Analyzing Data and Reporting Findings

This week I'm going to spend doing this section of my thesis. I have roughly composed a sketchy draft of chapter 1, 2 and 3. And knowing that I often find 4, 5 and 6 the hardest to write, I think I shall not delay but move onto chapter 4 this week. Somewhat excited (thank God!).

"When you reach this point in the research process, it is essential to keep an open mind, remembering that qualitative research is all about discovery. You need to look carefully at all your data, seeking to uncover important insights regarding the phenomenon that you are researching. These are your "findings." The procedures you use to accomplish this needs to be well thought out, explicitly documented, and directly connected to your research questions. Subsequently, in the following chapter, "Analyzing and Interpreting Findings," you will synthesize all your data sources and insights, creating an interpretation that is holistic and integrated.

There is often confusion around the idea of data analysis in qualitative research and what it really entails. Qualitative data analysis is the process of bringing order, structure, and meaning to the masses of data collected. Broadly speaking, qualitative data analysis is the researcher's attempt to summarize all the collected data in a dependable and accurate manner. The process is based on induction: The researcher starts with a large set of data and seeks to progressively narrow them into smaller important groups of key data. There are no predefined variables to focus analysis as there are in quantitative research. Qualitative data analysis requires the researcher to be patient and reflective in a process that strives to make sense of multiple data sources. The analytic procedure falls essentially into the following sequential phases: organizing the data, generating categories, identifying patterns and themes, and coding the data." (p. 135)

Bloomberg, L. D., & Volpe, M. Completing your qualitative dissertation: A road map from beginning to end (2 ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.