How To Write Qualitative Data Analysis
So you want to grasp how to write qualitative data analysis. You’ll pretty soon since you’re already on the right page. Here, you’ll learn what qualitative data analysis is. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to carry out a qualitative data analysis. Additionally, you’ll understand how qualitative data analysis differs from quantitative data analysis. Ready? Let’s roll.
The other name for qualitative data is descriptive data. Qualitative data is essentially non-numerical data that concerns itself with capturing concepts and opinions. When you interview someone, you’re collecting qualitative data. Similarly, when you make audio or video recordings, you’re gathering qualitative data. Also, notes made while observing a certain phenomenon count as qualitative data. Now that we know what qualitative data is, let’s learn what qualitative data analysis is.
What’s Qualitative Data Analysis and Why Does it Matter?
Qualitative data analysis refers to the process of working through qualitative data to glean useful information. The information you obtain from this exercise helps you develop a plausible explanation for a particular phenomenon. The process is hugely important as it reveals themes and patterns in the data you’ve gathered.
Additionally, data analysis enables you to link your data to the objectives and research questions of your study. Also, the process helps you organize your data and interpret it. Most importantly, successful qualitative data analysis leads you to informed conclusions. What’s more, the conclusions you end up with are verifiable.
How Does Qualitative Data Analysis Differ from Quantitative Data Analysis?
As a researcher, you MUST understand how qualitative data analysis differs from quantitative data analysis. Gaining a clear understanding of the difference between the two helps you choose the right research method for your study. In addition, grasping the difference prevents you from getting sidetracked while executing the research methodology you’ve chosen.
Here’s the main difference. Qualitative data analysis helps researchers get useful information from non-numerical or subjective data. By contrast, quantitative data analysis is about mining knowledge from your data using statistical or numerical techniques.
Some disciplines, especially those in the humanities and social sciences, tend to favor qualitative data analysis. Quantitative data analysis, on the other hand, tends to find greater relevance within the sciences including chemistry, physics, and biology.
How Researchers Approach Qualitative Data Analysis
There are 2 main approaches when it comes to qualitative data analysis. These approaches include the Deductive Approach and the Inductive Approach. As a student and future academic researcher, it’s critical that you understand each approach.
What the Deductive Approach is and When to Use it
The deductive approach is about analyzing data on the basis of a structure that you as the researcher have predetermined. The approach relies heavily on the research questions that inform your study. Your research questions should direct and guide you as you group and analyze the data you’ve collected.
When should I use the deductive approach to qualitative data analysis? A good question right there. Employ this approach when you can fairly predict the responses you might get from your sample population. The beauty of this approach is that it’s easy to use. There’s more. The deductive approach works fast.
What the Inductive Approach is and When to Use it
Here’s the main difference between the deductive approach and the inductive approach. The inductive approach, unlike the deductive approach, doesn’t rely on a predetermined structure or framework. The good thing about the inductive approach is that it’s a bit more thorough than the deductive approach. However, the approach is more time-consuming than the deductive approach.
So, when should I use the inductive approach to qualitative data analysis? Favor this approach when your knowledge of your research phenomenon is very little.
You now clearly (hopefully) understand the nature of qualitative analysis. Now, it’s time to learn how to write qualitative data analysis.
How to Write Qualitative Data Analysis
There are several steps involved while writing qualitative data analysis. Understanding the steps we’re about to discuss will have you writing the data analysis section of your qualitative study pretty fast. Let’s now dive right in and learn how to write qualitative data analysis.
Convert data into text
Before you do anything else, you’ll want to turn all of the data you have into textual form. The other name given for this conversion process is transcription. Now, converting your data to textual form should be pretty easy. Just find the right tool and get it done. EvaSys,NVivo are two tools we consider particularly powerful. With either of these two tools, you should handle the task real fast. Also, you can perform the transcription job manually. However, doing it manually tends to be tiring and time-consuming.
Organize qualitative data
Now that you’ve your data in textual form, organize it. It’s normal to have vast amounts of data you don’t know what to do with especially after transcription. If you’re not careful, all of the unorganized data lying around can confuse or even stress you out. That’s why you should organize your data.
So how do I organize my data? It’s simple. Revisit your research questions and objectives and start organizing the data from there. The objectives of your study can greatly help your turn that messy data into organized data. Generate tables and graphs as they’re a great way to organize your data. Also, consider using appropriate tools to make the process more efficient.
Code qualitative data
What’s coding your qualitative data? Coding qualitative data means compressing it into easy-to-understand concepts and patterns. Essentially, coding enables you to attach meaning to the field data you’ve collected.
How do I code my data? Let your study’s objectives guide you. You can code your qualitative data on the basis of the theories they related to. Also, collected qualitative data gives you hints as to how best to code it.
Most data analysts prefer the following 3 coding approaches. First, a data analyst may use descriptive coding. Here, they code data on the basis of the central theme emerging from the dataset. Second, a data analysis expert might prefer In-vivo coding. In this approach, the data analyst lets respondents’ language guide them. Finally, an analyst might identify patterns in the data and let those patterns direct them during data coding. You may want to research further for other coding techniques you might use for your qualitative research.
Ensure qualitative data isn’t flawed
Well, this isn’t exactly a distinct step for how to write qualitative analysis. However, we chose to include it given the importance of data validation. Data validation is a method that helps researchers todetermine the accuracy of their methods or research design. Data validation also reveals the extent to which a researcher’s procedures and methods led to consistent and reliable results.Shall we say you’vejust learned how to write qualitative data analysis?
Conclude qualitative data analysis
The conclusion of your data analysis is arguably its most important part. So you better make sure this section packs a hefty punch. At this point of the writing process, you must state your findings, linking them to your research’s objectives and questions. After you’ve concluded the data analysis process, you need to craft a final report.
Qualitative Analysis Report Writing
Describe the methods your research relied on and the procedures you performed. But don’t stop there. State the strengths and weaknesses of your study. Next, outline your research’s limitations. Finally, state the implications of your findings while pinpointing a few areas that future research might explore. Here’s a structure your final report might follow:
- Introduction
- Methods and Procedures
- Strengths and Weaknesses of Your Study
- Limitations of the Study
- Findings: (State the findings and link them to the research questions and objectives
- Conclusion
Final Thoughts: How to Write Qualitative Data Analysis Report
Finally, you’ve understood how to write qualitative data analysis. Hopefully, writing the data analysis section of your academic papers should be easier in the future. The process starts with converting the data into textual form. Then, the data gets organized. Data coding swiftly follows. Then, data validation happens. Finally, the final report gets prepared.
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