who searches the
- Immersion/Crystallization style
-researcher becomes totally involved in and reflects on
the data
Qualitative analysis process
1.Comprehending
-attempts to make sense of the data, this process is
done when saturation is complete
2. Synthesizing
-sifts through the data and tries piecing it together
3. Theorizing
-involves the systematic sorting of the data
4. Recontextualizing
-theory is further developed and its applicability to other settings or groups is explored
coding scheme
- is a method for organizing qualitative data.
- useful for classifying and inexing qualitative data
- reads through data and identifies underlying concepts
Coding Qualitative data
- involves 2 simultaneous activities
- Mechanical data
- Analytical categorization of data into themes
- difficult process
Analytical procedures
-involves putting segments together into meaningful conceptual patterns
General Analytical Overview
- search for themes or recurrent regularities, often develop in categories
- themes are validated to determine whether they accurately represent the phenomenon
- researchers strive to put the thematic pieces together into an integrated whole
Ethnographic analysis
- begins at the time the researcher enters the field
- continually looking for patterns in the behaviour and thoughts of the participants
- comparing one pattern against another and analyzing many patterns simultaneously
Phenomenological Analysis
descriptive phenomenology
-researcher seeks common patterns by identifying essential themes
3 approaches to analyzing phenomenology
- holistic- viewing the test as a whole and grasp it’s meanings
- Selective- pulling out key statements and phrases that seem essential to experience under study
- Detailed- analyzing every sentence
Grounded theory analysis
- data analysis is facilitated by using constant comparative method
- researchers summarize their results and key findings from the data in the form of conceptual maps or models
Constant comparative method
-research collects, codes and analyzes data at the same time
-2 types of coding in grounded theory :
1. open coding- researcher is trying ti capture what is
going on in the data
2. Selective coding- researcher only codes those
variables that are related to the core variable
Theoretical coding
- involves putting the broken pieces of data back together
