DATA ANALYSIS

2.9.1 TRANSCRIPTION

Transcription of the interview was started within one week of the interview taking place.

Interviews were transcribed verbatim, though non-word utterances were excluded. The process of transcribing is important in grounded theory methodologies, allowing the

researcher to become fully immersed within the data. Whilst the researcher was transcribing,

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any ideas about the data was recorded in brief comments. Once the transcription was complete, these comments informed the reflective journal and development of research position (Appendix III). This process of reflection is important in constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006) as it allows emerging themes in initial interviews to be explored in subsequent interviews. Initial key themes that arose for participants included the ideas around inner strength and beliefs / values, the need for hope for the future, the value of religion in coping, the need for employment, a dilemma about being in the UK but wanting to return home, and an overall theme around the importance of safety. The interview schedule was thus adapted to take account of these reflections. The reflective journal also allows the reader to make sense of how the researcher is co-constructing ideas with the participant (having provided an account of his own position - section 2.4.1.1).

Following completion of transcriptions, the processes of initial coding, focussed coding, categorisation, memo-writing, constant comparative analysis and negative case analysis was initiated and completed continuously throughout the analytic process. The reflective journal was regularly referred to in order that the researcher was able to keep checking on the process of co-construction.

2.9.2 ANALYSIS OF INTERVIEW DATA

Data analysis involved listening to the recordings and reading through the transcripts on multiple occasions so an overall sense of the data was achieved. Following this, the analysis process involved the following concepts:

2.9.2.1 Initial coding

Qualitative codes examine segments of data and deconstructs these segments and names them using a concise term. Further, it ‘proposes an analytic handle to develop abstract ideas for interpreting each segment of data’ (Chamaz, 2006, 2011, p.45). Coding is the crucial link between collecting data and developing an emergent theory to explain the data. Using coding, the researcher defines what is happening in the data and begins to consider what the data means. Initial coding is the first step in the coding process and involves speed and

spontaneity, staying close to the data, persevering actions, remaining open, constructing short codes and comparing data with data. There are a number of different ways in which to

conduct initial coding (including word-by-word, line-by-line and incident-to-incident).

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The process used in this analysis was line-by-line coding (Charmaz, 2006), and involves looking through the transcript line-by-line and using a short code to summarise each segment of data. The code was based on the participants own words (consistent with the process of staying as close to the data as possible). Initial codes that emerged were illustrated by excerpts from the data, as per guidelines (Elliot et al., 1999). These are reflected in the Results section.

2.9.2.2 Focussed coding and categorisation

Focussed codes are more direct, selective and conceptual than initial codes (Glaser, 1978).

The process involves using the most significant and / or frequent earlier codes to sift through large amounts of data, and requires decision made by the researcher about which initial codes make the most analytic sense to categorise data incisively and completely (Charmaz, 2006).

This is linked with the gradual process of categorisation; Charmaz (2006) defines

categorisation as being the analytical step in grounded theory of selecting certain codes as having overriding significance, or abstracting common themes and patterns in several codes in an analytic concept. By doing this, the researcher raises the conceptual level of the analysis from description to an increasingly abstract and theoretical level. Further, the researcher attempts to define the properties of the category, the conditions under which it is operative, the conditions by which it changes and it’s relation to other categories. Thus, the most significant categories are developed into the grounded theory.

By following this process, a set of lower level analytic sub-categories were developed and later consumed by higher level analytic categories, creating a tree-formation displaying the analytic categories (Willig, 2008) (see Results section). The process of developing the constructivist grounded theory for this research topic can be seen in Appendix XVI.

2.9.2.3 Constant comparative method

As defined by Charmaz (2006), this is “a method of analysis that generates successively more abstract concepts and theories through inductive processes of comparing data with data, category with category, and category with concept. Comparisons then constitute each stage of analytic development” (p.187). This process was followed in the study to explore and understand data.

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2.9.2.4 Negative case analysis

Once a process of identifying categories and links between categories had occurred, there was consideration of codes and data that did not fit with the patterns emerging. These codes were re-examined and explored in more depth, and enhanced the developing grounded theory.

Further, it allowed for the full-extent of the data that was emerging to be represented.

2.9.2.5 Memo writing

This is a process where researchers stop coding and comparing, and analyse their codes and categories in any way which spontaneously occurs to them (Charmaz, 2006). The process enables researchers to analyse data early in the research process. An example of memo writing from the current study can be seen in Appendix XIV.

2.9.3 TRIANGULATION

It was possible to present themes to a number of people who were involved in the research process to evaluate the extent to which the emergent theory resonated with the data (the interpreter and the project worker from the third sector recruiting organisation – see Appendix XV for reflections post-interview), as well as with the academic supervisor and another doctoral student using constructivist grounded theory approaches.

2.10 SUMMARY

This section has described the methodology to the study, focussing on the rationale for using a qualitative constructivist grounded theory methodology, the ways in which the study ensured quality, the study design and clinical governance considerations. Further, it has provided a description of the sample, interview procedure and data collection and analytic methods. The Results section will present the constructivist grounded theory of the ways asylum seekers understand and cope with their experiences and will illustrate this model with quotations from interviews.

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CHAPTER 3:

RESULTS