Qualitative_data_analysis

128 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
Once we have opted for a more or less detailed breakdown of the data, we can
turn to the problem of selecting and categorizing individual bits of data. Let us treat
the first three sentences as our first ‘bit’ of data.
[Will life never treat me decently? I am wracked by despair! My head is
pounding.]
There are three sentences here, each expressing a different point. Why treat this as
one bit and not three? The latter would be equally plausible if we required a still
more detailed analysis. But the three points are closely related and can be taken to
express a common theme; they describe Vincent’s state of mind. They express his
mental anguish and physical suffering at the unfairness of life. In this sense, they can
be seen as one ‘unit of meaning’. By contrast, there is a sharp break in meaning
between these sentences and the following sentence, which moves on from a
description of Vincent’s state to an explanation of what has happened. At this stage,
it seems reasonable to treat this as a single bit of data. Later on, if need be, we can
subdivide the data again if this seems required by further analysis.
Now that we have selected our first ‘bit of data’, let us for convenience call it a
‘databit’. At some point, we must categorize this databit. This need not be done
immediately. We could collect other databits, and then assign them to categories. If
we proceed in this way, it may be convenient to index the databits we collect, so
that we can identify and locate them more easily. We could label this first databit
‘wracked by despair’, for example, and use this label in an index of databits. An
alternative which may be quicker though less intelligible is to allow the computer to
index databits automatically, for example by using the first few words or characters
of the databit. Either way, we should be clear that indexing or labelling the databit
is not an equivalent of categorizing it. As I suggested earlier, we can think of a label
as a proper name which denotes the individual databit. It does not identify it as a
member of a class of objects.
The advantage of this approach is that we can make clearer comparisons between
databits before we assign categories to them. The disadvantage is that in making
such comparisons, we lose sight of the contexts from which the databits are taken.
The computer allows us to retrieve contexts readily, but on balance it may be
preferable to categorize the data in context, and then consider comparisons between
the databits.
Let us consider whether and how to categorize this databit. On the face of it, it
has nothing to do with the humour in Vincent’s letter, which resides more
obviously in his aesthetically inspired disfiguration of Mrs Schwimmer and his
complaints of Cézanne’s incompetence. First of all, we need to check whether we