Qualitative data collection, analysis, and interpretation Flashcards
Qualitative data collection
data includes…
actions and words
Actions are collected by:
observation
Words collected through:
questionnaires interviews focus groups case studies documents
Observation:
Most closely associated with field work
Structure can vary from unstructured to highly structured
Participant observation
Recorded on observation sheets and notes
questionnaires:
Not just demographics
Not just one or two fill-in-the-blank questions
Contains open ended questions
interviews:
One-on-one
Face-to-face or electronically
Allows probing into answers
Structured, semi-structured, or unstructured
Focus Groups
Small groups of specially selected individuals(10 or so people)
To explore attitudes, beliefs, opinions
Run by a facilitator (Focused goals/objectives/questions, Ground rules)
Members “bounce” ideas off each other or spark comments
Observed by the researcher
Recorded on tape to be transcribed
Usually about 60-90 minutes with 10 or less questions
Case studies:
Involves one interesting case
Described from the perspective of the team involved with the case
Looks at facts and processes
◦ Evolution of the situation / disease
◦ Evolution of needs over time
◦ Evolution of relationships
◦ Evolution of decisions
◦ Situational facilitators / barriers
Critiquing the Data Collection Phase in a qualitative article
Where?
◦ Where was the setting, why was it chosen, and when did data collection occur?
Critiquing the Data Collection Phase in a qualitative article
Who(interviewee)?
◦ Who did they interview, why were they chosen, and how were they chosen?
Critiquing the Data Collection Phase in a qualitative article
Who(interviewer)?
◦ Who were the data collectors, how were they trained, and what did they do?
Critiquing the Data Collection Phase in a qualitative article
What asked?
◦ What was asked and how was it recorded?
Critiquing the Data Collection Phase in a qualitative article
When?
◦ When did data collected begin and end and why was data collection stopped?
Critiquing the Data Collection Phase in a qualitative article
What biases?
◦ What were the biases of the researchers and data collectors and how did they prevent these biases from coloring their perceptions?
Purpose of qualitative analysis?
to generate knowledge from the data in order to:
Generate knowledge from the data in order to what?
◦ find order
◦ find structure
◦ derive meaning
Analysis
Synthesize
◦ communication of findingsDifficulties with analysis?
No systematic method or formula for all types of studies
Enormous amount of data
Labor intensive
Hard to keep main points clear
tend to get lost in verbage…this is why more than one person is needed to analyze.
Straight Description
derived from the literature
analytic description
derived from the data
Stages of Data Analysis
comprehending
what’s going on
Stages of Data Analysis
synthesizing
sifting and sorting
Stages of Data Analysis
theorizing
develop an explanation
Stages of Data Analysis
recontextualizing
could this be appropriate in another setting?
Analysis Styles
Quasi-statistical
AKA Manifest content analysis
Can convert some of the data to numbers.
Predefine concepts from the literature
Fit your data into these concepts
Simple stats
Important to find “negative cases” or when data shows disagreement
Analysis Styles
Template
Used in ethnography Select the template based on words, actions, situations, etc Code data into the template Revise template as needed Determine the resultant pattern
Analysis Styles
Editing
Also called constant comparison method
Used in phenomenology and grounded theory
Sort data and identify meaningful segments
Code the data
Look for emerging themes and patterns
Determine structure of how themes and/or patterns relate
Compare with the literature
Analysis Styles
Immersion or Crystalization
Used with case histories
Become totally immersed into the data.
Explore until main point crystallizes.
Analysis Styles
Triangulation
Combined use of two or more theories, methods, data sources, investigators or analysis methods in the study of a single phenomena.
Must use a proper design from each tradition
◦ Descriptive correlational design with phenomenology added
Must all have the same foci.
Use two or more analysis techniques
General Procedures for Data Management
Comprehending
◦ Decide on method
◦ Read the data
◦ Re-read the data
◦ Get a “big picture” grasp of the ideas held in the data
General procedures for data management
Synthesizing
◦ Be alert for themes
◦ Develop initial codes
◦ Code each unit of the data
◦ Reduce the data to manageable pieces
General Procedures for Data Management
Theorizing
◦ Identify themes, patterns, etc
General Procedures for data management
Recontextualizing
◦ put into a different context
Strategies for interpretation (there are lots and lots and lots…)
Note patterns/themes Plausibility Clustering Making metaphors Counting Making contrasts/comparisions Partitioning variables Moving from particular to general Factoring Noting relationships Finding intervening (extraneous) variables Logical chain of evidence Conceptual/theoretical coherence
Trustworthy interpretations
Credible
◦ Authentic and truthful account
◦ Clean study design
Trustworthy interpretations
Confirmable
◦ Clear paper trail
◦ Accurate process
Trustworthy interpretations
Dependable
◦ Consistent findings
◦ Sufficient findings
◦ Logical interpretation of findings
Trustworthy interpretations
Transferable
◦ Usefulness in another, similar setting
Have a good balance when critiquing…
should be objective, thoughtful, and balanced
should be judicious and kind
