Units of meaning.
In general, qualitative analysis begins with organizing data. Large amounts of data need to be stored in smaller and manageable units, which can be retrieved and reviewed easily. To obtain a sense of the whole, analysis starts with reading and rereading the data, looking at themes, emotions and the unexpected, taking into account the overall picture. You immerse yourself in the data. The most widely used procedure is to develop an inductive coding scheme based on actual data [ 11 ]. This is a process of open coding, creating categories and abstraction. In most cases, you do not start with a predefined coding scheme. You describe what is going on in the data. You ask yourself, what is this? What does it stand for? What else is like this? What is this distinct from? Based on this close examination of what emerges from the data you make as many labels as needed. Then, you make a coding sheet, in which you collect the labels and, based on your interpretation, cluster them in preliminary categories. The next step is to order similar or dissimilar categories into broader higher order categories. Each category is named using content-characteristic words. Then, you use abstraction by formulating a general description of the phenomenon under study: subcategories with similar events and information are grouped together as categories and categories are grouped as main categories. During the analysis process, you identify ‘missing analytical information’ and you continue data collection. You reread, recode, re-analyse and re-collect data until your findings provide breadth and depth.
Throughout the qualitative study, you reflect on what you see or do not see in the data. It is common to write ‘analytic memos’ [ 3 ], write-ups or mini-analyses about what you think you are learning during the course of your study, from designing to publishing. They can be a few sentences or pages, whatever is needed to reflect upon: open codes, categories, concepts, and patterns that might be emerging in the data. Memos can contain summaries of major findings and comments and reflections on particular aspects.
In ethnography, analysis begins from the moment that the researcher sets foot in the field. The analysis involves continually looking for patterns in the behaviours and thoughts of the participants in everyday life, in order to obtain an understanding of the culture under study. When comparing one pattern with another and analysing many patterns simultaneously, you may use maps, flow charts, organizational charts and matrices to illustrate the comparisons graphically. The outcome of an ethnographic study is a narrative description of a culture.
In phenomenology, analysis aims to describe and interpret the meaning of an experience, often by identifying essential subordinate and major themes. You search for common themes featuring within an interview and across interviews, sometimes involving the study participants or other experts in the analysis process. The outcome of a phenomenological study is a detailed description of themes that capture the essential meaning of a ‘lived’ experience.
Grounded theory generates a theory that explains how a basic social problem that emerged from the data is processed in a social setting. Grounded theory uses the ‘constant comparison’ method, which involves comparing elements that are present in one data source (e.g., an interview) with elements in another source, to identify commonalities. The steps in the analysis are known as open, axial and selective coding. Throughout the analysis, you document your ideas about the data in methodological and theoretical memos. The outcome of a grounded theory study is a theory.
Descriptive generic qualitative research is defined as research designed to produce a low inference description of a phenomenon [ 12 ]. Although Sandelowski maintains that all research involves interpretation, she has also suggested that qualitative description attempts to minimize inferences made in order to remain ‘closer’ to the original data [ 12 ]. Descriptive generic qualitative research often applies content analysis. Descriptive content analysis studies are not based on a specific qualitative tradition and are varied in their methods of analysis. The analysis of the content aims to identify themes, and patterns within and among these themes. An inductive content analysis [ 11 ] involves breaking down the data into smaller units, coding and naming the units according to the content they present, and grouping the coded material based on shared concepts. They can be represented by clustering in treelike diagrams. A deductive content analysis [ 11 ] uses a theory, theoretical framework or conceptual model to analyse the data by operationalizing them in a coding matrix. An inductive content analysis might use several techniques from grounded theory, such as open and axial coding and constant comparison. However, note that your findings are merely a summary of categories, not a grounded theory.
Analysis software can support you to manage your data, for example by helping to store, annotate and retrieve texts, to locate words, phrases and segments of data, to name and label, to sort and organize, to identify data units, to prepare diagrams and to extract quotes. Still, as a researcher you would do the analytical work by looking at what is in the data, and making decisions about assigning codes, and identifying categories, concepts and patterns. The computer assisted qualitative data analysis (CAQDAS) website provides support to make informed choices between analytical software and courses: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/sociology/research/researchcentres/caqdas/support/choosing . See Box 5 for further reading on qualitative analysis.
