Some Insight into Qualitative Analysis N.I.Teufel-Shone, PhD College of Public Health University of Arizona SREP 2015

Nature of Qualitative Data Notes from observations or individual or group interviews Full transcripts from individual or group interviews Video of interviews Excerpts from newsletter/newspaper articles Photographs From participants Of community events and/or notifications

Task Address the purpose or research question close at hand. Why did we asking this question? Analysis process involves a systematic examination of the data to identify significant concepts, sifting trivia from significance

Units of analysis Line-by-line, examining Phrases Words Or larger units, examining whole sentences, paragraphs or responses to specific questions

Use of codes in analysis Software assisted qualitative analysis uses a code based system (NVIVO, ATLAS) Codes are derived inductively during the data review Codes reflect recurring phrases or concepts Codes are used to develop a code book that guides computer assisted search Frequency and distribution of codes is summarized to contribute to interpretation

Investigator and Consensus Content Analysis Searching text for recurring concepts or ideas No coding Identifying core consistencies and ideas

Pattern and Theme Identification Group phrases and observations of similar content to reveal a descriptive pattern Content analysis reveal patterns Collectively those patterns to yield a theme A Theme is an overarching concept

Thematic Analysis Identification of a theme Example from “Safe Places” Project Theme Responsible People Pattern Safety associated with the presence of responsible siblings/adults Safety associated with people not place Content “I go to my Grandma’s house when my house is empty” “I feel good when my older sister is taking care of us” Data: Interview Notes Triangulated data sources: Observational notes, Youth photographs