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Qualitative Data Analysis
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data collection process and coding
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March 31st, 2021SOCI2151H Week 11: Qualitative Data Analysis
Reading: Chapter 13
Part One: The Purpose of Data Analysis
● The goal is to reveal patterns or themes from the data
● Once a pattern is identified, it is interpreted in terms of social theory (or setting)
● The purpose of to abstract the key issues from the data
○ What's important to observe?
○ How can we formulate conclusions?
● As with all steps in any qualitative methodology, there is an interwoven process
of scientific/systematic observation and analysis
● Can develop themes through:
○ Theory
■ Most common
■ Testing a theory
○ Prior data
■ Analysis
○ Inductively
Defining qualitative data analysis
● The range of processes and procedures that make sense of the data that have
been collected:
○ Into some form of explanation and interpretation of the people/phenomena
we are investigating
○ The idea is to examine the meaningful and symbolic content of the data
■ Points of focus
● Content itself
● Representing a unit of analysis
● Meanings is important
■ Tools used in the process
● Summaries, notes, memos
● Similar to paraphrasing in research
● Brief explanations
■ Key principles
● Each interview is private
● Social phenomena cannot be studied outside of its social
context
● Understanding human behaviour
● Even if info doesnt fully support theory it can be used
■ Key features
, 2
● Theory is circular not linear (cyclical)
● Meaning (qualitative) numbers (quantitative)
Searching for patterns
● Similarities and dissimilarities
● First, create a classification of behaviours (a variety of types). We can do this
several different ways (it depends on what we’re measuring, our topic):
○ By frequencies
■ How often does the behaviour occur?
○ By magnitudes
■ What level of degree? How much of something?
○ By structure
■ Different types
○ By process
■ Any order to it? Such as beginning with one pattern before the
next? Do the order of elements vary?
○ By causes
■ Are there more common causes over others? When does it occur?
○ By consequences
■ How does it affect others? Does it create change?
● IN SUMMARY...
○ It is an ongoing process involving continual reflection about the data,
asking analytical questions, and writing memos (notes) throughout both
the study process and analysis
Qualitative data analysis is a multiple “sifting” procedure
● A consistent refinement of theory in terms the cause of the observations
● What does each new set of empirical observation represent according to social
scientific principles?
● Don't forget paradigms (categorized and labelled theory)!
○ Tentative conclusions provide the conceptual framework for further
observations
○ Each piece of research contributes to the larger paradigm “block” of
furthering understanding of “how things work” in a particular society
● The precise analysis of a research will always depend on:
○ The goals of the research
○ The initial approach
■ Descriptive, exploratory, explanatory
○ Theoretical orientation
■ Functionalism, conflict, feminit, symbolic interactionist
● IN SUMMARY...
○ Coding and memo writing are the key approaches to analyzing qualitative
data
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