Data preparation and analysis

The research uses three methods of data collection: questionnaires, structured interviews and focus groups to gather evidence against the five research

objectives. Data preparation is vital but it does not start once the data has been collected (Wynn, 2012). The selection of statistical tests, for instance should have been thought about at the planning stage, not implementation stage of the research (Gray, 2009, p.449). The raw data is analysed to search for patterns, provide information about variables and the relationships between them, and to aid understanding (Fellows and Liu, 1997, p.144).

6.8.1 Questionnaires

Once the questionnaires are returned the data can easily be transcribed and put into an Excel spreadsheet, however as Bell (2005, p.201) points out ‘data collected by means of questionnaires, interviews, diaries or any other method mean very little until they are analysed and evaluated’. All questionnaires are filed to enable fresh analysis if necessary.

The majority of the questions on all of the questionnaires required a single response and are quantitative in nature. However a small number of questions require the respondents to express an opinion, which are qualitative in nature. To analyse qualitative questions, codings are used and key themes emerging from the data are identified.

Quantitative measures, incorporating averages and percentages of

respondents’ answers to questions, are used. The results are presented in the form of tables, bar charts, pie charts and graphs. In addition to the descriptive statistical method of analysis, statistical tests are used.

The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was considered to analyse all of the quantitative data. This would enable the researcher as Bell (2005, p.203) states ‘to look for similarities and differences, for groupings, patterns and

items of particular significance’. SPSS is a sophisticated package but it is not ‘user friendly’ (Information Technology Service, 2010) and it is felt by the

researcher that Microsoft Excel 2010 with StatPlus:mac, a statistics package is more than suitable to collate and analyse the majority of the data. This method of data analysis is chosen because it is familiar to the researcher and provides a powerful tool with which to provide a comprehensive analysis. Data is input into Excel, question by question, for each respondent and a coding system adopted which allows for an appropriate level of analysis in the majority of cases to be carried out. SPSS is used where more sophisticated analysis is needed e.g. non-parametric Mann-Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests.

6.8.2 Interviews

Each interview is recorded and the recording transcribed. The transcription is sent to the interviewee to establish that it is a true and accurate record of the interview. Once approval had been sought, the transcription is entered into Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. This allows the researcher to easily

organise and analyse the unstructured data. The Nvivo10 qualitative and mixed methods research package is considered, but it is discounted because the learning curve is very time consuming and manual equivalencies of the MS Office Suite of Word and Excel with other software packages of Wordle (for word clouds) and Freemind (special outlining) provide a viable alternative. Nvivo10 does have useful facilities for linking extracts of data together however manual coding and electronic analysis of data can be done with Word and Excel.

The data obtained is qualitative in nature and as Fellows and Liu (1997, p.140) point out ‘can be difficult and laborious to analyse’. To ensure objectivity and to exclude the researchers opinions in the analysis, a set of guidelines is drawn up to ensure the data is categorized appropriately and through a process of

‘thematic analysis’, emerging ideas/themes can be established. Thematic analysis is more appropriate than content analysis as it considers the qualitative aspects of the data rather than establishing a numerical description of the key

features pertaining to the data (Joffe and Yardley, 2004). All themes emerging from the data can be explored or a selective approach adopted by only

considering those ideas, which are related to a particular research interest (Ball, no-date).

Fellows and Liu (1997) indicate caution with the categorization of qualitative data as it can distort or become part of the analysis. This view is shared by Alexiadou (2001, p.53) who indicates that it is difficult to find ‘a set of

theoretically informed procedures in analysing data, that enabled an

understanding of “lived experience” and the “discovery” of meaning behind the talk provided by the interviewee, while at the same time allowing the exploration of language as it performs a social function’. Thematic analysis allows the researcher to determine the frequency of the ideas yet analyse in context their meaning (Joffe and Yardley, 2004).

The procedures suggested by Alexiadou (2001) are set out for semi-structured interviews but provide a comprehensive process by which structured interviews can be captured, analysed and the content disseminated to a wider audience. A central aim of the process is to make sure there is consistency across the interviews and validity of the analysis procedure.

6.8.2.1

Presenting and analysing the data

The purpose of this section is to explain how the data from the higher-level personnel interviews is sorted, presented and what process took place in relation to the analysis of responses received. The data analysis is split into two sections. The first section is concerned with a presentation and analysis of the answers that were given in relation to the questions that were asked and the second section is concerned with an analysis of emerging ideas, which the researcher identified as being critical features of the data.

In presenting and analysing the answers to the structured interview questions, the investigation includes qualitative data in order to produce a balance view of

respondent’s thoughts and opinions. Selected higher-level personnel responses are included in the text with detailed reference to an example of complete responses in the appendices.

To identify the emerging themes from the data and to establish and interrogate the relationships between them, the interviews are de-constructed. This took place using the framework (eight stages of analysis) suggested by Alexiadou (2001) and interpreted by Taylor (2009) as being:

Stage 1 – Achieving familiarity with the data Stage 2 – Recognising significance

Stage 3 – Sorting the data into ideas/themes

Stage 4 – Clustering the themes together to make order of the data Stage 5 – Make sense and unravel meaning to the data

Stage 6 – Read back over each theme/cluster to ensure full coverage Stage 7 – Interrogate the data to establish relationships

Stage 8 – Generate individual accounts

The eight stages of analysis are considered in conjunction with those proposed by Taylor-Powell and Renner (2003), which are:

Step 1 – Get to know your data Step 2 – Focus the analysis Step 3 – Categorise information

Step 4 – Identify patterns and connections within and between categories

Step 5 – Interpretation, bringing it all together

For the purpose of this research, the investigation combines the information from Alexiadou (2001), Taylor (2009) and Taylor-Powell and Renner (2003) to analyse the qualitative data using the following six stages:

1. Demonstrating an understanding and insight into the data

2. Establishing critical features within the data and sorting into emerging ideas

3. Group like-minded ideas/themes together into thematic clusters

4. Identify relationships within and between the clusters making sense of the information

5. Interrogate the relationships and interpret the themes 6. Draw conclusions and verify outcomes

The six stages are an iterative process, moving from ‘field text to research text’ (Taylor, 2009, p.124) to enable order and sense to be made from the data. Themes capture reoccurring ideas, which can be analysed in relation to the research question. Chapter 7 presents the results of the structured interviews.