Prerequisite of Qualitative Data Analysis A good grasp of relevant literature – understanding the area you are studying Research question/s has/have been.

Prerequisite of Qualitative Data Analysis

• A good grasp of relevant literature – understanding the area you are studying

• Research question/s has/have been developed clearly

• Interview/focus group responses have been transcribed

Three Basic Steps

• Open Coding – creating themes and categories

• Axial Coding – connecting themes and categories

• Selective Coding – looking for evidences and more concrete connections are made

Open Coding

-Is the part of the analysis that focuses specifically to the naming and categorizing of phenomena through close examination of the data.

- In this process, data is broken down into discrete parts, closely examined, compared for similarities and differences, and questions are asked about the phenomena as indicated by the data.

Process of qualitative data analysis

• Step 1 – Open Coding– Read the transcripts thoroughly– Go through line-by-line– Is what is said making sense to you?– Can you give each sentence or each paragraph in the

transcript a meaning that relates to your research questions?

– If you can, highlight this word or sentence or paragraph and label this in accordance to your interpretation based on your understanding of the relevant literature. – known as creating themes

For example

Your Research Question…..

• How do women with young children manage in their pursuit of achieving higher academic degrees?

Example: Let’s illustrate this.

Well, let us assume that you are observing this particular lady in class. You notice that she is the first person to arrive. You may label this as punctuality – concern for time.

She sits down at the front of the class and she starts putting her note book and writing materials on the table. You label this organized.

When another person comes in and sits beside her, she gives a weak smile but did not say anything – uncommunicative.

As the lecture progress, she appears to have a lot of questions to ask – responsive. She takes down notes tirelessly and seems to notice everything said by the lecturer –

attentiveness. When the lecture ends, she gets up, looks at her watch and rush to the door – you label

this as a mover – always on the move. So the story goes on……………………………………………

Axial Coding• The process of axial coding involves a set of procedures where data from

open coding are put back in new ways by making connections between categories

• Involves putting back the open codes by making connections between categories.

• Researcher looks at causes and consequences, conditions and interactions, strategies and process

• Look for categories or concepts that cluster together.

Selective Coding

This is the last level of analyzing data in grounded theory. At this point, you are integrating all the data that you have accumulated through axial coding.

The process involves selecting core category, systematically relating this to other categories, validating those relationships, and filling in categories that need further refinement and development.

This process is not much different from axial coding except that it is done at a higher more abstract level of analysis.

• The researcher integrates all the data that have been accumulated through axial coding.

• The researcher looks selectively for evidence that illustrates or justifies themes.

• Make comparison and identifies contrasts between sub-themes and between themes.

• Mapping allows researcher to investigate relationships across categories

Integrating findings

• Findings from open, axial and selective coding procedures are grounded to develop propositions (or hypotheses)

• These are then written as a narrative providing thick descriptions of findings

• All the categorical relationships identified in the selective coding process are put together into well structured narrative.

• This is an iterative process where researcher is constantly going back to transcripts to cite evidence whilst presenting the story in a logical manner.

Process of qualitative data analysis

• Step 1 – Open Coding– Read the transcripts thoroughly– Go through line-by-line– Is what is said making sense to you?– Can you give each sentence or each paragraph in the

transcript a meaning that relates to your research questions?

– If you can, highlight this word or sentence or paragraph and label this in accordance to your interpretation based on your understanding of the relevant literature. – known as creating themes

Example…….

• Let’s say you are interested in understanding how work environment affects job satisfaction among women working in a manufacturing plant.

• Your research question:– Does work environment affects job satisfaction

among women factory workers?

Responses that you got:

• Worker A:– The factory is my source of livelihood. I’m a single

parent. My husband passed away 2 years ago and I have 4 children to feed. It is hard work. I sometimes work more than 5 hours standing. At my age, standing for a long time really hurt my feet. I sometimes get headaches when I go back home. There’s a lot of dust in the factory…. But I have to work, there’s no choice.

• Worker B– The management promises us a lot of things but

not one promise has been kept. I feel like quitting but this is the only job I can get here. I can go to Kulim to look for another job but its too far away from my house. I may have to pay more for transportation or to rent a house near Kulim.

• Worker C– I think its all in the mind. If we focus on our work,

the place is not too bad. I know of worse factories than this. I have a friend who severed her hand while working on a machine and she wasn’t paid much compensation after that. Our factory has no dangerous machineries, its just the condition of the factory that is not too clean.

Making sense of what has been said……

• Worker A:– The factory is my source of livelihood. I’m a single parent.

My husband passed away 2 years ago and I have 4 children to feed. It is hard work. I sometimes work more than 5 hours standing. At my age, standing for a long time really hurt my feet. I sometimes get headaches when I go back home. There’s a lot of dust in the factory…. But I have to work, there’s no choice.

Physical deprivation

Poverty

Dependence

• Worker B– The management promises us a lot of things

but not one promise has been kept. I feel like quitting but this is the only job I can get here. I can go to Kulim to look for another job but its too far away from my house. I may have to pay more for transportation or to rent a house near Kulim.

Untrustworthy

Forced circumstances

• Worker C– I think its all in the mind. If we focus on our work,

the place is not too bad. I know of worse factories than this. I have a friend who severed her hand while working on a machine and she wasn’t paid much compensation after that. Our factory has no dangerous machineries, its just the condition of the factory that is not too clean.

Individual attitude

Compliant

Step 2 – Axial Coding

• Re-read the transcripts and look at all the labels (or themes)

• Is there a connection between the themes which makes sense of the research questions?

• Are you able to answer the research questions?

Example……

• Dependence• Physical deprivation• Poverty• Untrustworthy• Forced circumstances• Individual attitude• Compliant

• Dependence• Physical deprivation• Poverty• Untrustworthy• Forced circumstances• Individual attitude• Compliant

It is circumstancesbeyond their control like poverty that is forcing these women to work here. Otherwise they may not be compelled to work here.

• Physical deprivation• Poverty• Untrustworthy• Forced circumstances• Individual attitude• Compliant

Its all up to women themselves in terms of how they face the situation. Even though their employer could not be trusted, they still remain in the job

Step 3 – Selective Coding

• Look for evidence in your transcripts• Based on your elaboration in the axial coding

process, could you find evidence in the form of statements in the transcripts.

• Could you induce the meaning of the analysis that you have done?

• Mapping helps in this process

Mapping out Propositions

Job Satisfaction affected by social circumstances Poverty in factories Deprivation Resigned attitude

Not necessarily affected by work environment

Developing propositions (or hypothesis)

• Job satisfaction among women working in factories are influenced by social circumstances affecting their lives.

• Women’s job satisfaction in factories are characterized by a resigned attitude that accepts physical working conditions.

Remember that a qualitative researcher thinks historically, interactionally, and structurally. This should be your guide in writing.

Qualities of a Good Qualitative Researcher

• Comfortable with ambiguities• Are highly intuitive – sensitive to context (physical settings and people,

overt and covert agenda, verbal and nonverbal behaviors- Mirriam, S.)• Empathetic• Excellent listeners• Not judgmental• Well organized• Good writers• Self critical, self analytical,and are capable of detachment

Research is essentially your interpretation of what you find…….