Qualitative Data Analysis
Coms 930, Fall 2011
Communication
Studies
University of
Kansas
Course
Overview and Goals
This class
will:
Expose
you to a variety of ways of getting from a body of collected qualitative data
to a compelling analysis of that data
Provide
hands on experience analyzing data
Provide
a structured environment to get from qualitative data you have collected into a
publishable paper
Provide
collaborative opportunities to participate in and critique one anotherÕs work.
Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative
analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
See course schedule for
additional readings.
Assignments
10 workshop days (40%)
You should do the 2-3 workshops that will take place on Blackboard instead of
in class. Of the 7-8 workshop days that meet in class, you should prepare
materials for at least four (we will sign up in advance). As part of workshopping, you will also be expected to provide
meaningful peer review.
Final Paper (55%) At the end of the semester you should
have a qualitative research paper that is ready to submit to a major conference
or for journal review.
Presentation (5%) You will make a 12
minute presentation of your final paper to the class as though it were a
conference.
Course Schedule
Monday August 22: First meeting
Introduction to Data
Analysis
Wednesday August 24
Taylor, S. J.
& Bogdan, R. (1984). ÒWorking with dataÓ In Introduction to qualitative research
methods. 123-145,
John Wiley & Sons.
Atkinson,
P. & Delamont, S. (2008) Analytic perspectives. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln, Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials, 285-311.3rd
Edition.
Monday August 29
Hammersley and Atkinson (1983), Chapter 8 ÒThe
Process of AnalysisÓ in Ethnography. 2nd Ed. Routledge.
Wednesday August 31: No in-class meeting.
Workshop Day 1: Post to
Blackboard: In 1-3 pages tell us your topic, the
literature background on which your project is likely to draw, and the general
approach you plan to use to analyzing your data. What data (if any) do you have
that you are ready to analyze in this class? What kind of materials are they?
How much of them are there? What kinds of questions are you interested in
asking about them?
Read each otherÕs posts and
respond with what, if anything, you feel you
could bring to a project like that.
Form preliminary teams
of 3-5 people with
interests similar to one another and a variety of kinds of data. These are the
people who will be responsible for giving one another constructive critiques on
workshops and reading responses.
Monday September 5: NO CLASS - LABOR DAY
Wednesday September 7
Hammersley (1998). Standards for Assessing Ethnographic
ResearchÓ and ÒMaking an assessment: Validity,Ó Chapter 3 in Reading Ethnographic Research, Second
Edition, London: Longman.
Silverman, D.
(1989). "Rules of Qualitative Research." Symbolic Interaction, 12(2), 215-230.
Tracy, S. J. (2010). Qualitative quality: Eight Òbig-tentÓ
criteria for excellent qualitative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 16:10.
Monday September 12
Charmaz, K. ÒAn Invitation to Grounded TheoryÓ
and ÒGathering Rich DataÓ in Constructing
Grounded Theory.
Sage
Suddaby, R. (2006). From the editors: What
grounded theory is not. The
Academy of Management Journal, 49, 633-642.
Wednesday September 14
Basu, A. & Dutta,
M. J. (2009) Sex workers and HIV/AIDS: Analyzing participatory culture-centered
health communication strategies. Human
Communication Research 35 (2009) 86–114
Monday September 19
Workshop Day 2: Bring to class a 1 page written summary of at least three ideas that
are emerging from your data along with 2-3 concrete examples.
Wednesday September 21
Owen,
W. F. (1984). Interpretive themes in relational communication. Quarterly Journal of Speech
70, 274-287.
Meisenback, R. J. (2010). The female breadwinner:
Phenomenological experience and gendered identity in work/family spaces. Sex Roles, 62, 2-19..
Monday September 26
Workshop Day 3: Bring to class 6-9 brief examples that
you think demonstrate 2-3 themes in your data. Separately, write brief
definitions of each theme. Look for themes in each othersÕ
data before sharing your own themes and discuss.
Conversation and Discourse
Analysis
Wednesday September 28
PerŠkylŠ, A. (2008) Analyzing Talk and Text. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln, Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials, 3rd
Edition. 351-374
Gee, J. P.
(1999) ÒAn Example of Discourse AnalysisÓ In An Introduction to Discourse Analysis. 119-148.
