Qualitative Data Analysis

What is qualitative data? Any data that is not numbers. Data that is not measured using a fixed
scale or complex statistics. Examples are interview transcripts, documents, survey responses,
images/visuals, and videos. Focuses on words, descriptions, concepts, and ideas.
1. Content Analysis
Used to evaluate patterns within a piece of content (e.g. words, images, phrases, or across
multiple pieces of content or sources of communication). A collection of newspaper articles or
political speeches. Identify the frequency with which an idea is shared or spoken about. Group
large amount of texts into codes, summarize these into categories, and tabulate the data to
calculate the frequency of certain concepts or variables. Content analysis can bring a slight
quantitative angle into a qualitative analysis.
2. Narrative Analysis
Listening to people telling stories and analysing what it means. It involves the analysis of
people’s stories to derive meaning. Explores how something being said is important (e.g. the
narrative of a prisoner trying to justify a crime could provide insight into how the prisoner views
the world and the justice system). Used to get powerful insights from the mindset, worldviews,
and perspectives of an individual. Avoid research bias.
3. Discourse Analysis
Analysing language within its social context (e.g. analysing language such as a conversation, an
interaction, and a speech within a culture or society it takes place in). Analysing how a janitor
speaks to a CEO or how a politician speaks about terrorism. Determines how culture, history,
and power dynamics affects a concept. Make sure to have clear objectives and questions in
advance. Sample a data to a point of saturation which means no new data or insights emerge.
4. Thematic Analysis
Looks for patterns of meaning in a data set (e.g. a set of interviews or focus group transcripts).
Accumulates large data and groups them according to similarities. Identifying key themes in
large bodies of text. Analysing 100 reviews of a Mexican restaurant to find out what the
customers think about the place – identify the themes that repeatedly crop up within the data.
Helps in identifying people’s opinions and perspectives. Research questions may change in the
course of the study.
5. Grounded Theory
The intention is to create a new theory with the data at hand through a series of tests and
revisions. Go with an open mind and let the data speak for itself. Start with an overarching
question on a given population and narrow down to a small sample which is a representative of
the population. After data analysis, a general hypothesis or pattern could emerge. Theory
emerges from the data and not on an existing notion or preconceived idea.
6. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis
Understands the personal experiences of a subject. Explores personal interpretations of a life
event/phenomenon. Use coding system to identify commonalities. Be careful not to lose the
depth of experience while coding the data. Be careful of personal biases.

Triangulation – adopting more than one method of analysis.

Research aims and objectives determine the type of qualitative data analysis.