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Analysing data
6.1 Qualitative Data The data you collect through interviews, field-notes, video/sound, photos, journals, documents etc. needs to be analysed. However, the research process should not always be considered as 1) Data gathering 2) Data Analysis. In fact, many researchers analyse their data whilst they are still gathering it. Often the qualitative research process is iterative, meaning that data gathering and analysis inform and shape each other repeatedly. Sometimes the research design or the specific direction of the research can change according to analysis made of the data gathered in the early stages of the project.
A. Coding Sections of text or video/sound can be coded by hand (using highlighters, colours or index cards in a box can be helpful) or by using computer software. There are various programs that can help researchers to organise and analyse data. Some commonly used ones are Atlas.ti or ELAN (for video/ sound). ELAN needs to be paid for but a trial version of Atlas.ti can be found here: www.Atlasti.com. The trial is for only ten documents but it can be used for an unlimited time period.
Codes are topics or themes. They are used in order to help categorise and make sense of our interviews or fieldnotes. Sometimes codes can simply be used to count how many times a word/phrase occurs. However, this is less useful than if codes are used to interpret the data.
Types of coding: Inductive analysis: Codes can be predecided according to theory (you have decided on codes which you think are useful for your research)
Transcription of interviews Whilst interviews can be analysed straight from the sound/video, it is usually easiest to first transcribe them. This takes considerable time, so if you have some interviews that are irrelevant to your research question, don’t bother transcribing them!
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Transcription should be as much of an accurate representation of what was said (including pauses, laughs, sounds etc.) as
possible. To do this, certain conventions are used (for example, three dots (…) represent an untimed pause). The following link: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/anthro/ faculty/duranti/audvis/annotate.htm gives one set of conventions but there are many. It doesn’t matter which you use, as long as it is used consistently. Nonetheless, remember that no matter how ‘accurately’ you transcribe, the
transcription is always only a rough representation of what actually happened in the interview, as numerous factors such as the interviewee’s tone of voice, timing and pace of what was said, certain non-verbal noises, body language and atmosphere in the room. all carry meaning but cannot be recorded in the transcription.