Qualitative Method of Data analysis

The qualitative data analysis procedures allow for words, text and images to be transcribed and coded for analysis so that findings emerge that provide answers to the research questions. Some of the methods for analysing qualitative data include content analysis, thematic analysis, discourse and narrative analysis, and grounder theory as shown in Table 3.10.

145 Table 3. 10: Qualitative Method of analysis

Source: Compiled by researcher from Krippendorff, (2004), Mills et al., (2010 ), Dawson (2009) and Saunders, et al. (2012).

Whereas they all have their strength and weaknesses, the content analysis has been identified as one of the commonly used methods of analysis because of its main advantage as a technique to make replicable and valid inferences from text to context of use (Krippendorff, 2004). It is argued that thematic analysis is a type of content analysis. According to Krippendorff (2004), a renounced author in the area of content analysis, content analysis can range from the simplest form of word count to thematic or conceptual analysis. This statement implies that thematic analysis is an aspect of content analysis. It is not a surprise that although it is widely employed in content analysis, thematic analysis has not been well described. The thematic analysis is the aspect of content analysis that uses a systematic approach to the analysis of qualitative data involving identifying themes; coding and classifying data. It is usually textual, according to themes, and interpreting the resulting thematic structures by seeking commonalties, relationships, overarching patterns, theoretical constructs, or explanatory principles.

S/n Qualitative Method

of analysis

Description

1 Content analysis Content analysis is a descriptive approach systematically coding and categorizing approach used for exploring large amounts of textual information unobtrusively to determine trends and patterns of words used, their frequency, their relationships, and the

structures

2 Thematic analysis Involves a highly inductive analytical approach whereby themes

important about the data in relation to the research question represented in some level of pattern, response or meaning within the data set emerge from the data collected.

3 Comparative analysis closely connected to the thematic analysis however in these case data from different people are contrasted until no further or new issue arise

4 Discourse analysis Based on speech- how people talk what has made them talk.

Speech is analysed as performance rather than the state of the mind.

5 Grounded theory Analytical procedures involve the coding and categorization of

data collected with the aim of deriving concepts and theories from meanings within a data

146

3.9.1.1 Thematic-Content analysis

To explore the CMS for LcH project delivery the, opinions of PMT is required. Thematic analysis is an aspect of content analysis that facilitates both conceptual and relational analysis of the data. It helps to establish the existence, and frequency of concepts, which evolves through words and phrases in the data and examining the relationships among the concepts. According to Elo and Kyngäs (2008), a sequential procedure for thematic-content analysis involves preparation, organisation, and reporting. This procedure is adopted for this study. A diagrammatic illustration of the qualitative data analysis procedure is presented in Figure 3.4.

Figure 3. 4: Qualitative Content Analysis Procedure Source: Compiled from Elo and Kyngäs, (2008)

 Step1 one: Preparation

This step involves transcribing the data and taking brief notes where relevant information was found. Familiarization with the data collected is necessary to gain detailed insight of the full information found in the data relating to the concept and context of the research. The researcher transcribed audio-recorded sessions and field notes from the semi-structured interviews conducted. The process of the transcription allowed the researcher to gain insight into the thoughts and reflections of the interviewees. Subsequently, through several readings of the transcripts, the researcher identified areas of relevant information in the data.

147  Step Two: Organisation

This step is a major process in thematic-content analysis. It involves identifying common concepts assigning descriptive codes where appropriate and collecting the concepts under categories/themes, and comparing the emerged coding’s clusters together and about the entire data set (Denscombe, 2010). The Identification of themes can be done deductively or inductively. Deductively is based on theoretical constructs that the researcher wishes to investigate the case. These include themes formed by research questions, interview questions, or theory-derived categories as a start list for coding data documents. This approach can facilitate within or cross-case comparisons (Mills et al., 2010). On the other hand, an inductive approach is more typical of thematic analysis. Themes emerge from the primary data through which researcher builds a complex exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory case analysis grounded in the particulars of the case or multiple cases (Mills et al., (2010). However, it has been suggested that the approaches could be combined in research for comprehensiveness. Having gained areas of relevant information in the data, codes were assigned based on latent contents (structural meaning underlying the data) (Vaismoradi, et al., 2013). The codes were organised and grouped into sub-themes under an initial set of pre-set themes: from the research questions and literature and emergent themes from the data. Hence, both the inductive and deductive approaches were employed in the study. The main themes were cost performance, CMS- techniques, process, barriers and IMSFs carefully identifying possible links.

 Step Three: Reporting

This step involves reporting the data analysed which can be in the form of models, conceptual map or categories or a story line. This research reports the data analysed in a story line and with a conceptual tree-structure of variables. The tree structure was developed using the NVIVO a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software specifically designed for thematic analysis of qualitative data with theory-building capabilities. The features of computer-assisted database management including coding, linking, searching, and model building, facilitate rigorous and sophisticated thematic-content analyses. A snapshot of the analysis report using the NVIVO software is shown in Figure 3.5.

148 Figure 3. 5: NVIVO snapshot