Qualitative Data Analysis: Hands-On Practice

June 14-15, 2023

9:30 a.m. - 1:50 p.m. (EST)

(note: this workshop will take place over two four-hour sessions)

 

Dr. Lea Sgier

Senior Lecturer in Qualitative Methodology at the Political Science Department of the University of Geneva, Switzerland

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This workshop is a follow-up to the introductory Qualitative Data Analysis workshop of January. It is mostly intended for participants who, since January, have engaged in a real-life data analysis of their own (for example as part of their MA or PhD thesis) and are ready to discuss issues that they have faced, and who are interested in developing a deeper sense of qualitative data analysis. Participants who did not attend the introductory session, but who know the basics of qualitative data analysis, are also welcome.

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Participants to this workshop should submit a few pages showing what they have been doing in their own analysis (such as: a few pages of writing up of findings; the methods section; the coding scheme; problems that they are facing, etc.) 3 weeks ahead of the workshop at latest. Participant numbers allowing, they should also be prepared to briefly present their work in progress (10 minutes).

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The first half of this workshop will be devoted to looking into participants’ own work and discussing transversal issues and problems that everyone engaging with qualitative data analysis faces (depending on participant numbers, this session can be done in a plenary or in break-out rooms).

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The second part of the workshop will cover a number of points for participants who wish to push their analysis further (or who foresee a future need for tools helping with more demanding analyses, such as a PhD thesis): analytical and practical tools for how to push an analysis beyond (simple) description; the usefulness (or not) of qualitative data analysis software and the writing up of qualitative findings. Time permitting, we may very briefly discuss what other kinds of methodological approaches are available as alternatives or complements to or extensions of content-based qualitative analysis (such as narrative and discourse analysis; structural analysis; causality-oriented/explanatory qualitative analyses).

 

Preparatory work

Participants should read the following preparatory texts:

Bazeley, Patricia (2009). "Analysing Qualitative Data: More Than Identifying Themes". Malaysian Journal of Qualitative Research 2(2): 6-22. (http://www.researchsupport.com.au/Bazeley_MJQR_2009.pdf)

Miles, Matthew B., Huberman, A. Michael and Saldaña, Johnny (2014). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. Thousand Oaks: Sage, ch. 4.

Yanow, Dvora (2006). "Neither Rigorous nor Objective? Interrogating Criteria for Knowledge Claims in Interpretive  Science", in Yanow, Dvora and Schwartz-Sea, Peregrine (eds) (2006). Interpretation and Method. Empirical Research Methods and the Interpretive Turn. Armonk NY: M.E. Sharpe.

 

As explained above, participants should also:

• circulate a 5-10 page document showing the work that they have been doing until 3 weeks ahead of the workshop at the latest.

• Read the 2 documents that they will be allocated and prepare some comments;

• Be prepared to give a short (10’) presentation of their work (prepare some slides).