Hi,

If you want to do the analysis for the qualitative data, kindly see the following:

First you have to see the methodology and what are all the analysis (statistical tests) already mentioned in your protocol.  Based on that you have to proceed the data analysis.

Kindly see the following links: (for some idea)

http://www.colorado.edu/eer/downloads/CarletonMarineBiologyExecutiveSummary2006.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWBXV651yd4

http://www.colorado.edu/eer/downloads/CarletonMarineBiologyExecutiveSummary2006.pdf

You can use a thematic or content analysis approach to make sense of the data.  

You will want to brush up on your qualitative methods by selecting a couple good sources.  M. Patton has helpful analysis references, yet many have a favorite qualitative reference.  I would ask myself if there is any theoretical structure to the information, yet you can also have the analysis be completely inductive.  Consider specific qualitative analysis methods such phenomenology, case study, grounded theory, etc.  I think a simple way of looking at a smaller amount of data is to store in Excel, where you can code various lines of data, marking a column to represent themes which can easily be sorted by these catagories.  You will want one to two other coders to assist , as this practice helps decrease bias.

A lot depends on your goals and purposes. For example, do you want to create additional variables that you want to add to your quantitative analysis? Or do you want to analyze the qualitative data to help explain the quantitative results?

In the first case, you would probably want to use content analysis, where the quantitative measures would serve as the basis for your preliminary codebook, and you would certainly want to use qualitative analysis software (if only to help with merging your new codes onto the original dataset).

In the second case, you would be more likely to do a thematic analysis, where the software would help you mange the codes you created to help interpretive the data. Here is a reference for a general approach to qualitative analysis which has received over 10,000 citations:

Braun, V. & Clarke, V. 2006. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101.

The Biographic Narrative Interpretive Method uses a team approach to interpreting (large amounts) of data.  I explain it in a worked exampl: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7172580_Informal_care_as_relationship_the_case_of_the_Magnificent_Seven?ev=prf_pub

Article Informal care as relationship: The case of the Magnificent Seven

TAMS Analyzer Macintosh Qualitative Research Tool: http://tamsys.sourceforge.net

- free software made by a researcher. Only for Mac. 

I share previous colleagues' opinions that the answer to your question will be driven by what question you yourself are trying to answer with those data.  If for example you are simply trying to add to an already existing list of potential responses to a question (e.g., you had an "other, please explain" response choice in a question), then it's just a matter of a frequency count of all the unique responses you received (there are multiple pieces of software that will do that for you, e.g., IBM Text Analytics, or nVivo or Atlas.ti if you set up your data correctly.  If, on the other hand, you have material, open-ended responses in your questionnaire where a respondent might go on at length, then a more thematic approach is appropriate, such as thematic analysis or grounded theory. 

The information provided by Dr. Morgan is your best bet...the Braum and Clarke paper has information you could use to help analyze your qualitative data. Good luck!

Also: The turn to a narrative knowing of persons: One method explored https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258156233_The_turn_to_a_narrative_knowing_of_persons_One_method_explored

Article The turn to a narrative knowing of persons: One method explored

Hello,

Thank you for your question. It depends largely on the aims of your research. A thematic or content analysis is most likely a good starting point for you. A couple of useful papers are as follows:

Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101.

Côté, J., Salmela, J.H., Baria, A., & Russell, S.J. (1993). Organising and interpreting unstructured qualitative data. The Sport Psychologist, 7, 127 - 137.

The paper available attached at the link below from Tracy (2010) is also a useful starting point for understanding rigor in qualitative research.

I hope this all helps,

Good luck!

Adam

http://qix.sagepub.com/content/16/10/837.full.pdf+html

Thank you all for the information.

content analysis and thematic analysis can better the serve the purpose.

I recommend  this book on GT:

Corbin, Strauss. Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory  (2007)

success!

Hello

I believe that colleagues have already mentioned the main methods for interpreting unstructured qualitative data.

However, if you are dealing with a large volume of data, I would like to indicate the use of a qualitative data analysis software.

The use of computer software for qualitative data analysis is becoming more popular among researchers and allow greater interaction with the data, facilitating the coding and enabling new activities in the analysis inherent in research.

Recently I used NVivo software, version 10 and recommend it.

Regards,

Jose Carlos.