Ethnography | • Atkinson P, Coffey A, Delamount S, Lofland J, Lofmand L. Handbook of ethnography. Sage: Thousand Oaks (CA); 2001. • Spradley J. The ethnographic interview. Holt Rinehart & Winston: New York (NY); 1979. • Spradley J. Participant observation. Holt Rinehart & Winston: New York (NY); 1980. |
Phenomenology | • Colaizzi PF. Psychological research as the phenomenologist views it. In: Valle R, King M, editors. Essential phenomenological alternative for psychology. New York (NY): Oxford University Press; 1978. p. 41-78. • Smith J.A, Flowers P, Larkin M. Interpretative phenomenological analysis. Theory, method and research. Sage: London; 2010. |
Grounded theory | • Charmaz K. Constructing grounded theory. 2nd ed. Sage: Thousand Oaks (CA); 2014. • Corbin J, Strauss A. Basics of qualitative research. Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage: Los Angeles (CA); 2008. |
Content analysis | • Elo S, Kääriäinen M, Kanste O, Pölkki T, Utriainen K, Kyngäs H. Qualitative Content Analysis: a focus on trustworthiness. Sage Open 2014: 1–10. DOI: 10.1177/2158244014522633. • Elo S. Kyngäs A. The qualitative content analysis process. J Adv Nurs. 2008; 62: 107–115. • Hsieh HF. Shannon SE. Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qual Health Res. 2005; 15: 1277–1288. |
The next and final article in this series, Part 4, will focus on trustworthiness and publishing qualitative research [ 13 ].
The authors thank the following junior researchers who have been participating for the last few years in the so-called ‘Think tank on qualitative research’ project, a collaborative project between Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and Maastricht University, for their pertinent questions: Erica Baarends, Jerome van Dongen, Jolanda Friesen-Storms, Steffy Lenzen, Ankie Hoefnagels, Barbara Piskur, Claudia van Putten-Gamel, Wilma Savelberg, Steffy Stans, and Anita Stevens. The authors are grateful to Isabel van Helmond, Joyce Molenaar and Darcy Ummels for proofreading our manuscripts and providing valuable feedback from the ‘novice perspective’.
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
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Qualitative Longitudinal Research (QLR) is a dynamic and evolving methodology using time as a lens to inform study design, data collection and analysis. ... As a new service, the patient pathway was elusive, making it difficult to anticipate the potential timeframe and appropriate tempo. Participants were also on different clinical pathways ...
Learn everything you need to know about qualitative content analysis, including its strengths, weaknesses, and when to use it for your research project. ... As a qualitative method focused on recorded communication, content analysis is often most appropriate for research topics focused on changes and patterns in communication around social ...
Objective To describe the evidence pertaining to associations between growth, maturation and injury in elite youth athletes. Design Scoping review. Data sources Electronic databases (SPORTDiscus, Embase, PubMed, MEDLINE and Web of Science) searched on 30 May 2023. Eligibility criteria Original studies published since 2000 using quantitative or qualitative designs investigating associations ...
Study design. This was a qualitative descriptive study using focussed group discussions (FGDs) and field notes nested within a cluster randomised controlled trial reported in a separate paper [].Qualitative descriptive studies generate data that describe the 'who, what, and where of events or experiences' from a subjective perspective []. ...
Objective Explore the perceptions of senior medical students on the relationship between gender and pain and examine how formal and hidden curricula in medical education shape their experiences. Design We conducted a cross-sectional qualitative interview study, using individual semistructured interviews and adhering to interpretative description methodology. We used Braun and Clarke's ...
Approach. This study employed a qualitative approach, using individual in-depth interviews, to examine the financial decision-making of ethnic minority young adults in their daily lives.
Objectives Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects up to 11% of the population. General practice is at the forefront of the identification of patients with declining kidney function, and appropriate monitoring and management of patients with CKD. An individualized and patient-centred approach is currently recommended in guidelines, but would be enhanced by more detailed guidance on how this ...
However, research using qualitative methods can be evaluated (Dixon-Woods et al., 2006; Young et al., 2014) ... It is widely accepted that qualitative research should be ethical, important, intelligibly described, and use appropriate and rigorous methods (Cohen and Crabtree, 2008). In research investigating data that can be counted or measured ...
Abstract. This paper aims to provide an overview of the use and assessment of qualitative research methods in the health sciences. Qualitative research can be defined as the study of the nature of phenomena and is especially appropriate for answering questions of why something is (not) observed, assessing complex multi-component interventions ...
Qualitative research involves collecting and analyzing non-numerical data (e.g., text, video, or audio) to understand concepts, opinions, or experiences. It can be used to gather in-depth insights into a problem or generate new ideas for research. Qualitative research is the opposite of quantitative research, which involves collecting and ...
Qualitative research draws from interpretivist and constructivist paradigms, ... The research question dictates the appropriate qualitative approach, from which point the researcher knows the possible types of data that can be collected and how to analyze the data. We intend that Tables 2 and 3 demonstrate two things. First, there are many ways ...
