Qualitative_data_analysis

204 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
Table 13.3 Using a matrix to explore variation in the data
Notice that the matrix also includes an instance where the name of the patient is
unknown. It would be easy to overlook or discount this and simply pick up only
instances where the name (and gender) is given. However, we may then gain a quite
different impression of the data. Neither would be unreasonable. The important
point is the virtue of being as explicit as possible about the criteria we use for
allocating values to the cells in our table.
By organizing the data in this way, we can produce a useful overview of the main
features of each case. We can then compare cases more effectively and also look for
possible singularities, regularities and variations within the data. For example, suppose
we pursue the question of who are the victims of Woody Allen’s humour. We would
surely notice that all the dentists in these first letters are male, whereas, where the
information is available, the patients are female. In fact all the dentists in these
letters are male, while most but not all of the patients are female. The fact that the
dentists are all male is a regularity which we might relate to issues of power and
professionalism. What of the variation in the gender of female patients? If all the
patients had been female, we might have been tempted to contrast their role as
passive victims with the professional and overpowering role of the dentist. But some
of the patients are male. Using our matrix we can explore the significance of this
variation, for example by relating it to the episodes narrated in the letters
(Table 13.3).
I have added to the matrix two letters where male patients figure in Vincent’s
stories. Once we relate these to the episodes narrated in the letters, we may observe
that in both stories the male patients are far from passive. The episodes themselves
are only indexed in the matrix, where excessive detail may impede overall
comprehension. But using the computer, we can easily retrieve the original text if
required.