Qualitative data analysis Flashcards
What is qualitative data analysis?
The systematic reduction and arrangement of data
What are the characteristics of qualitative data analysis?
- Not a linear process: design, ethnographic, analytic cycle until data saturation
When do you know data saturation is reached?
When the transcript does not yield new information
What does it require to analyze qualitative data?
Creativity: you are the instrument of measure
Reflexivity: what is your influencec on the data collection
What do you use to interpret data?
- Coding = assigning labels to text fragments
- Analysis of codes = recognizin patterns/relations, reducing and structuing, adding new codes
- Clustering codes into categories, and categories into themes
- Optional: formulation of hypothesis
What are the different forms of content analysis?
Conventional: thematic analysis and grounded theory
Directed: framework analysis
Summative
What are the characteristics of thematic analysis?
Purpose: describe and understand a social phenomenon
Features: codes derived from data, identification of categories and themes, themes linked to literature
What are the strengths/limitations of thematic analysis?
Strengths: using the actual data to ground research
Limitations: time consuming, researcher bias, not working towards theory development
What are the characteristics of grounded analysis.
Purpose: describe and understand a social phenomenon
Features: codes derived from data, identification of categories and themes, theory-building
What are the strengths/limitations of grounded analysis?
Strengths: theory as deliverable using the actual data
Limitations: very time consuming, high risk of researcher bias
What about framework analysis?
Purpose: describe a social phenomenon based on theoretical framework
Features: codes derive from data/a theoretical framework, codes are clustered into predetermined categories
Strengths: theoretical guidance in the analysis of data
Limitations: findings may be biased bypreconceived ideas
What is the coding process for thematic analysis?
1) Reading transcript
2) Re-reading transcript, starting coding with your RQ in mind
3) Open coding: selecting the first text fragment relevant to the RQ
4) First reflection on codes: merging, reformulating, splitting
5) Re-reading and coding of new transcripts
6) Interim and reflection on codes
7) Aggregating codes into categories
8) Developing themes and interpreting findings
9) Look for relavant exceptions and new findings
What is a suitable code?
- Comprehensible for researchers
- Neutral formulation
- Not a literal copy of the text but also not too abstract
- Not too long
- Labeled to coherent piece of text
