Analysing research data: qualitative (MR, unit 10)

Approaches

• Common sense - check date, source, sample quality
  
• Statistical approaches - compute degree of statistical error
  
• Expert judgement - consult more than one as interpretations of same data can vary
  
• Intuitive approach - feel for figures
  
• Questioning approach - question origin and basis

Analysing qualitative data (content analysis)

1. Tabulation - Column for different kinds of respondents, rows for research objectives. Enter comments in appropriate boxes. Easier to make comparisons and can result in quantitative data. Can be inflexible.
2. Cut & paste - as above but text lifted from the original transcript (more accurate)
3. Spider diagrams/mind maps - research issue and centre, key themes around. Easier to include comments that don't fit in tabulation methods. Can show complexity of interrelationships. Can be difficult to interpret.
4. Annotation - items categorised in the transcript margins, leaving actual data intact
5. Computerised analysis - varying degrees of sophistication. Might count number of times word or phrase appears or could recognise patterns