Analysis of Qualitative Data

Question 1

Qualitative data

Answer 1

• data that is non-numerical and often descriptive
• e.g. extended descriptions, images, one word answers
• data gathered through methods like case studies, unstructured interviews, open questions in questionaires
• secondary data like photo essays, pictures from the past, diaries

Question 2

Strength of qualitative data

Answer 2

+ rich indepth data about participants - gives us better understanding and more valid results. larger scope of understanding

Question 3

Weaknesses of qualitative data

Answer 3

• cant be summarised in statistical form - difficult to compare, move difficult to make objective conclusions, time consuming, harder to observe and identify patterns and trends in data
• results open to subjective interpretation and researcher bias

Question 4

Quantitative data

Answer 4

• data that is numerical / in numerical form
• data from structured observations

Question 5

Strengths of quantitative data:

Answer 5

+ enables the researcher to easily analyse the data and then to perform a statistical test to enable conclusions
+ allows us to see patterns and trends in data + allows for statistical analysis, easy to compare data and makes objective conclusions
+ not open to interpretation
+ test reliability by replicating study + comparing

Question 6

Weakness of quantitative data:

Answer 6

• data not in depth- lacks scope - doesnt give researcher hollistic understanding, lacks context and explanation of reason why of behaviour

Question 7

Content analysis:

Answer 7

• a systematic research technique for analysing qualitative data according to catagories
• data is placed into catagories in numerical quantitative form (e.g. tally, numbers, scores) that can be counted
• it is carried out in a very similar way to an observation, except rather than direct observation of human behaviour, it involves indirectly analysing patterns or messages in what is being said/written/displaced
• it is used for analysing transcripts of interviews, documents or text including: advertisements, childrens books, tv programmes, newspapers

Question 8

Content analysis process:

Answer 8

1. read/watch/listen to the material to be analysed
2. identify recurring categories which emerge from the data
3. review the material again
4. numerically record and tally each occurence of an item related to a catagory. count up the occurences to quantify each category. this turns qualative data into quantitivae.
5. comparisons may then be made e.g. before and after, between themes, groups of ppts, etc.

Question 9

Thematic analysis:

Answer 9

• a systematic research technique for analysing qualititative data according to themes
• data is summarised into themes in qualitative form (e.g. words, concepts, descriptions, quotes)

Question 10

Process of doing thematic analysis:

Answer 10

1. read to the material to be analysed (if not in a written format, transcribe it if its auditory (e.g. interview))
2. identify recurring themes which emerge from the data -> set code for each theme
3. review the data, and annotate a code next to the text relevant to each theme
4. review the material again: conduct iterative and reflective comparison to identify the most common/emergent theme. This theme identified as dominant theme of the data.
5. comparisons can then be made, e.g. before and after, between themes, between ppts.