The SAGE Handbook of 
                              Qualitative Data 
                                                        Analysis
                                                              Uwe Flick
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                                                                                                                         1
                                                                           Mapping the Field
                                                                                                             Uwe Flick
                         Data analysis is the central step in qualitative      for analysing qualitative data before we  
                         research. Whatever the data are, it is their          consider the expansion of the phenomena 
                         analysis that, in a decisive way, forms the           and data available for analysis. The dimen-
                         outcomes of the research. Sometimes, data             sions demarcating the proliferation of quali-
                         collection is limited to recording and docu-          tative research and, especially, qualitative 
                         menting naturally occurring phenomena, for            data analysis will be discussed here and 
                         example by recording interactions. Then               unfolded in more detail in the individual chap-
                         qualitative research is concentrated on ana-          ters. After a definition of qualitative data anal-
                         lysing such recordings. Given the centrality          ysis the major aims of qualitative data analysis 
                         of the analysis in qualitative research, in           will be outlined – such as reducing big data 
                         general, a kind of stocktaking of the various         sets to core elements or expanding small 
                         approaches to qualitative analysis and of the         pieces of data by adding extensive interpreta-
                         challenges it faces seems necessary. Anyone           tions. Discussing some theoretical back-
                         interested in the current state and develop-          grounds and basic methodological approaches 
                         ment of qualitative data analysis will find a         will complement this sketch of the field.
                         field which is constantly growing and becom-            As the first axis, a historical line will be 
                         ing less structured. There are many changes           drawn, which intersects a second axis con-
                         which have evolved in parallel, making the            cerning geographical diversity, which is 
                         field even more complex than it used to be.           sometimes ignored. In the next step, we will 
                         This introductory chapter aims to map the             look at the role of data analysis in the research 
                         field of qualitative data analysis by discuss-        process. Another axis is linked to the differ-
                         ing its extension and by drawing a number of          ence between producing new data and taking 
                         axes through the field that the handbook will         existing, naturally occurring data for a research 
                         cover in its chapters. We will look at the cur-       project. A further distinction is related to the 
                         rent variety of traditional and new methods           major approaches to analysing data – either 
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                       4                                      MAPPING THE FIELD
                       to reduce the volume or the complexity of the        These developments have led to an inter-
                       data, or to expand the existing material by       esting gap, which forms a second level of 
                       writing new texts consisting of interpreta-       proliferation: a variety of methods and 
                       tions about it. The rather simple relation of     approaches for data analysis have been 
                       one kind of data to be analysed with one          developed and spelled out in the methodol-
                       methodological approach has become more           ogy literature mainly in the original disci-
                       complex at both ends when triangulation is        plines. The range stretches from content 
                       part of the methodology of a project. What        analysis to conversation analysis, from 
                       are the consequences for the analysis if mul-     grounded theory to phenomenological analy-
                       tiple types of data are employed? What            sis, from narrative to film analysis, from 
                       becomes ‘visible’ if several forms of analysis    visual data analysis to electronic data analy-
                       are applied to the same set of data? Another      sis, etc. (see the respective chapters in this 
                       axis through the field is linked to the tension   volume). However, experience with review-
                       between formalization and intuition in the        ing articles and PhD and other theses from 
                       analysis. At the end of this chapter, some        different disciplines shows how often the 
                       new trends and developments in the field will     analysis of qualitative data is done in more or 
                       be outlined. Here, new types of data, a trend     less a ‘hands-on’ way in both the original and 
                       to visualization and developments on the          the other disciplines. Researchers sometimes 
                       level of technological support for doing the      ‘just do it’ (to use a phrase of Barney Glaser, 
                       analysis will be discussed. Qualitative  1998) or they look for certain topics in their 
                       research is more and more confronted with         materials and construct an account of their 
                       some new challenges – how to make data            findings by illustrating these topics with 
                       available for re- and meta-analysis; what do      ‘interesting’ quotations from interviews, for 
                       the calls for relevance and implementation        example. These quotes are often not really 
                       mean in this context; and what are the ethical    analysed in the article (or PhD dissertation) 
                       issues around qualitative data analysis? After    but treated as illustrations. Another way of 
                       briefly discussing these issues, an overview      describing (and doing) qualitative data anal-
                       of the handbook and its parts and chapters        ysis is to mix up tools with methods. Articles 
                       will complete this introduction.                  in which the method of data analysis is 
                                                                         described by only referring to the Qualitative 
                                                                         Data Analysis (QDA) program (see Gibbs, 
                       PROLIFERATION OF QUALITATIVE                      Chapter 19, this volume) that was applied are 
                       RESEARCH                                          still quite common. All in all, this means that 
                                                                         there is a gap between methodological devel-
                       Over the past few decades, qualitative            opments on one side and research practice on 
                       research has undergone a proliferation on at      the other. This gap results from the lack of a 
                       least three levels. First, it has established     systematic and comparative overview and 
                       itself in a wide range of disciplines beyond      stocktaking of the variety of analytic proce-
                       such disciplines as sociology, anthropology       dures that are available for doing qualitative 
                       and education. We find qualitative research       data analysis. This handbook intends to 
                       now in such varied fields as nursing, medi-       bridge this gap by giving an overview of 
                       cine, social work, psychology, information        methodological approaches with a strong 
                       science, political science, and the like.         focus on research practice in applying them 
                       Even if in many of these disciplines quali-       to data and emphasizes the practical applica-
                       tative research is not in the mainstream of       tion of methods rather than their conceptual 
                       research and not at the core of methods           development.
