Discuss how researchers analyze data obtained in observational research.

In qualitative research, researchers take an inductive approach to analysing data, meaning that they create a picture as they collect the data and examine them. The analysis is based on the researcher's field notes, but does rely on comparisons with data from other sources (i.e. interview scripts, narratives etc.). One way to analyze data in observational research is the grounded theory analysis. The core of the analysis is based on three processes: description, coding and connecting themes and producing an account. The first step is to provide a complete description of the phenomenon of interest, which includes the context of the action, the intentions of the actor and the process in which the action is embedded (Denzin 1978). A weakness is that there are huge volumes of data, but they can then be organized into categories, in order to provide tools for analysis, making it easier to identify what is analyzed and to compare the data. This process involves, as Bogdan and Biklen (1992) recommend, reading and rereading field notes taken in a detailed and systematic way in order to develop a coding scheme. Goetz and LeCompte (1984) describe coding to form a taxonomic analysis, an outline of what is related to what and in what way. The researcher can then create graphical representations of these categories and their connections and supply case examples, opening up to different routes to examining the data, which may show that categories and subcategories can be related by themes. The process is undeniably very time consuming, but it is an effective approach to building new theories and understanding new phenomena and lends itself to the emergent theory. However, it is also argued that the process is rather reductionist, as the complexity of the raw data is overcome by simply reducing it to the status of variables. The researcher can then try to identify higher-order themes (main themes) and sub-themes out of the classification of data into themes has been done. A limitation may therefore be that there are too many diverse approaches to choose from. However, the researcher can base the interpretation of the data on the comparison of all collected data, and occasionally, like aforementioned, on other sources such as interview data or information on the social context. It is important that the researcher thinks critically and not only seeks data that supports the interpretation. Instead, the researcher should also search for evidence that could contradict the interpretation. A limitation is that this kind of analysis requires high levels of experience, patience and shrewdness on

the part of the researcher. Therefore, another one would be that results are inevitably influenced by researcher's personal bias. Finally a account is written based on all elements of the analysis. The researcher produces a coherent explanation and an overall theoretical framework for understanding the phenomenon. The framework is said to be "grounded" as it is based on the categories identified during the observation.