Qualitative Data Analysis

Abstract

Qualitative data analysis aims to make sense of the abundant, varied, mostly nonnumeric forms of information that accrue during an investigation. This chapter describes the procedures used for the phases of data analysis. All data were readied for analysis by electronic capture: transcripts, field notes, archival notes, and journal reflections were recorded in Microsoft Word initially. Depending on the audience for the work, visual data can sometimes convey meaning, insight, impact, or significance much more quickly and effectively than words can alone. Codes common across all data are now linked propositionally in some tentatively meaningful way, pending new evidence. Matrix analysis in qualitative analysis is simply the cross-matching of an x-axis and a y-axis for the purposes of data reduction, display, synthesis, analysis, and interpretation. The recognized and classic depiction of methodological rigor in qualitative analysis came from the work of Lincoln and Guba.