Help with qualitative data analysis

A

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum. I am a phd student about to embark on analysing transcripts in-depth interviews. Can anyone offer any advice on how to analyse data? I am really struggling with this concept and do not have a useful framework to complete the analysist bit. I am so overwhelmed with it all and getting so stressed. My methodology is grounded theory. Please help before I drown in all of this analysis. Thanks in advance

K

Hi Annie,
Are you using a software package to store your data?
I analysed my first few interviews on a word document using line by line coding. As the amount of data I collected increased I used Nvivo to store it. Personally I have found this software useful in relation to working on coding over time but know other people who don't like it. The reality is that coding is a messy and time consuming process which you just can't take short cuts with. Have faith and what you need to know will emerge with time and perseverance.In grounded theory the process of constant comparative analysis is key and this simply means keeping comparing incidents in the data until you see common themes and build up a theory of how they relate to one another. In the coding process first of all you break the data down and then you put it back together to build up a substantive theory of your area of study. Have you sought support from your supervisors and read key texts regarding how to code data. The type of GT you are adhering to will have a bearing on the coding process. Keep going it starts to fall in to place, to some extent, as you are doing it. Hope this helps.Karen

M

Grounded theory is quite specific so there should be plenty of articles or books out there with guidance about how to analyse data using GT methods. Usually there is an initial line by line coding process (you might apply pre-determined codes, or develop 'free' codes depending on your approach). There is then a process of sorting into themes, sub themes etc.

You need to be clear whether you are taking an inductive or deductive approach but then you probably just need to get started and see what happens! Such is the life of a qualitative researcher :)

I have also used word to do initial coding and in some cases Nvivo, and in others using excel to pull together themes.

E

I am one of those people who hated NVivo!
I tried it at first but found it so time consuming.
So, I went old school. Paper and colour pens, along with scisors and glue!
I had a floor full of interviews pint outs (not so environment friendly, I know) and kept underlying and cutting and gluing (is this a word???).
Needs to be very patients and quite thorough. Do not rush! It's not a speedy process. You have to return to yoyr data over and over again.
Good luck!

D

Hi there, even I was facing the same problem with qualitative data analysis and I was really very confused how to do it, and even I tried to seek help from others, so while in this process when I googled for it, there was something called assignment help companies which I got to know about. As they described they mostly help university students, so i thought of giving it a try to a company called tutorversal.com and it turned out to be a nice experience, they provided my qualitative data analysis report very precisely. so, if you want you can seek help from them.

T

Do the aims of your research require you to use GT? Thematic Analysis is much less overwhelming!

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