Chapter 6 Analyzing Qualitative Data Chapter 6 Qualitative Research Methods Often, qualitative data is associated with an interpretive philosophy because researchers tend to explore the subjective and[.]
Chapter 6: Qualitative Research Methods 10/6/2023 Often, qualitative data is associated with an interpretive philosophy because researchers tend to explore the subjective and socially constructed meanings of the participants of the research Social constructionism means that meanings are dependent on people’s interpretations of events that occur around them Because qualitative data depend on interpretation, they are usually more complex than quantitative data V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 6.1 Approach to analysis Chapter 6: Qualitative Research Methods 6.2 Preparing for data analysis 6.3 Tips for the analysis 6.4 Generic Approache to analysis 6.5 Inductive procedures 6.6 Deductive approaches 10/6/2023 V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn Researches begin from using either an inductive or a deductive approach 6.1 Approach to analysis 10/6/2023 When using a deductive approach, one seeks to use existing theory On the other hand, an inductive approach requires one to build up a theory that is adequately grounded in the data V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn Qualitative research interviews are normally audio-recorded and then transcribed, which means that they are reproduced as written (usually with use of a word processor) account using the actual words 6.2 Preparing for data analysis Along with the actual words, a researcher also must note down the tone in which they were said as well as the non-verbal communication of the interviewee The researcher should also make sure that the transcription is accurate by correcting for errors, this is known as data cleaning 6.3 Tips for the analysis There are many ways of recording information to supplement notes and transcripts: • Interim summaries – these can be made during the analysis and outline what you have found so far, whether you trust your findings and what you need to to improve the quality • Transcript summaries – these compress long statements into shorter ones in which the key element of what was said is rephrased in a couple of words • Document summary – describes the goal of a document and lists a few key points 10/6/2023 V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 3.3 Tips for the analysis 10/6/2023 There are many ways of recording information to supplement notes and transcripts: • Self-memos – these record ideas that occur to the researcher about any aspect of the research • Research notebook – this is alternative to record ideas about the research • Reflective diary – in this the researcher writes his reflections about his experiences of undertaking the research, what he has learnt, and how he will seek to apply his learning as the research progresses V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 6.4 Generic approache to analysis In this section the generic approach to analyzing qualitative data will be provided This approach consists of five aspects: • Categorizing data: creating categories into which the data will be divided • Unitizing data: the units of data are attached to the appropriate categories that you have devised • Examining relationships and creating categories: analyzing the rearranged data • Developing testable propositions: the existence of relationships need to be tested if one can conclude that there is a relationship, by developing testable propositions This could be done by seeking alternative explanations and negative examples • Drawing conclusions: interpreting and analyzing the data 10/6/2023 V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 6.4 Generic approache to analysis • According to Miles and Huberman (1994) the process of analysis consist of three concurrent processes: data reduction, data display, and drawing conclusions • With data reduction they mean summarizing and simplifying the collected data and/or selectively focusing on specific parts of these data • Data display focusses on organizing and assembling the data into summary diagrams or other visual displays All data that is not summarized or reduced is called ‘extended text’ Data displays allow the researcher to make comparisons between aspects of the data and to explore relationships, key themes, patterns and trends 10/6/2023 V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 6.5 Inductive procedures • Grounded Theory Method • Template analysis • Analytic Induction • Narrative Analysis • Discourse Analysis 10/6/2023 V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn Grounded Theory Method • The goal of grounded theory methods is to use an inductive approach to develop a grounded theory around the key category that emerges from the data Different kinds of coding could be used to analyze the data: • Initial or open coding - the disaggregation of data into smaller units • Focused coding - reanalyzing the data in order to test which of the initial codes may be used to categorize larger units of data • Axial coding - the process of discovering relationships between categories • Labelled selective coding - the integration of categories around a core category in order to generate a theory 10/6/2023 V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 10 Grounded Theory Method • When conducting grounded theory research it could be helpful to use theoretical sampling to find a sample • Theoretical sampling is choosing samples following analysis of initial data to further develop analytical categories and concepts • In order to this one it is important to constantly compare the collected data with the categories and concepts being used • Theoretical sampling is used until theoretical saturation is reached 10/6/2023 V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 11 Template analysis • A template is a list of the codes or categories for the themes discovered from the collected data • This type of analysis uses both a deductive and an inductive approach in order to analyze the codes • Other than in Grounded Theory, Template Analysis permits prior specification of codes to analyze data, while Grounded Theory tries to hold everything as purely inductive as possible • Also, Grounded Theory is more structured than Template Analysis Just as in Grounded Theory data are both coded and analyzed to discover themes, patterns and relationships The template approach enables the researcher to display the codes and categories hierarchically 10/6/2023 V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 12 Analytic Induction • This is the process of collecting and analyzing of strategically selected cases in order to empirically establish the causes of a particular phenomenon • An explanation is developed by extensively examining the process being explored This is done through repeated cycles of developing and testing propositions • Unlike Grounded Theory, this approach focuses more on existing knowledge and theory than on participant’s data 10/6/2023 V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 13 Narrative Analysis • Using this approach, a researcher collects data through narratives such as experiences of the participants • Narratives cannot be easily fragmented since the essence of the story might be lost in the process • Instead, the narratives need to be either left intact, or they need to be ‘re-storied’, into new narratives in a more coherent form 10/6/2023 V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 14 Discourse Analysis • This is a general term that covers a very wide variety of approaches to the analysis of language • It also explores how and why individuals’ language is used by individuals in particular social contexts • Put differently, this approach explores how language (discourse) in the form of speech an text reproduces/changes the social world (Phillips 2002) • Researchers who use this approach are often subjective ontologists 10/6/2023 V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 15 6.6 Deductive approaches • Pattern matching • Explanation building 10/6/2023 V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 16 Pattern matching This approach is concerned with predicting a pattern of results based on theoretical propositions in order to explain what the researcher expects to find from analyzing the data 10/6/2023 In order to this the researcher will need to develop a conceptual or analytical framework, using existing theory, and test the adequacy of this framework as a method to explain the findings V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 17 Explanation building This approach involves an attempt to build an explanation by collecting data and analyzing them, rather than testing a predicted explanation 10/6/2023 This approach is similar to Grounded Theory but is designed to test a theoretical proposition while Grounded Theory is designed to construct a theory inductively V.T.P.Mai- FIE- maivp@ftu.edu.vn 18