Finding the Answers to the Research Questions (Qualitative)

Finding the Answers to the Research Questions (Qualitative)

by: Dannah Maricar P. Ramos, MBA, LPT

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

• Identify different method in analyzing data

• Analyze Data

• Interpret Data

Read the following statement and decide if it is an example of

Qualitative or Quantitative data.

Qualitative Data Interpretation

Analysis Method 

A research following a qualitative approach is an exploratory way of finding the explanation of “how” and why of a certain event or phenomenon. Qualitative data is using mostly non-numerical data like texts, videos, and peoples written or spoken words. We can gather data from simple interviews transcripts, documents, blogs, observations, survey, and focused group discussion using a specific structure or unstructured guides. 

Terms to remember:

Individual interview

Questionnaires

Observation

Surveys

Themes

Coding

Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA)

There are some common ways to analyze qualitative data.

• content analysis

• discourse analysis

• grounded theory

• narrative analysis.

• thematic analysis.

Content analysis

This is one of the most common methods to analyze qualitative data. It is used to analyze documented information in the form of texts, media, or even physical items. When to use this method depends on the research questions. Content analysis is usually used to analyze response from interviewees.

Discourse analysis

Like narrative analysis, discourse analysis is used to analyze interactions with people. However, it focuses on analyzing the social context in which the communication between the researcher and the respondent occurred. Discourse analysis also looks at the respondent’s day-to-day environment and uses that information during analysis.

Grounded theory

This refers to using qualitative data to explain why a certain phenomenon happened. It does this by studying a variety of similar cases in different settings and using the data to derive causal explanations. Researchers may alter the explanations or create new ones as they study more cases until they arrive at an explanation that fits all cases.

Narrative Analysis

This method is used to analyze content from various sources, such as interviews of respondents, observations from the field, or surveys. It focuses on using the stories and experiences shared by people to answer the research questions.

Thematic Analysis

In a thematic analysis of qualitative data, the researcher looks across all the data to identify some recurring issues. Main themes that summarize all the views collected can be derived from these issues. The main stages of thematic analysis are as follows:

A. Read and annotate transcript.

B. Identify themes

C. Develop a coding scheme

D. Coding the data

Identifying Theme

• Develop a coding scheme.

• Coding the data.

There are six basic steps in coding data:

• Get an idea of the entire set. 

• Select one interesting document. 

• Start the document coding process

• List all the code words. 

• Review the list against the data.

• Categorize the codes for emerging themes or descriptions of the

  subject or setting.

Developing a Coding Theme

• Get to know your data. 

• Focus the analysis. 

• Review the purpose and go back to the research question.

• Identify themes or patterns.  

• Ask team to analyze

• Organize themes into categories: preset or emergent

•  Identify patterns within and among categories. 

The following are some tips in analyzing and interpreting qualitative data that can be helpful to beginning researchers:

• Consider the data from various perspectives.

• Think beyond the data. 

• Make visible personal assumptions and beliefs or models that influence the interpretation, representing personal views of the world. 

• In some cases, outlying data or data that is different from others may be encountered and regarded accordingly. Consider to incorporate them in the analysis and interpretation data.

• Watch out for some data may come in surprise, contradictory or puzzling, because they usually lead to useful insights. They must also be given attention for an holistic interpretation of data.

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Summary of the Lesson:

1. Thematic, narrative, content, discourse and grounded theory are ways in analyzing qualitative data.

2. Data can be interpreted through extending the analysis by asking questions, linking results to personal experiences, asking for advice from teachers, contextualizing in the literature, and directing data interpretation using theory.

3. In interpreting data, it is important to group similar responses into categories and identify common patterns for easier analysis.

Assessment

Choose the correct answer. Write your answer on yellow paper.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is not included in the main stages of thematic

analysis?

• Coding the data

• Summarize data

• Identify themes

• Develop a coding scheme

Multiple Choice

These are series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents.

• Questionnaires

• Blog

• Interview

• Survey

Multiple Choice

Which of the following does NOT describe qualitative data

interpretation?

• It must also be remembered that interpretation does not necessarily depends on the point of view of the researcher

• Interpretation of findings is making sense of the data collected, and an act to identify the lessons learned from the study

• Interpretation of qualitative findings is a process of intellectualizing beyond the emerging themes to broader perspectives of the data

• In interpreting results, it is helpful to group similar responses into categories then identify usual patterns to derive meanings from

  what may seem unrelated and wordy responses

Multiple Choice

It is used to analyze content from various sources, such as interviews of

respondents, observations from the field, or surveys. It focuses on using the stories and experiences shared by people to answer the research questions.

• Content

• Grounded Theory

• Narrative

• Thematic

Multiple Choice

It a step in qualitative analysis of data which simply means converting

all the data into a text format by either exporting the data into a

spreadsheet or manually typing in the data or choose from any of the

computers assisted qualitative data analysis tools.

• Arranging data

• Coding Data

• Validating Data

• Setting a Code to the Data Collected

Thank you and Congratulations!!!

See you to the next lesson...