Monday October 4
Workshop Day 4: Bring to class 3-5 examples from your
data in which we can see patterns of the sort PerŠkylŠ
or Gee describe. Write a 2-3 page analysis of one such
pattern that includes at least 3 examples.
Wednesday October 5:
Fairclough, N. & Wodak,
R. (1997). Critical discourse analysis. In T. Van Dijk, Discourse as
social interaction, 258-284. Sage: London.
DÕEnbeau, S. & Buzzanell,
P. M. (2011) Selling (Out) Feminism: Sustainability of ideology-viability
tensions in a competitive marketplace, Communication
Monographs 78(1) 27-52.
Monday October 10: No in-class meeting.
LeGreco, M., & Tracy, S.J. (2009). Discourse tracing as qualitative
practice. Qualitative
Inquiry, 15, 1516-1543.
Workshop Day 5: Post to
Blackboard: You now have some familiarity with your
own and your teamÕs data. What critical issues could be
unpacked in your data? Respond to the posts by others in your team. Are there
other critical issues that you see?
Wednesday October 12: No in-class meeting.
Watch tutorials on these three options:
Introduction to NVivo:
http://download.qsrinternational.com/Document/NVivo8/NVivo8-Introducing-NVivo.htm
The university offers graduate student access
to NVivo, but in a fairly restrictive way.
Dedoose: http://www.dedoose.com/LearnMore/VideoTour.aspx
The first month of Dedoose
is free, consider signing up and fooling around with
it. AtlasTI: http://www.youtube.com/user/ATLASti01
Monday October 17
Charmaz, K. ÒCoding in Grounded Theory PracticeÓ
in Constructing Grounded Theory. Sage
Wednesday October 19: Saldana,
J. (2009) An introduction to codes and coding. In The Coding Manual for Qualitative
Researchers, Sage.
Monday October 24
Workshop Day 6: Bring to class a brief coding manual and copies of sample data to go
around.
Wednesday October 26
ÒMemo-writingÓ
in Charmaz, K. Constructing
Grounded Theory. Sage
Miles, M. B.,
& Huberman, A. M. (1994). ÒMatrix displays: rules
of thumbÓ Chapter 9 in Qualitative Data
Analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Monday October 31
Workshop Day 7: Bring a matrix analysis of your data and a memo you have written
based on that matrix analysis.
Wednesday November 2
Charmaz, K. ÒTheoretical Sampling, Saturation and
SortingÓ and ÒReconstructing Theory in Grounded Theory StudiesÓ in Constructing Grounded Theory.
Sage
Ten Have,
P. (1999). ÒElaborating the
Analysis.Ó Chapter 7 In Doing
Conversation Analysis, 130-157
Monday November 7
Workshop Day 8: Bring a 1-2 page analysis of how you might bring theory to bear or
start to build theoretical explanations for the phenomena in your own data.
Discuss this regarding the other team membersÕ data.
Wednesday
November 9
Goffman, E. (1981). Footing. In E. Goffman,
Forms of talk, (pp. 124-159).
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania.
Schiffrin, D. (1993) ÔSpeaking
for anotherÓ in sociolinguistic interviews: Alignments, identities and frames. In D. Tannen (ed)
Framing in Discourse. 231-263
Oxford University: New York
Monday November 14 (may be a post to
Blackboard and respond to each other there day):
Workshop Day 9: Bring a 1-2 page analysis of the identities at play in your data
with at least one specific example to demonstrate how those identities are
constructed through communication.
Wednesday November 16
Ochs,
E. (2007). Narrative.
In T. Van Dijk, Discourse
as structure and process, 185-207. Sage: London.
Chase. S. E.
(2008) Narrative inquiry: Multiple lenses, approaches, voices.
In N. (2008) Denzin & Y.
Lincoln, Collecting and interpreting
qualitative materials, 3rd Edition, 57-94.
Monday November 21
Workshop Day 10: Bring to class an example of at least one narrative that occurs in
your data and a brief written summary of what analysis of this narrative
reveals. Discuss what you see in one anotherÕs narratives and the means through
which that meaning is constructed communicatively.
Wednesday November 23: NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING BREAK
Monday November 28
Charmaz, K. ÒWriting the DraftÓ and ÒReflecting on the Research ProcessÓ Constructing Grounded Theory. Sage.
Wednesday November 30
Monday December 5
Wednesday December 7
Final Papers Due
Wednesday December 14, 11 am.