2.4 Data Analysis

interviewing process. In addition, two hunting observation sessions were held, one in Altai and the other in Altansugts. The researcher accompanied two eagle hunters during each hunting session, and was accompanied by a translator and research partner. The sessions

lasted three and five hours respectively. Questioning and observations were supplemented with a literature review prior the start of the interviewing sessions. These two styles of data collection were decided on in part thanks to the research of Toyuka Soma (2011) and Soma and Battulga Sukhee (2014), both

papers that provided in depth insights on issues relevant to this research and helped to provide a more accurate depiction of modern and traditional eagle hunting methods. Interviews and observations were chosen as data collection methods, rather than surveys, in order to provide for narrative responses from the participants, as well as clarification on

complex questions and subjects at hand, which were often realized after several questions rather than just one.

2.4 Data Analysis

After interviews had been transcribed, all data was organized into a spreadsheet. Each

falconer was assigned a code to replace his name. For example, A stands for Altai and AS represents Altansugts. A complete list of abbreviations can be found in List of Figures on page 5. Responses were recorded as shown in Chart 1. Questions that were avoided by the participant, such as “How frequently do you hunt per week?”or that the researcher did not

obtain, are marked with a “-“. Complete data on eagle falconer interviews can be found in the Appendix A. Analysis on interviews that took place in Ulgii were done separately from the eagle hunter interviews and can be seen in the Results section of the data. Observations to

supplement the transcribed and coded data were organized in a field journal and added to the results whenever applicable. Often participants would not respond to questions directly or did not give a sufficient answer. As a result, when citing responses in the results sections, the denominator will

fluctuate. For example, seven people might have answered the question, “How often do you hunt?” while 11 people might have answered the question “How old is your eagle?”