Creswell (2013:180-183) indicates that data analysis is an ongoing and evolving process of continual reflection and learning by doing, to conclude with interpretative findings when answering the research question. Data analysis is an encompassing process that involves organising of the data, conducting a preliminary read-through of the database, coding, theme arrangement and a representation of the data in discussion format towards the final step where interpretations are derived from data themes (Creswell 2013:180). In this study, the researcher applied Creswell’s data analysis cycle (Creswell 2013:180-183) as a systematic approach to enhance the trustworthiness of the findings. Creswell’s data analysis cycle is discussed according to the following five steps:
2.8.1 Step 1: Organising the data
Data were organised and prepared throughout the data collection phase as focus groups were conducted. Hard copies of individual focus group events were labelled in terms of participants’ signed consent forms, demographic data forms, handwritten reflective notes of the researcher and field notes of simple observations made by the co-facilitator.
All four of the focus groups were recorded on a voice recorder. After each focus group, recordings were copied to the researcher’s private laptop where hard-disc drive encryption is enabled. Access control was secured via password to safeguard data content and ensure the healthcare organisations’ and participants’ confidentiality. Separate files were created electronically for each focus group according to the research site and date of the focus group. Copies of focus group recordings were deleted from the audio-recorder after saving and backing-up of each of the focus group recordings. Electronic back-up databases were established on an external USB device; not only were the files encrypted, but also access to the device was restricted by password authentication. The external USB device is kept in a safe.
After ensuring that the information was secured, the researcher engaged with the data by listening to the voice recordings as soon as possible after the exit mode of each focus group. The researcher transcribed one of the focus group’s recordings in person. The remainder of the focus group recordings were transcribed by an experienced qualitative researcher in the nursing discipline. Sutton and Austin (2015:228) suggest that the researcher should talk through the research with the transcriber. The researcher and transcriber engaged in a lengthy discussion which included the background, purpose, aims and objectives of the study. On completion of the transcriptions the researcher did data cleaning by reading while listening to the recordings, jotting down notes on the printed transcriptions and ensuring that all identifying cues were removed from the printed versions. The researcher was confident that the transcriptions reflected a true representation of the actual audio-recordings.
2.8.2 Step 2: Reading and memoing
Creswell (2013:183) and Sutton and Austin (2015:228) suggest that researchers should read the transcripts in their entirety to obtain a feel for the participants’ perceptions of the
phenomenon under study. Creswell (2013:183) suggests that the process of breaking down into smaller parts should commence after the holistic view is established, The researcher made hard copies of all transcripts and read through them several times to reinforce the general sense of the participants’ perspectives. The researcher immersed in the process of repetitive reading aimed at the identification of meaningful statements and relationships between the verbal accounts of the participants’ perceptions.
As the researcher developed a feel for the participants’ experiences during data reading, she started to think about issues that could be pursued in subsequent focus groups (Sutton & Austin 2015:228). Sutton and Austin (2015:228) explain that data saturation is reached when one participant’s narrative informs the next, as the researcher continues data collection with a sensitisation towards things that participants continue to repeat during interviews.
Field notes of non-verbal impressions were collated with textural and structural verbal descriptions to verify congruence between verbal and non-verbal communication. The focus groups’ verbal communication did not suggest any incongruence with non-verbal gestures or cues. The researcher became progressively immersed in the data as they were collected and analysed simultaneously. The researcher constantly sought for relationships in the perceptions, opinions, viewpoints and experiences of the participants as data emerged during the focus groups.
2.8.3 Step 3:.Describing the data into codes and themes
Sutton and Austin (2015:228) suggest that once all of the research interviews have been transcribed and checked, it is time to begin coding. Coding refers to the identification of topics of similarities and differences that have been revealed through the participants’ narratives (Sutton & Austin 2015:228). Sutton and Austin (2015:228) indicate that the coding process enables the researcher to understand the world from the participant’s perspective.
Creswell (2013:184) proclaims that the forming of categories represents the heart of qualitative data analysis. Sutton and Austin (2015:228) suggest that coding could be done by making notes on a copy of the transcript. The researcher used text-highlighter colours to cluster similarities in data together to form subcategories. The researcher looked for
significant statements that portrayed how the participants perceived their experiences and understanding pertaining to their own roles and responsibilities when supporting the “Back to basics” QI initiative. As the researcher immersed in the collected data, it became apparent that specific perceptions and shared experiences were repeated. The collected data evolved progressively to strengthen similarities in the perceptions of the participants’ experiences pertaining to their roles, responsibilities and challenges in “Back to basics” nursing care. The researcher listed non-repetitive, non-overlapping statements on a separate list.
Various subcategories were merged together, based on their parallel congruence, to form categories. Categories were formed out of the descriptive subcategories. These reflected the interrelationships between similarities in the participants’ perceptions and experiences with regard to their roles, responsibilities and challenges in providing basic nursing care at the bedside of the patient.
2.8.4 Step 4: Grouping significant statements into themes
Creswell (2013:193) suggests that the researcher take significant statements and group them into larger units of information, called themes. Themes are broad units of information that consist of several codes, to form collective ideas that describe categories. The researcher continued with the systematic process of joining interrelated categories together to derive overarching statements that encompassed the in-depth data of the participants’ perceptions and experiences and challenges of the topic under discussion. The process of grouping significant statements into themes was done in a colour-coded manner during the coding process (Annexure 12).
2.8.5 Step 5: Interpreting the data
Sutton and Austin (2015:229) propose that the data be drawn together to represent truthful research findings. The synthesis of data is done in the final stage of a qualitative study (Sutton & Austin 2015:229). As the ‘story of the participants’ was distilled and summarised, the findings were formulated (Sutton & Austin 2015:229). Findings are presented in Chapter 3 according to the themes, categories and subcategories that emerged during the data analysis process.