Hi everyone,

I've been pondering ideas for my PhD (I start in October straight after my MA). I was just wondering how much data you realistically collect for a qualitative PhD? I know I will be using interviews and quite a detailed analysis technique. Obviously this depends a lot on topic/subject etc, but if your PhD is mainly qualitative, how many interviews have you actually done? I'm just trying to get an idea of what is actually possible.

Thanks a lot!

I have 3 main studies to my PhD. I interviewed 40 people - about 45 mins per interview. my first study I've analysed that data using thematic analysis. My 2nd study, I've analysed the same interviews in a different way. My third study, I've turned the themes from study 1 into a questionnaire and combined it with established questionnaires.

BUT I know people who have done 30 intevriews, analysed it once, and that's their whole thesis! So I think it depends on your area. Have a scout about ethos (bristih library holdings of PhD theses - its online) and see what people have done in your area.

I did 6 hour and a half focus groups (with 5 people in each), and then about 20 half hour interviews. Analysed them all thematically, and only the once. For qualitative research its the quality of the data, not how much of it you have. I've known PhDs to pass which were a case study of one person.

Hey Button, my PhD has both qualitative and quantitative elements (80 patients for the quant bit and 20 for the qual bit), but there is another girl on our team doing purely qual and she is interviewing 40 patients and their carers, so 80 interviews in total, and she is doing a grounded theory analysis. But you can do qual PhDs with far less data- my sup did her whole PhD based on interviews with 8 patients! So there is a lot of variety I think, and as the others said, it depends on how you are analysing the data and whether you are doing anything else with it! I would probably ask your sup for an rough idea to make sure you are along the right lines! Best, KB

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My 3 empirical chapters are basically three different things.

I interviewed 60 children. Then analysing them in one way for one chapter

Then analysing the same kids in a different way completely for another chapter.

And the third e,pirical chapter is a comparative analysis of 10 websites. (not looking forward to this)

And it's all qualitative.


Ok, back to transcript number F$%&ing hell with another heavenly 11 year old.

Yes, definitely the quality of and not quantity of data for qualitative research. I'll add that I know of theses that consist of only 5 interviews (and call themselves grounded theory-based) that have passed as theses. For mine, I've done...

20 interviews

3 focus groups

2 expert reviews

10 cognitive interviews

then there's the quant stuff

which has involved 32 clinicians and 60 patients - not yet done - and I think that's it.

It depends on your area and what approach you take. I've read thesis in the social sciences that take an ethnographic or case study approach with just 4 or 5 participants but perhaps are longitudinal or use very in-depth analysis.