Reflexive Reading; Creswell Chapter 8

The Data Analysis Spiral

I am thinking about the spiral. It is quite different than quantitative research where one tries to work down to the point; in qualitative I need to work upwards and it is ok to spin around, bouncing back and forth in the spiral. Bouncing back and forth actually allows the reseacher (me) to be immersed in the data gathering the details and the broad themes.  As opposed to the quantitative feel where one seems to want precision and to move down to the sterile point, qualitative spiraling is comfortable with the messiness.

I'm still trying to get comfortable with being comfortable in the messiness.

I liked the discussion about not counting passages so as not to even hint of being quantitative but I also think that it is interesting to go to such lengths to avoid being associated with "those people!" I agree though that a qualitative researcher has to really study the data so the weight of individual passages can be determined because it could be that one passage is the key to understanding the full context of the data.

Creswell provides a nice overview of each of the five approaches and how the spiral applies to the approach. Thus, Creswell discusses how data is analyzed for a narrative, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and case study. Each approach has a unique way data should be approached.  For my own study, a phenomenological approach, Creswell suggests:

• Describe personal experiences with the phenomenon. This not only gives a description but identifies the views of the researcher. One of the important aspects of qualitative research is putting the personal biases on the table so this allows me to indicate right away that I am a pro-strengths-based philosophy person.
• Develop a list of significant statements about how others experienced the phenomena.
• Group statements into larger units called "meaning units."
• Write a description of what the participants experienced with the phenomena. This is the "textural description."
• Write the "how" the experienced happened. This is the "structural description" which is a reflection on the setting and context.
• The last aspect is to write the composite description which is the culminating of the descriptions which ultimately is the essence of the experience. The pro and con of this is that it is usually a long paragraph. So luckily it isn't a dissertation in itself. Unfortunately sometimes the hardest things to write are the shorter items.

Creswell's information actually puts me more at ease with this study as it gives me some of the structure I need being the OCD individual I am!

At the end of the chapter Creswell provides an overview of some of the software options available to qualitative researchers. Of the ones he lists only one is Mac Friendly!  Bummer.

I thought that some of the pros/cons of the list of computer programs were stretching to have a point.