Strategies for Managing and Organizing Qualitative Data

Qualitative data has been described as voluminous and sometimes overwhelming to the researcher. Discuss two strategies that would help a researcher manage and organize the data.

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Strategies for Managing and Organizing Qualitative Data

Unlike quantitative data, which is numerical and easy to organize and quantify, qualitative data is often challenging to manage and organize because it only characterizes or approximates without measuring the properties, characteristics, and attributes of phenomena. Because of its descriptive nature, researchers sometimes find it overwhelming to analyze and even present data into something that can easily be interpreted (Smith, 2018). One reason why it is challenging to arrange and organize qualitative data is that it usually occurs in narrative form because it is collected through observation, interviews, and questionnaires. For example, it can appear as responses recorded using an open-ended questionnaire about the socio-economic factors affecting African Americans or notes written down during a focus group on healthcare progress in the country.

Despite their challenges, it is nearly impossible to do away with qualitative research because of the important role it plays in helping researchers quantify large volumes of data around the world, from financial information to epidemiological data. Particular strategies can help investigators organize, manage, and put huge volumes of qualitative data into meaningful use. The first strategy is to check whether the qualitative data contains sufficient accuracy and quality before carrying out any major analysis. It is important to check whether the data is sufficiently valid and reliable (Noble & Smith, 2015). The second step is to arrange researcher commentary or field notes in a specific chronological order by activity or event, cast-of-characters, genre, data file schema (quantitative), or topic. The third strategy is to combine or merge smaller topics or themes that are related to single large classes and then label these groups (Wong, 2008). Besides labeling, all artifacts and documents should be cataloged and missing data checked.

References

Noble, H., & Smith, J. (2015). Issues of validity and reliability of qualitative research. Evidence-Based Nursing, 18(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/eb-2015-102054

Smith, B. (2018). Generalizability in qualitative research: Misunderstandings, opportunities, and recommendations for the sport and exercise sciences. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 10(1), 137-149.Wong, L. P. (2008). Data analysis in qualitative research: A brief guide to using Nvivo. Malaysian Family Physician, 3(1), 14-20.


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