Reading chapters D2 Working with data and D4 Thematic analysis from Matthews, B. and Ross, L. (2010) Research methods: a practical guide for the social sciences. Harlow: Longman, Pearson Education
D2 Working with data pp. 320-341
This chapter follows talks about the steps needed to analyse your data.
The advice on how we can familiarise ourselves with data is relevant to both of my data sets.
First step: Read your data (transcript, research notes) and get a feel of what information is there
Second step: Write memos to yourself as you read. Notes can contain the following information:
- something you may need to come back to (missing info, inconsistency)
- interesting comments, answers and points that you want to come back to later
- starting your analysis: what you wany to do, what questions to ask, tables you want create, relationships you want to explore.
Other things to consider:
| Is data complete and accurately recorded ? | It is in my case. I have all the text from the questionnaires in clear format. Recording of my focus group was clear and I have a good transcript of it. All the data that could lead to identification of the participants have been removed. |
| Organising your data | It will include coding open questions (I will need to read about it more). In terms of my questionnaires I think of finding main themes, colour-coding them and highlighting the text relevant to each theme. I will not have that much data to work with here, compering to the transcript of my focus group (FG). |
| Creating an Index | The example of an indexed semi-structured interview on the page 333 will be very useful for me in analysing transcript from my FG. This provide a basis for coding. |
Coding:
“As you are indexing you will probably more aware of aspects of your data that you want to explore further and to subject to a more rigorous analysis. (…) You should also have your research questions in mind and be looking for statements, stories, experiences and opinions in the data that may help you to understand and address your research questions.” (p.334)
This chapter provides a very clear example of the codes and the initial coding of the text on the page 335. I will come back to it once I start working with my transcript.
I consider using charts and tables for further coding and analysis of the data. It will provide my data with more structure. In the text of this chapters the authors give a few examples of this kind of approach to data. I think that that one with the codes across the top and data sources will be the easiest to adapt to my research purposes.
D4 Thematic analysis, pp.372-385.
It was the most useful chapter so far for me. I like how it is edited with the checklist and examples for each step of the thematic analysis with visual aids (diagrams and tables). I printed it and will have it at hand when analysing my focus group.
I think the following checklist for carrying out thematic analysis will help me to stay on track. It may be that with my data of only two other librarians taking part in the focus group my not need so many steps, however I start with trying to follow the whole list.
