I've gathered 8 interviews of an intended 12-14 participants for my research. I'm going through them now anonymizing transcripts and wanted to clarify if there is any rationale on when you should begin analysing the transcripts? Should I wait until I have collected all of them and finished the data collection stage or would it be fine to begin reading through the transcripts now for the familiarisation stage and developing preliminary codes?
To clarify I'm utilising a reflexive thematic analysis approach with an inductive and deductive coding method.
Thanks
Better to wait , and you can use Nvivo for analysis. Find more here www.Stats4Edu.com
I prefer to wait for full dataset otherwise you may have re-run the queries when more are added. This can take up more time.
Wait or not wait? That is up to you. If you are using a semi-structured interview, it makes little sense to wait, as initial interviews guide future interviews and can be used for follow ups. Many researchers treat semi-structured as structured, which is unfortunate.
Admittedly, if you follow reflexive thematic analysis (RTA), then familiarization should start immediately. Why? You are encouraged by Braun and Clarke to transcribe and notice inflections and observations.
I think familiarization with notetaking, annotations, and questions early on, before completing data collection, is preferable. You'd hate to finish the study and find a theme which was marginally developed because you did not focus on the theme because you did not recognize it until after the study was complete. Braun and Clarke emphasize "flexible and accessible."
My reading of Braun and Clarke's recent book (2022) on Reflexive Thematic Analysis is that they emphasize waiting until the data collection is complete before beginning familiarization.
That said, I agree with David Coker that if you have the freedom to modify your interview protocol, then it would be better to determine what changes you might want to make at this point, rather than waiting until it is too late.
Hi Mathew,
I agree with David L Morgan and David Coker. Starting to gain 'familiarization' with your data as soon as possible makes sense and will enable you to make key decisions about your data collection tools (such as your interview protocol).
In Braun and Clarke's (2022) text, they explain this phase includes three tasks (see p. 42--immersion, critical engagement, and noting your thoughts regarding the data), which is very time-consuming. For these reasons, starting sooner rather than later in the familiarization phase is critical.
It is good to familiarize with the data, but for analysis is better after the data collection completed
Dr. Matthew Adam William Vaughan as you know well that thematic analysis is mostly used in quantitative research, so getting your questionnaire filled up from 12 individuals may not take 12 months, but rather you may collect your data in 30-50 days as I presume. Therefore, both of your tasks of anonymizing and familiarizing with the data may be done after completing data collection. It will give you liberty of thinking and your attention to the data will remain constant. I hope you will enjoy analyzing your data with care and looking after precise elements of your tasks.
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