Interpreting Qualitative Data

* When conducting qualitative research one is faced with the difficult task of interpreting the data. The following has been created to help make sense of the large amount of data gathered.

How Do I Make Sense of All of This?

* Coding: The process by which data is categorized into analyzable information.

* When seeking to code information the researcher attempts to establish links.

* Once the links are established the data can be chunked together into manageable proportions.

Coding

* Suggested methods to aid in the coding process include: marking information with keywords, highlighting text with different colours, using index cards to cross reference, creating charts and organizers, etc. Ultimately the decision is yours!

How to Code

1. Noticing relevant phenomena2. Collecting examples of those phenomena3. Analyzing the phenomena for commonalities, differences, patterns and structures.

Coding Has 3 Essential Steps

* Once the coding procedure is finished you must now explain your codes in detail by writing out what you have found.

* Do not use the first person when providing your explanation.

* Simply explain what correlation was found upon conducting your research, why it was found, and how it was found.

* Your written interpretation will be the basis for your conclusions.

Written Interpretation