I have conducted two focus group discussions and now wondering which approach to use for data analysis. The approaches which I think I can use are content analysis or hermeneutic or even abductive. Can anyone guide me?
Content analysis comes in a number of different variations, ranging from a more quantitative version that involves counting things to a more qualitative version that involves interpretation. The more qualitative version is basically the same as Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke 2006).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235356393_Using_thematic_analysis_in_psychology
In contrast, hermeneutic analysis is highly interpretative, and generally involves a search for meaning.
Finally, abduction is basically a form of logic, where one evaluates one's insights into the data by systematically testing those ideas against your observations. I am not aware of any method that is called "adductive analysis."
Article Using thematic analysis in psychology
Thank you David. I used thematic analysis in the two qualitative studies I have conducted so far. However, this time I want to try something which involves deeper analysis. That is why I need guidance for which path to choose: hermeneutic analysis or is there some other option available. I am not going towards grounded theory.
Hermeneutic analysis is a general approach to interpreting data more than s specific method. As a step beyond Thematic Analysis, you might consider Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), which was developed by Jonathan Smith. It is based on a hermeneutic approach.
The approach you take in analysing your data should reflect your research question, paradigm and methodology. For instance, as someone who sits on the more post-modern end of the spectrum, I would avoid content analysis. However, it may be very useful to you in terms of identifying the stressors.
I consider that content analysis is extremely useful in exploratory mixed methods studies. It has particular utility in identifying variables that may be tested later through a survey. However, in my opinion it is limited in its ability to reveal the complexity of human experience which is why most of us turn to qualitative methods to begin with.
Without knowing your paradigm and other details, I thought I might just mention a general text that I found to be extremely useful: Johnny Saldaña's "The coding manual for qualitative researchers" which is published by Sage. This text includes many different frameworks as well as some helpful worked examples. It is a great starting point for identifying the most appropriate framework for your study.
If you are interested in a hermeneutic approach to analysis, I found Patterson & Williams' "Collecting and analysing qualitative data: Hermeneutic principles, methods and case examples" simple and helpful. Much like David has said above, hermeneutics is more about the meaning of stress. From your brief intro (specifically the word reason) you are probably more interested in the antecedents to the phenomena so a hermeneutic approach may not be ideal.
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