Qualitative Data Analysis

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SWP32RES Research for Social Work Practice B
Lecture 7 Qualitative Data Analysis
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• The interpretive act remains mysterious in
  qualitative and quantitative data analysis. It
  is a process of bringing meaning to raw,
  inexpressive data that is necessary whether the
  researchers language is ANOVAs and means or rich
  descriptions of ordinary events (Marshall and
  Rossman 1989, p.114)

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Major differences between the quantitative data
analysis and qualitative data analysis

• 1) Quantitative analysis uses numbers as the
  unit of analysis whereas qualitative analysis
  uses words (derived from observations and
  interviews and then recorded in this form)

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2) With quantitative data, analysis may well be
(and should be) worked out in the planning
stages eg. what statistical tests are going to
be used whereas with qualitative data it
simply cannot be decided upon in the planning
stages.
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3) With quantitative data, analysis takes place
at the conclusion of data collection but in
qualitative data research it may take place
over the course of the research process,
especially during data collection.
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PRINCIPLES OF PATTERN RECOGNITION (KELLEHEAR,
1993)

• 1) CONTENT ANALYSIS
• 2) THEMATIC ANALYSIS
• 3) SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS

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PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES IN CONTENT ANALYSIS
(KELLEHEAR, 1993)

• 1) DECIDE ON CERTAIN CATEGORIES
• 2) CHOOSE THE SAMPLE
• 3) SELECT THE TIME PERIOD FOR SAMPLING

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• 4) DECIDE ON THE NUMBER OF EVENTS TO BE
  OBSERVED, ISSUES TO BE READ ETC.
• 5) RECORD THE OBSERVATIONS
  SYSTEMATICALLY

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MEASURES IN CONTENT ANALYSIS (KELLEHEAR, 1993)

• SIZE OF TIME/SPACE ALLOCATIONS
• SIMPLE APPEARANCE
• FREQUENCIES
• INTENSITY

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CATEGORIES USED IN CONTENT ANALYSIS (KELLEHEAR,
1993)

• COMPREHENSIVE
• SPECIFIC CLEAR
• SUPPORTED BY PRECISE DEFINITIONS

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BASIC PRINCIPLES IN THEMATIC ANALYSIS (MILES
HUBERMAN, 1984)

• 1) COUNT (LOOK FOR REPETITION)
• 2) NOTE THEMES, PATTERNS
• 3) MAKE METAPHORS, ANALOGIES OR SYMBOLS OF
  WHAT IS HAPPENING

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• 4) CHECK TO SEE IF SINGLE OCCURRENCES ARE
  REALLY SEVERAL
• 5) CONNECT PARTICULAR EVENTS TO GENERAL ONES
• 6) NOTE DIFFERENCES SIMILARITIES

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• 7) NOTE TRIGGERING, CONNECTING OR
  MEDIATING VARIABLES
• 8) NOTE IF PATTERNS IN THE DATA RESEMBLE
  CONCEPTS /OR THEORIES

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PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES OF SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS
(KELLEHEAR, 1993)

• 1) ASSEMBLE ALL AVAILABLE MATERIAL TOGETHER,
  SUPPLYING AS MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT
  CONTEXT AS POSSIBLE
• 2) IDENTIFY THE OPPOSITIONAL ELEMENTS

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• 3) COMPARE THE DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS/ELEMENTS
• 4) TRACE THEIR SOURCE BEYOND THE SETTING

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• 5) CRITICALLY APPLY THEORETICAL TRADITIONS
  WHICH ARE SENSITIVE AND COGNISANT OF SOCIAL
  PROCESSES WHICH REPRESS, DISTORT,
  MYSTIFY OR OVERSIMPLIFY SOCIAL
  RELATIONS

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PROCESS OF DISCOURSE ANALYSIS (POTTER
WEATHERALL, 1994)

• 1) IDENTIFY VARIETY WITHIN THE INFORMATION
• 2) IDENTIFY PAUSES, HESITATIONS OR
  NON-VERBALS
• 3) SEEK DIFFERENT LEVELS OF MEANINGS
  ALTERNATIVE VIEWS

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• 4) QUESTIONS WHICH VALUES OR IDEOLOGIES ARE
  BEING DRAWN UPON
• 5) QUESTION WHICH POWER RELATIONS HAVE SHAPED
  THE DISCOURSES TRACE THEM HISTORICALLY

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• 6) SEEK EVIDENCE OF CHALLENGE OR
  RESISTANCE TO IDENTIFIABLE DISCOURSES
• 7) WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF THESE CHALLENGES?

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Coding

• The process of identifying persistent words,
  phrases, themes or concepts within the data, so
  that underlying patterns can be identified and
  analysed