One of a number of posts and then I am really really going to try and keep up regularly with my blog!
SO where am I now ?
Well data transcription took much longer than I had expected but I had been lucky to be able to have a transcriber. Whilst the interviews were being transcribed I listened to them - on my iPod, PC and anywhere that would play the audio files. I felt closer to who the people I had interviewed were. During this time too I also wrote up my field notes. These contained my 'first impressions' and notes about both verbal and non verbal communication during the interviews.
Data analysis began for me as soon as I heard the 'story' of each participant for the first time. identifying the 'themes' for each individual and accepting their narrative as a holistic account without the additions of other participants stories. This expanded as I was able to listen and re listen to the narratives of each participant.
Beyond this the transcriptions were reviewed with specific questions in mind around each theme (Described in a later blog). Using thematic analysis posed some challenges for me around maintaining the person as a whole rather than fragmenting them into a series of quotes. The use of 6 in depth 'cases' has helped me to maintain that 'focus on the whole' person. The other 14 peoples experiences are drawn in as appropriate.
Very interested in your approach and not wanting to fragment people into a series of quotes. I've been struggling with taking a holistic approach too, and have wondered about case studies. I'll look forward to reading how you have tackled the thematic analysis and comparing it with my approach.
ReplyDeleteInteresting too to see you are working in the learning disability field - my interest is allied, but a more general support theme and based on high functioning part of autism spectrum.
Thanks for your comment. As the number of particpants for this type of research is a little high in my study I think the use of 6 in depth 'cases' will help to reatin that holistic focus.
ReplyDeleteI can see the sense in the case study approach and may well borrow from that thinking. Whereas you are looking specifically at nurses, I am looking across the domain and have parents and professionals and the professionals include health and education. But I like the idea of working with case studies and feeding into those from the experience of others.
ReplyDeleteAre you using any particular theoreticians to support your methodology?
I am basing my methodology on Wengraf's (2001) work in relation to Biographical Narrative Interpretative Method (BNIM) however it draws on wider qualititaive methodologies.
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