                       training or teaching in general, ongoing             Qualitative research has undergone a 
                       research increasingly includes qualitative        third major proliferation over the past few 
                       studies.                                          decades, which concerns the types of  
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                                                            Mapping the Field                                      5
                       data that are used. Interviews, focus group      project. The handbook intends to cover the 
                       transcripts and observation protocols are        variety of approaches starting from the 
                       traditional types of data, which are now         diversity of types of data that are used in 
                       complemented with visual, virtual, textual,      qualitative research.
                       acoustic and other data. These forms of data 
                       represent the diversification of ways of         WHAT IS QUALITATIVE DATA 
                       communication and documentation of indi-
                       vidual and social experiences. At the same       ANALYSIS?
                       time, methods for producing these data 
                       have proliferated as well and new devices        The central focus of this book is the variety 
                       for recording activities and processes in        and diversity of the ways of doing qualitative 
                       their complexity have been developed.            data analysis. Therefore it might be helpful 
                       Video taping, acoustic recording devices,        first to outline the common core of this prac-
                       Internet formats like Facebook, etc., are        tice by (1) giving a working definition,  
                       adopted to catch relevant aspects of the life    followed by (2) discussing the aims of quali-
                       worlds in the twenty-first century. How-         tative data analysis and finally by (3) looking 
                       ever, this proliferation of issues to be ana-    at theoretical backgrounds and basic meth-
                       lysed and of data produced and available         odological approaches.
                       has not always been accompanied by a 
                       systematic and adequate proliferation of         Definition
                       approaches for analysing such qualitative 
                       data. The methods that are used are often        In Box 1.1 a rather general definition of 
                       traditional ones (e.g. grounded theory,          qualitative data analysis is outlined which 
                       coding, content analysis) or are developed       emphasizes the move from data to meanings 
                       but mostly applied hands-on for the single       or representations.
                          Box 1.1  What Is Qualitative Data Analysis?
                          Qualitative data analysis is the classification and interpretation of linguistic (or visual) material 
                          to make statements about implicit and explicit dimensions and structures of meaning-making 
                          in the material and what is represented in it. Meaning-making can refer to subjective or social 
                          meanings. Qualitative data analysis also is applied to discover and describe issues in the field 
                          or structures and processes in routines and practices. Often, qualitative data analysis combines 
                          approaches of a rough analysis of the material (overviews, condensation, summaries) with 
                          approaches of a detailed analysis (elaboration of categories, hermeneutic interpretations or 
                          identified structures). The final aim is often to arrive at generalizable statements by comparing 
                          various materials or various texts or several cases.
                       Aims of Qualitative Data Analysis                diagnosis). This can focus on the case (indi-
                                                                        vidual or group) and its special features and 
                       The analysis of qualitative data can have        the links between them. The analysis can also 
                       several aims. The first aim may be to describe   focus on comparing several cases (individu-
                       a phenomenon in some or greater detail. The      als or groups) and on what they have in com-
                       phenomenon can be the subjective experi-         mon or on the differences between them. The 
                       ences of a specific individual or group (e.g.    second aim may be to identify the conditions 
                       the way people continue to live after a fatal    on which such differences are based. This 
           01-Flick_Ch-01 Part I.indd   5                                                                         29-Oct-13   2:00:44 PM