A comparative evaluation of qualitative data analytic techniques in identifying volunteer motivation in tourism

A project which used analytic triangulation (convergent validation) to process responses to an open-ended question asked of a sample of service providers at a major tourist attraction, with implications for conducting research and decision making in tourism marketing management.

Abstract

This paper reports on a project which used analytic triangulation (convergent validation) to process responses to an open-ended question asked of a sample of service providers (volunteers) at a major tourist attraction. Three analytic techniques were used: two researchers completed manual coding of the open-ended responses using an inductive approach suggested by Taber (1991); one researcher completed a keyword search of the data using Word 6.0; and two separate researchers completed classification and analysis using the Nud.ist 4.0 qualitative computer software.