Choosing a Qualitative Approach. Before engaging in any qualitative study, consider how your views about what is possible to study will affect your approach. Then select an appropriate approach within which to work. Alignment between the belief system underpinning the research approach, the research question, and the research approach itself is ...
This paper aims to provide an overview of the use and assessment of qualitative research methods in the health sciences. Qualitative research can be defined as the study of the nature of phenomena and is especially appropriate for answering questions of why something is (not) observed, assessing complex multi-component interventions, and focussing on intervention improvement. The most common ...
matter what method of research is employed: rigor and ethics.As a concept, rigor is perhaps best thought of in terms of the quality of the research process; a more rigorous research process will result in findings that have more integrity, and that are more trustworthy, valid, plausible and credible. For qualitative research, there are 10 ...
Qualitative research methods. Each of the research approaches involve using one or more data collection methods.These are some of the most common qualitative methods: Observations: recording what you have seen, heard, or encountered in detailed field notes. Interviews: personally asking people questions in one-on-one conversations. Focus groups: asking questions and generating discussion among ...
Qualitative research gathers participants' experiences, perceptions, and behavior. It answers the hows and whys instead of how many or how much. It could be structured as a standalone study, purely relying on qualitative data, or part of mixed-methods research that combines qualitative and quantitative data. This review introduces the readers ...
This review aims to synthesize a published set of evaluative criteria for good qualitative research. The aim is to shed light on existing standards for assessing the rigor of qualitative research encompassing a range of epistemological and ontological standpoints. Using a systematic search strategy, published journal articles that deliberate criteria for rigorous research were identified. Then ...
Qualitative research has ample possibilities within the arena of healthcare research. This article aims to inform healthcare professionals regarding qualitative research, its significance, and applicability in the field of healthcare. ... However, the criteria used to evaluate the rigor of quantitative studies are not be appropriate for ...
A fourth issue is that the "implicit use of methods in qualitative research makes the field far less standardized than the quantitative paradigm" ... the validity appropriate to an empirical analysis" ([1904] 1949:59). By qualifying "improved understanding" we argue that it is a general defining characteristic of qualitative research.
Third, qualitative research is also appropriate for studying context-specific, unique, or idiosyncratic events or processes. Fourth, it can help uncover interesting and relevant research questions and issues for follow-up research. At the same time, qualitative research also has its own set of challenges. First, this type of research tends to ...
When to use Qualitative Research. Here are some situations where qualitative research may be appropriate: Exploring a new area: If little is known about a particular topic, qualitative research can help to identify key issues, generate hypotheses, and develop new theories.
This paper aims to provide an overview of the use and assessment of qualitative research methods in the health sciences. Qualitative research can be defined as the study of the nature of phenomena and is especially appropriate for answering questions of why something is (not) observed, assessing complex multi-component interventions, and focussing on intervention improvement.
Qualitative research is a type of research that explores and provides deeper insights into real-world problems.[1] Instead of collecting numerical data points or intervening or introducing treatments just like in quantitative research, qualitative research helps generate hypothenar to further investigate and understand quantitative data. Qualitative research gathers participants' experiences ...
When collecting and analyzing data, quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics, while qualitative research deals with words and meanings. Both are important for gaining different kinds of knowledge. Quantitative research. Quantitative research is expressed in numbers and graphs. It is used to test or confirm theories and assumptions.
Qualitative research is a method of inquiry used in various disciplines, including social sciences, education, and health, to explore and understand human behavior, experiences, and social phenomena. It focuses on collecting non-numerical data, such as words, images, or objects, to gain in-depth insights into people's thoughts, feelings, motivations, and perspectives.
This guide to using qualitative research methodology is designed to help you think about all the steps you need to take to ensure that you produce a good quality piece of work. The guide starts by telling you what qualitative methodology is and when to use it in the field (understand people's belief system, perspectives, experiences).
Ideally, if the budget allows, we should use both qualitative and quantitative research. They provide different perspectives and usually complement each other. Advanced survey software should give you the option to integrate video and chat sessions with your surveys. This can provide you with the best of both quantitative and qualitative research.
The qualitative research interview seeks to describe the meanings of central themes in the life world of the participants. ... This role might be appropriate when studying persons who are difficult to access. The second type is 'active participation'. You have gained access to a particular setting and observed the group under study.
Abstract. This guide explains the focus, rigor, and relevance of qualitative research, highlighting its role in dissecting complex social phenomena and providing in-depth, human-centered insights. The guide also examines the rationale for employing qualitative methods, underscoring their critical importance. An exploration of the methodology ...