Qualitative Research Methods and Data Analysis will cover the qualitative research continuum—from descriptive to interpretive—and present established qualitative research approaches such as grounded theory, narrative analysis, and case study. We will discuss research design—including discussion of design dimensions (time, comparison, and use of theory)—and data collection strategies—primarily interviews and focus groups—but the course will focus largely on strategies for analyzing and making sense of textual data. In particular, we will consider how qualitative research incorporates coding, memo writing, and diagramming into a larger analytic process. These analytic practices are concurrent tasks that occur during an active review of interviews, documents, focus groups, and/or online data.
Analytic memo writing is a strategy for capturing analytical thinking, inscribed meaning, and cumulative evidence for condensed meanings. Memos can also resemble early writing for reports, articles, chapters, and other forms of presentation. Researchers can also mine memos for codes and use this form of writing to help build evocative themes and theory.
In parallel, coding data provides an analytic focus and investigative point of view. The course will illustrate specific coding practices, such as process coding, in vivo coding, and values coding. We will also briefly cover innovations in data inventory such as AI coding in ATLAS.ti and ChatGPT. In regard to the larger analytic process, we will discuss how to discern emerging codes, assess conceptual shifts during analysis, and incorporate both deductive and inductive coding into an evolving codebook. Our discussion will move from managing codes to developing code structures and hierarchies, identifying code clusters, and building multidimensional themes. We will also discuss final research products and how results are framed to underscore cognitive empathy, precision, and emergent discovery.
The course will also discuss using visual tools in analysis, such as journey mapping or diagramming key quotations to holistically capture the participant’s key narratives. Visual tools can also assist in looking horizontally across documents to identify and illustrate connective themes and link the parts (quotations or codes) to the whole (sites or participant types).
The course will include daily in-class exercises—both individual and group—including exercises using ATLAS.ti software.
