Qualitative Data Analysis
Hi all! I’m doing a research on inter-racial marriages and mixed-race children. I am thinking of going for a qualitative analysis. Highly confused what will work the best? I am currently working with three supervisors. All of them have a different say – grounded theory, IPA, discourse analysis etc. I personally want to go for Thematic Analysis. Any suggestions? Please help!
Aaron, 
george, 
Shelley, and 1 other are discussing. 
Discuss your Dissertation 
Weston 5:07 am on June 9, 2017 Permalink |
Supervisors usually feel that somehow Thematic Analysis(TA) is unsophisticated for doctoral levels. My supervisors were adamant too. But, I was able to defend my methodology & used TA successfully with convincing results. You research topic has a lot of nuancing . You must be having two sets of data extracted from two sources– couples & their children. Even I feel TA would be effective. You’ll be able to explore more, more themes, more patterns.Try & convince them that you prefer having a simple, easy to understand version of your interpretation report. Other methods can be complex. You can color code the themes emanating from thematic analysis.
Shelley 7:16 am on June 10, 2017 Permalink |
If you decide on a method, you should always be able to defend it too. Ask yourself why is it that you want to go for TA. If you can’t come up with any strong reason to support your preference, then listen to your supervisors. May be your supervisors are right in suggesting you otherwise. You’re a first time researcher and they know more than you.
george 7:18 am on June 11, 2017 Permalink |
It’s normal getting confused. Afterall it is your PhD. Just remember, all these methods would work for qualitative analysis(QA). You just need to decide what will work the best. Grounded, IPA, Discourse are slightly advanced. If you feel unsure of getting effective results using advanced methods, then go for TA. Persuade your supervisors that you are more at ease with TA than other methods.
Aaron 7:20 am on June 12, 2017 Permalink |
I feel IPA would be more effective. Your data must be consisting of people’s personal experiences.