Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
give voice to his or her story, we have to decide which stories we'll include and
how we'll present that data - which is, arguably, a kind of analysis.
Today, there are a number of software programs designed to aid the
researcher in data management and the analysis of data. The following pages
will offer some general guidelines and tips for selecting software and provide
somegeneralinformationforperforminganalysis.Thefirstsectionwilldiscuss
qualitative analysis and offer some guidance regarding the selection of qualita-
tive software packages. The later section will provide some general advice for
working with quantitative analytical tools. As with other chapters, there are a
number of resources identified throughout the chapter for a more complete
coverage of specific topics.
Qualitative analysis
As noted by Anselm Strauss and Juliet Corbin, “by the term qualitative
researchwemeananykindofresearchthatproducesfindingsnotarrivedatby
meansofstatisticalproceduresorothermeansofquantification”(1990:17).To
be clear, qualitative research takes on various forms, with some focused on as
little analysis as possible and others using various types of schema to develop
theories and findings. For example, in
Rachel and Her Children: Homeless
Families in America
, Jonathan Kozol asks: “Why are so many people homeless
in our nation? What has driven them to the streets? What hope have they to
reconstruct their former lives? The answer will be told in their own words”
(1988: 3). Strauss and Corbin elaborate on this diversity, noting that, “Some of
the different types of qualitative research are: grounded theory, ethnography,
the phenomenological approach, life history and conversational analysis”
(1990: 21). Each type will have its own analytical needs.
Christopher Hahn (2008) notes that although qualitative researchers are
diverse in their use of various research methods and assumptions, they also
share common challenges. They generate a great deal of data, the management
of that data is integral to the success of a study, and the analysis of the data
requirestoolsthatenablearesearchertofocusontheresearchquestionsatthe
heart of the study.
As a rule, qualitative research has three major components: data, some pro-
cedure for analyzing the data, and some kind of output of the findings (Lewins
& Silver, 2007). The data can be in many forms. Today, data can be in the form
of text, video or audio files. In all cases these could be from an interview, a
focus group, an observational note or an observation of some type of behavior.
Theprocedureistypicallysomeformofcoding,structuredorunstructured,by
whichdataareidentifiedinsomemeaningfulwaytoaidintheanalysis.Output
can vary just as widely as a collection of video edits designed to highlight a
phenomenon, or interspersed in a presentation or a written report or paper
conveying the research findings.
