Data Analysis

I transcribed verbatim the tape-recorded interviews and incorporated any field notes into each transcription. I analysed the data from each of the women’s interviews at every interview time point for example, ten interviews were transcribed following their first interview at 20-24 weeks gestation. All of the women and midwives were given their own colour code. Sticky colour tapes were used to identify the women’s interview time points the information related to.35 _{Midwives were matched to the women they were caring for at the birth of}

their baby their colour code allowing me to reference back to find out the corresponding woman.

I conducted a data reduction phase through line-by-line reading of the text and coding words and basic themes, which I transferred to another sheet, using the codes discussed previously36_{. As the number of interviews increased, more}

basic themes were added, collapsed and merged. The basic themes were constantly being reviewed. Each basic theme was labelled succinctly.

I followed Attride-Stirling’s (2001) process, as discussed in section 4.9; I grouped basic themes together by finding common characteristics. I then amalgamated them into an organising theme that reflected the grouping of the basic themes37_{. I then spent some time to reflect on the organising themes and}

the basic themes. This reflection allowed me time to identify the global theme, relating to each network. Separate networks were produced for the women and the midwives.

35 _{An example of this is included in appendix 5.}

36 _{This is included in appendix 5,relating to the women’s themes.} 37 _{This is shown in appendix 5, relating to the women’s themes.}

I then reflected longitudinally down through the women’s interviews to identify particular characteristics of the individual women and how they were situated at this point in time. I found this to be a very useful exercise, as it allowed me to see if the women’s viewpoints had changed through their childbearing experience. I could also then compare these data with the midwife that was present at the birth of their baby. This comparison is detailed in Appendix 3.

My choice was not to use computer- assisted data analysis software, but to do the analysis by hand. I became increasingly familiar with the data, as I had also performed the transcribing of the data. I felt that I knew it ‘inside and out’ and could feel the experiences of both the women and the midwives. This method also gave me time and space to reflect deeply on the data. I engaged in a constant refinement and verification process of the networks I had produced to ensure no further basic themes or organisational themes emerged. I felt that I had reached ‘saturation’ of the data.

As Attride-Stirling (2001) asserts, the thematic networks constitute a tool in the analysis, not the analysis itself. Haraway’s (1991, 1997) principles were not suffocated by this organisation. In fact, the networks allowed the data themes to remain visual, authorising a way of working them up into pertinent groupings and relevance. The networks enabled me to return to the transcripts and re- read them in relation to the networks in a cyclical way. I was then able to describe each network in turn and illustrate the description with sections of text. This framework supported me in relating the data to a feminist technoscience perspective, by exploring the networks and summarising the themes and the patterns characterising them. In order to make increasing sense of the data I utilised the developing networks along with ongoing reading of relevant literature to provide me with a deeper conceptual awareness that, in turn, supported me in a rich and in-depth analysis. This is discussed in chapter 7.

4.10 CONCLUSION

In this chapter I have presented the rationale for my chosen theoretical perspective of Haraway, particularly in relation to the cyborg (1991) and her

work in

Modest_Witness@Second_Millenium.FemaleMan©Meets_OncoMouse™ (1997).

Feminist theory in relation to the role of the midwife has pulled together the roots of this project; This Chapter justifies my reasoning for using a postmodern feminist technoscience perspective to view this study. I have outlined why I believe the adoption of Haraway’s concepts of the cyborg, modest witness, semiotic materials, the acknowledgement of OncoMouse™ and FemaleMan© are relevant to my study and will help to facilitate understanding of women’s perceptions of a midwife’s role through their experiential knowledge. Within this chapter I have woven through my justification for using Haraway’s ‘Situated Knowledges and Partial Perspective’ (1991) as a way of ‘seeing’ how women and midwives ‘come to know’. I have explored the relevance of moving towards diffractions from reflexivity, in relation to Haraway’s (1991, 1997) theory and issues around clarifying truth and validity.

The methodology relating to the second phase of this study has been discussed within this chapter. I have clarified my research design and provided justification for the methods chosen. I have communicated the relevance of using a structured thematic analytic approach to the principles of Haraway’s (1988, 1991, 1987) writings. I have justified my reasons for developing and diversifying within the feminist field, to ensure themes do not get lost within the different data collected. As Mauthner and Doucet (1998) state:

“ Are research texts on data analysis intended to be followed step by step? How many researchers who describe using particular methods actually follow all the steps as specified within the original text?…..to what extent do methods evolve as different researchers use and adapt them?”

(Mauther and Doucet 1998:123).

The use of a structured analysis has enhanced rather than disrupted the research process and has provided a positive contribution to the study.

My experience of the research ethics committee in the second phase reassured me that not all ethics committees are the same and that there are some

understanding, helpful and supportive committees out there for researchers to access.

This longitudinal empirical study is guided by a postmodern feminist technoscience perspective, which provides understanding of how women and midwives view the role of the midwife. This along with the different sources of methods used makes this study unique. My only quest is for voices of women and midwives to be heard, through acknowledging their accounts in an honest and open methodological content. Figure 4.2 tracks my research journey so far.

Figure 4.2 Research Journey

Perceptions of a Midwife’s Role

Traditional Midwifery Skills

Male Influence on Birth Plurality of Existing Definitions of a Midwife’s Role

Dominance of Medicalisation Medicalisation of Birth

Role Defined Through a Medical Lens

Current Midwifery Policy

Evidence of Midwives, Women’s and Partner’s Views

Influence of knowledge of feminism research design of first phase

Liberal First Wave ………

Marist Liberal Radical Second Wave findings from first phase of study ………...

Postmodernism Psychoanalytic

Technoscience Cyberfeminism Third Wave

Identification of Haraway (1991, 1997) as research design of second phase Chosen theoretical perspective

Liberal First Wave ……… Marist Liberal Radical Second Wave ………... Postmodernism Psychoanalytic

CHAPTER 5

AN INITIAL EXPLORATION OF WOMEN’S THOUGHTS ON