Qualitative_data_analysis

186 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
Table 12.7 Categories analysed as case variables
Table 12.8 Cross-tabulating categories as case variables: ‘temperament’ and ‘suffering’ in
Vincent’s letters (N=10)
example, the category ‘temperament’ expresses the idea that transpositions of
temperament are a distinctive element in the data, and our definitions and databits
contribute to elucidating and developing this idea about the data. But the category
‘temperament’ as a case variable tells us whether or not the category ‘temperament’
has been assigned to each letter. If this information is to be useful, we have to ensure
that it is meaningful to treat category assignations as features of cases. Does it make
sense, for example, to regard ‘temperament’ and ‘suffering’ as features of our letters
rather than as concepts applied to the data as a whole?
If we proceed in this way, we can create a dataset through which we can explore
regularities and variations across cases. I shall return to the use we can make of data
matrices in the next chapter. Meantime, it is sufficient to note the extra dimension
this approach adds to our analysis of the association between categories. We can now
identify for each case which categories have been assigned to that case, separately or
in combination. We can look for evidence of whether or not variables are
associated. Do they covary! Table 12.8 shows how the results might look for the ten
letters from Vincent to Theo.