Data analysis procedures

Question 1

what does the data analysis process start with?

Answer 1

transcription of data

Question 2

what does qualitative research involve in terms of data collection?

Answer 2

simultaneous data collection and analysis (overlapping processes)

Question 3

what does data analysis involve?

Answer 3

reading through data repeatedly and engaging in processes of breaking the data down (thematizing) and building it up again (interpreting)

Question 4

what are the basic patterns for doing qualitative analysis?

Answer 4

interpretive analysis (thematic analysis), social constructionist analysis (discourse analysis)

Question 5

what is an interpretive analysis (thematic analysis)?

Answer 5

used in qualitative research to identify, analyze, and report patterns (themes) within data

Question 6

what does interpretive analysis seek to do?

Answer 6

provide ‘thick’ descriptions of the characteristics, processes, transactions and context of the phenomenon

Question 7

what is the purpose of interpretive analysis?

Answer 7

systematically explore, identify, and understand patterns and themes within qualitative data. This process enables researchers to gain deep insights into the meanings, experiences, and perspectives of participants, thereby addressing research questions that seek to understand complex phenomena.

Question 8

what is bracketing?

Answer 8

shutting out preconceived ideas about the phenomenon under study

Question 9

what is an important part of interpretive analysis?

Answer 9

bracketing

Question 10

what are the steps for interpretive analysis?

Answer 10

1) familiarization and immersion
2) inducing themes
3) coding
4) elaboration
5) interpretation and checking

Question 11

what is the first step in interpretive analysis and what does it entail?

Answer 11

familiarization and immersion - immersing yourself in all the data, reread texts, listen to audio, make notes and diagrams

Question 12

what is the second step in interpretive analysis and what does it entail?

Answer 12

inducing themes - work out the organizing principles that underlie the materials

Question 13

what is the third step in interpretive analysis and what does it entail?

Answer 13

coding - involves marking different sections of data as being instances of or relative to one or more of your themes

Question 14

what is the fourth step in interpretive analysis and what does it entail?

Answer 14

elaboration - the process of exploring themes more closely, moving sections (codes) around, comparing them and moving sections where they fit better

Question 15

what is the fifth step in interpretive analysis and what does it entail?

Answer 15

interpretation and checking - a written account of the phenomenon you studied, using thematic categories and sub-sections

Question 16

what is the most popular approach to constructionist analysis?

Answer 16

discourse analysis

Question 17

what is discourse analysis?

Answer 17

the act of showing how certain discourses are deployed to achieve particular effects in certain contexts

Question 18

what are the concepts relating to constructionist analysis?

Answer 18

discourse, effects, context

Question 19

what are discourses?

Answer 19

broad patterns of talk that are taken up in particular speeches and conversations - not the speeches and conversations themselves

Question 20

how do you identify discourses?

Answer 20

no hard and fast rules, embedded within particular cultures - analysts need to extract themselves from living within cultures to reflect on cultures - reflect on texts in order to identify the discourses the participants are drawing on in their way of speaking

Question 21

what are tricks to to help reflect/identify discourses?

Answer 21

looking for binary opposites (smart-stupid, hate-love etc.), identify recurring phrases, metaphors, and terms in the text, consider the human subjects being spoken about in the text

Question 22

what is the first step in discourse analysis?

Answer 22

striking a critical distance from the text in order to identify discourses

Question 23

what is the second step in discourse analysis?

Answer 23

see what discourses do - what texts do, not what they say

Question 24

what are some things texts do?

Answer 24

construct particular realities, convince the reader that the author is a good person, advance a particular ideology, tell the ‘truth’, motivate the reader in a particular way

Question 25

what does discourse analysis involve?

Answer 25

skeptical reading of texts in which the researcher asks; why these particular binary oppositions, metaphors, phrases, terms and subjects? what other languages could’ve been used?

Question 26

what categories can discursive research be divided into?

Answer 26

one that contextualizes the text in a micro-context of conversation and debate, one that contextualizes the text in a macro-context of institutions and ideologies

Question 27

what are common analytic errors?

Answer 27

summarizing, thematizing, contesting, methodolotry, psychologizing, stating the obvious, flights of fancy

Question 28

what is the error of summarizing in analytics?

Answer 28

analysis should not just be a summary of the text, should show what the text does and how it does it

Question 29

what is the error of thematizing in analytics?

Answer 29

themes should not be presented as discourses in a constructionist analysis

Question 30

what is the methodolotry error in analytics?

Answer 30

focus on proving that they followed each analytic step correctly and therefore, the analysis is ‘successful’

Question 31

what is the psychologizing error in analytics?

Answer 31

analyzing the author behind the text rather than the text itself

Question 32

what is the error flights of fancy in analytics?

Answer 32

avoid making far-fetched claims, without being able to present any evidence of this from the text

Question 33

what is the error of stating the obvious in analytics?

Answer 33

avoid spelling out everything happening in the text