Qualitative Analysis

Here at CastleBridge Research Consulting, we fill in the textbook gaps by expertly guiding you through the design and implementation of your qualitative data analysis plan. We will provide initial training and coaching throughout data processing/preparation and data coding phases/cycles so you are not left guessing if you are performing tasks and analyses correctly. Additionally, we utilize the qualitative data analysis (QDA) program ATLAS.ti to organize and examine qualitative data, increasing the reliability of results and enabling you to present compelling findings that are responsive to your study's research questions.

Data Processing and Preparation

Whether your research design calls for first collecting data and then analyzing them or collecting and analyzing data simultaneously, you will need to process and prepare your raw data for analysis. Typical forms of qualitative data are interview (individual or group) recordings (audio or video), field notes, notes about observational events, and documents or other print/digital artifacts. In addition to providing transcribing services for interview recordings, we provide training in how to process and prepare raw field data (journal notes, observational notes) and print/digital artifacts for analysis.

Data Coding Phases/Cycles

A code is the shortest label the researcher uses to assign symbolic meaning to a piece of data. The process of coding involves "taking data apart, defining, and labeling what these data are about" (Charmaz, 2014, p. 342). In constructivist qualitative analysis, an inductive approach is used to identify codes emerging from the data. Although deductive reasoning is most often associated with quantitative methodology, deductive coding methods are used in a qualitative study when the researcher is working with a "provisional start list of codes" (Miles, Huberman, & Saldaña, 2014, p. 81). The basis for forming this start list can be the study's conceptual/theoretical framework, research questions, or problems identified in the research literature.  

Phases or cycles of coding are described differently, depending upon the particular qualitative research design. Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña's (2014) described two cycles of the coding process. The first cycle of coding involves assigning initial codes to chunks of data. Of the multitude of first-cycle (or initial) coding methods, three are foundational to coding: descriptive coding, in vivo coding, and process coding. The second cycle entails pattern coding in that the objective is to group initial codes into categories, themes, or constructs. Pattern codes can be "(1) categories or themes, (2) causes/explanations, (3) relationships among people, [or] (e) theoretical constructs" (Miles et al., 2014, p. 87).

Thematic Analysis

Rather than another qualitative research design, thematic analysis (TA) is a process for analyzing qualitative data (Boyatzis, 1998). Essentially, the TA process entails identifying and analyzing patterns in qualitative data (Boyatzis, 1998; Clarke & Braun, 2013). Numerous versions of TA have been proposed in a variety of disciplines, and some researchers have demarcated it as a phenomenological method. Yet, thematic analysis is flexible enough that it can be used for most qualitative research designs/methods (Boyatzis, 1998; Braun & Clarke, 2006). Braun and Clarke's (2006) six phases of thematic analysis are conducive to doctoral-level research, and Dr. Debra Fisher is experienced at guiding doctoral students through these non-linear phases.

Qualitative Data Analysis: ATLAS.ti

ATLAS.ti is a qualitative data analysis (QDA) program that allows qualitative researchers to arrange, reassemble, and manage different types of data, including documents, audio clips, and photographs. CastleBridge Research Consulting trains and coaches doctoral clients through the data coding process and then imports the coded data into ATLAS.ti, which is then used as a tool for organizing and examining data and datasets. Utilizing a QDA program like ATLAS.ti increases the reliability of results and enables you to present compelling findings that are responsive to your study's research questions.

Resources

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Clarke, V., & Braun, V. (2013. Methods: Teaching thematic analysis. The Psychologist, 26(2), 120-123. Retrieved from http://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-26/edition-2/
          methods-teaching-thematic-analysis
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.