Principles and Practices of Qualitative Data Analysis

This course runs online from 09.30am - 16.30pm BST (GMT+1) :

Join us for a day discussing all things qualitative data analysis

Learning objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Develop appropriate research questions;
• Focus a literature review to ensure it is efficient and effective;
• Understand the range of qualitative methodologies and their underlying assumptions;
• Make appropriate choices between methodologies, data collection strategies and analytic methods
• Identify the audiences of their work and frame their dissemination accordingly.

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for postgraduate students and early career researchers in any discipline who are new to working with qualitative data (e.g. literature and documents, transcripts of interviews and focus groups, visual materials, social media and online content, open-ended survey responses etc.)

Course overview and aims

This course provides a thorough overview of the principles and practices of undertaking qualitative data analysis. Framed around the research cycle, we discuss and illustrate the interrelated activities undertaken as analysis progresses – from the paradigms and assumptions that underlie qualitative projects, through the practicalities of planning and implementing an analysis, to writing up, visualising and sharing findings. The aim of this course is to open up thinking about the range and flexibility of qualitative data analysis approaches and to equip participants with the necessary mindsets and frameworks to plan and undertake their own projects. The course is led by two facilitators and the number of participants is limited to ensure everyone has the opportunity to discuss their work-in-progress.

Topics

• The qualitative research cycle – planning and managing the iterative and cyclical nature of qualitative research
• Research in the wider landscape – research topics and objectives, reviewing the state of the art, developing research questions
• The role of methodology – underlying paradigms and assumptions, differences between methodologies and methods
• The ethics of working qualitatively – considerations for involving participants and representing their contributions
• From methodology to data collection – types of qualitative data, ways of collecting qualitative data, integrating different types of data in an analysis
• Analytic activities – integrate, organise, explore, reflect, interrogate
• Qualitative analytic strategies – qualitative approaches, mixed-methods analysis and quantifying qualitative data, focusing on the examples of Grounded theory, Content Analysis, Thematic Analysis, Discourse Analysis, Action Research
• Analysis exercise – small groups collaboratively analyse sample qualitative data using different strategies and compare and discuss their findings
• Collating insights and presenting a narrative – sharing findings with different audiences

Format and documentation

All our workshops are hands-on, delivered through a blend of demonstration, discussion and practical exercises, rather than providing simplistic, mechanical instruction.

To deliver as tailored an experience as possible, we contact you on enrolment in order to understand your research goals and analytical strategies. Additionally, our participant numbers are capped to a small group size and we run our courses with two facilitators, allowing us to cover the core topics, as well as specialist needs arising out of individual projects.

Participants are provided with slide decks, reading lists and a range of resources to accompany the course and to support consolidation of the topics covered.

Facilitators

Christina Silver, PhD is the director of Qualitative Data Analysis Services and manager of the CAQDAS Networking Project at the University of Surrey, UK. Christina’s interests relate to the relationship between technology and methodology and the effective teaching of qualitative methods and digital tools. She is co-author of Using Software in Qualitative Research: A Step-by-Step Guide (Sage publications, 2007, 2014) and Qualitative Analysis using ATLAS.ti/MAXQDA/NVivo: The Five-Level QDA® Method (Routledge 2018). Christina has trained more than 11,000 researchers around the world in qualitative methods and the use of digital tools for analysis, since 1998, and is a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences.

Sarah L Bulloch, PhD is a senior associate of Qualitative Data Analysis Services and teaching fellow at the CAQDAS Networking Project at the University of Surrey, UK. Sarah has expertise in both qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques and has applied them in academic, public sector, private and third sector contexts. Her current work and research centres around enabling others to apply research methods, and the digital tools to support them, in a meaningful, robust and flexible way. Sarah first used CAQDAS packages in 2006 and started teaching them in 2010.

About Qualitative Data Analysis Services

QDA Services provide tailored and flexible training, consultancy, coaching and analysis for qualitative and mixed-methods researchers. We specialize in facilitating high-quality analysis through the powerful use of digital tools. Our website provides information about our work, including our pedagogy - the Five-Level QDA method, which underpins the way we think about, undertake and teach methods and tools.