Limits on coding field data

Silverman warns that using a coding scheme is both a way of seeing the data and a way of not seeing the data because

"it deflects attention away from uncategorised activities."

It's a bit worrying that you get stuck seeing something one way, and can't change the perspective. Silverman also cites Sacks' warning about characterisation of data too quickly because we assume

"that we can know [such categories are accurate] without an analysis of what it is [members] are doing." (1992, vol 1: 429)

I know this from trying to code my data into categories that bleed into each other and overlap.

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Silverman, D. 2005. Doing Qualitative Research : A Practical Handbook (2nd ed.). London ; Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.

Qualitative data analysis

I was talking with a fellow OUBS post grad about qualitative data analysis (QDAS). As she hadn't been using Nvivo, but Decision Explorer, she wanted to know if Nvivo would be more useful to her. We talked about its linking mechanisms, annotations and memos - those are what make NVivo really useful for me.

I demonstrated some of the ways I now work after doing that Silvana di Gregorio workshop.

• time stamp (Cntl shift T) - useful for journal
  
• memo for a coding journal
• right hand view instead of bottom view (view>detail view> right)
  
• Alt-F1 to remove / show left hand column
• creating and reading annotations
  

We received a manual at the workshop, which is very useful reference. Do the course to get the manual too. Silvana di Gregorio also writes books on QDAS as well as giving workshops.

The linking mechanisms are what make NVivo really useful for me. I annotate as I transcribe, or listen the first time to a transcription, or whenever. I use memos to link to collections of notes on facets of engagement, so I'm linking what I find in the cases with what I've found in the literature. This will help my later analysis as I write up the case studies for the dissertation.

Collecting data

My head's spinning with data I've been collecting from a couple of projects. I've got loads of transcribing to do so will take ages before I get to analysis. But I'll jot down immediate impressions for supervisors and myself. Later, I think I'll use the Nahapiet and Ghoshal paper to identify initial codings, because first impressions suggest existence of various dimensions of social capital.

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Nahapiet J, Ghoshal S. 1998. Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage. Academy of Management Review 23(2): 242-266.

Still no access

It's fourteen days since I sent my first request hoping for access. It's only fourteen days. And I've got another year and 49 weeks to finish my PhD. But I haven't yet spoken to anyone, had a conversation with anyone, or a phone call with anyone. But then again, I've contacted four people this week, and it's early days yet.

So I yo-yo between worrying and being sanguine. I know students who took all year to get their access for qualitative data, and one is still struggling. Studies on sensitive topics, like ethics of marketing, ("I heard you got told off for your advert so can I come and interview you?") and how someone fits into an organisation ("You're a bit odd - can we talk?") don't get access easily.

I don't have ethics committee issues, I'm not going to say nasty things about the organisation and I don't think my research topic is very sensitive. I just want to know how they do it, work with consultants.

Data analysis & using NVivo

Third year student, Linda Wilks, presented on the role of habitus in festivals. That was interesting but of greater relevance and use to us students was her explanation of how she analysed her qualitative data. Here's what:

Recording the interviews

• Assess background noise
• Put your recorder on something soft

One of my colleagues had problems transcribing an important word when the interviewee spoke as he put his coffee mug down.

Transcription

• Use a foot pedal
  
• Contract some of it out but expect to have to check it thoroughly yourself too. Cost is £11 per hour of their time.
• Takes approx 7 hours to do 45 minutes

I thought this useful & practical. But it got more useful because she talked about organising the data to make it manageable by:

1. Designing a data classification system
• Based on research theory
• Related to interview questions
• Be prepared to modify it
• Transfer into NVivo under ‘tree nodes’
  


2. Import your transcripts into NVivo
• Highlight sections of the transcript and drag into the appropriate tree node


3. Export the tree node contents
• Make sure you tell NVivo to include the folder and hierarchical name
  

She gave us a screen dump of NVivo with nodes and folders and hierarchies. She explained with examples of sources and numbers of references in the nodes, and an analysed transcript.

• To get an idea of the important areas, assess how many references a node has.
• Print out tree nodes for analysis.

For the second level of analysis, she used Fairclough's critical discourse analysis and justified the use in relation to her work.

She had a check list to scribble on her texts, for example what styles, types of statement, intertextuality and transferred the notes to a spreadsheet.

The final step is to write up findings, without reference to theory at this stage and no language that precludes conclusions.

What I've noted above is all Linda's work, and if you want to know the detail you should contact her. I'm going to get NVivo and practise on my MRes data, and I'm going to look up Fairclough.