qualitative data analysis in nvivo

what is qualitative data?

• data representing concepts, insights and ideas that are not (re)presented in numbers
• used in qualitative research which is unstructured and focuses on the points of view of the participants
• differs from quantitative data that are often structired and focus primarily on and are represented with numbers
• qualitative data from interviews, focus groups, observations, web scraped content, images, maps etc.

qualitative data analysis (qda)

• this is the process of organizing, analyzing and interpreting qualitative research data to generate themes, patterns, insights or answer research questions.

purpose of qda

• used when research is explorative in nature, and there are not many (or any) research already conducted in the area
• to uncover valuable insights and deeper meanings that may not otherwise be uncovered in quantitative data
• to suit disciplinary preferences and practices, as well as research and data collection types

benefits of qda

• explores the ‘whys' and ‘hows’ of a research context for deeper understanding of participants' experiences
• captures emotions and personal feelings which cannot be captured in numbers
• explains patterns of knowledge, intent, and action being presented as data
• identifies new areas of inquiry different from predetermined research questions
• explores diverse viewpoints because it is user-centered
• complements or helps to explain quantitative findings (in the case of mixed-methods research)

challenges of qda

• it could be time consuming and labour-intensive
• findings may be subjective to the researcher’s interpretations
• it could be challenging to replicate the process
• some proprietary qda tools are expensive for individuals