Data Collection and Analysis in Phenomenological Research Aoife Moran
Interviews In-depth interview Single question. Interviewee allowed to talk freely. Interviewer responds to points worthy of follow up. Semi-structured interview List of questions. Specific topics. Interview guide.
Practical Issues Be familiar with the setting of participants. Have a good tape recorder and microphone. Use a quiet, private setting. Decide on the number of interviews. Refer to Kvale’s (1996) criteria of an interviewer.
Interviewer Criteria (Kvale, 1996) Knowlegeable Structuring Clear Sensitive/Gentle. Open. Steering Critical Remembering Interpreting
Participant Observation Total Participant: researcher is completely involved in the research area while observing. Researcher-participant: researcher is only semi involved in the research area and can function as researcher. Total researcher:observation without involvement in research area.
Field Notes Notes taken based on observations Write notes briefly & quickly. Full notes at the end of the day. Dictaphone. Vivid, clear notes. Write everything down.
Observation Versus Interviews
Participant Observation Immersion in the setting Closer contact with people Longer participation in setting Learning the language Taken for granted world Deviant and hidden activities. Context of behaviour Uncovering unexpected topics Flexibility Naturalistic emphasis
Interviews Issues resistant to observation Reconstruction of events over time Ethical considerations Reactive effects Less intrusion in peoples lives Greater breadth of information Specific focus
Other Methods of Data Collection Personal documents- Diaries, portfolios, photographs, poetry. Case studies Focus Groups Typically composed of 7-10 participants selected based on characteristics they have in common.
Qualitative Data Analysis (Morse, 1994) Comprehending Coding Synthesising Categorising Recontextualising Developing themes Theorising Linking to existing theory
Interpretive Data Analysis (Cohen, Kahn & Steeves, 2000) Actively listen and think about what the participant are saying in the interview. Read the data several times to uncover essential elements of interview. Perform line-by-line coding of the data. This process involves the researcher assigning words or phrases to the data which often reflect the words of the participants. Perform thematic analysis Condensing the codes within each interview and and grouping them together into larger categories or themes.
Interpretive Data Analysis (Cohen, Kahn & Steeves, 2000) Inter-participants analysis This process involves the comparison of one case with another, and another and so on until the merger of several cases enables a reflection of the experience of participants to be described. A process of writing and rewriting about your findings in the data can help the process of analysis.