analysing qualitative data

Question 1

What are the two ways to analyse qualitative data?

Answer 1

Content analysis
Thematic analysis

Question 2

What is content analysis?

Answer 2

Involves analysing qualitative data into categories. This involves identifying categories within qualitative material and seeing how common each one is.

Question 3

What are the 4 steps to do a content analysis?

Answer 3

1. decide on the material that will be analysed- must be representative of the whole sample
2. decide on categories- often through a pilot study as categories can’t be added one it has started
3. put the categories into a tally chart and work through the data adding a tally every time you see the category
4. add up how many times each category appeared and draw your conclusions

Question 4

What is thematic analysis?

Answer 4

Involves looking for key themes but aims to keep the data qualitative giving a more holistic feel for what the data is trying to convey.

Question 5

What are the 4 steps to do a thematic analysis?

Answer 5

1. make sure the data is in a form that can be studied
2. familiarise yourself with data several times before analysing it
3. the material is then coded for themes
4. code/name the resulting emergent themes and use quotes to support any conclusions