Qualitative_data_analysis

246 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
interpretations, not just select the one that suits us best. But we cannot simply
reproduce the evidence and arguments in all their detail; we have to select and
summarize. Nor can we give all the evidence equal weight; we have to stress some
points at the expense of others. And we cannot review the evidence and arguments
in the disjointed and haphazard way in which they may have come to our attention;
we have to present the salient elements of our story in an orderly and systematic
manner.
Any social researcher worth his or her salt will be stung by Alan Massie’s
celebration of the novel as the most effective instrument of social criticism. For
where does that leave social research? It would be hard to deny that research reports
rarely make easy reading. This may be a feature of the obligations they entail with
regard to presenting evidence. On the other hand, some researchers may feel that
the substance of their report is more important than its style. They may feel their
job is to complete the research; what happens to the results is someone else’s
problem. One can sympathize with this view, while noting its dangers. The price of
virtue may be too high, if it creates barriers to the fertile exchange of information. If
the results of research are worthwhile, why make them inaccessible?
In making our account accessible to others, we may take a leaf from Massie’s
book and employ some of the techniques involved in ‘telling a story’. Story-telling is
an art form, usually with three basic ingredients: a setting, characters and a plot. All
these ingredients are likely to figure in any account produced through qualitative
analysis. We have a ‘setting’ in which we have collected our data, whether in the
general social context of our interviews and observations, or the particular site(s)
where we have undertaken our fieldwork. We have ‘characters’ in the shape of
‘actors’ who may be our informants or respondents, or the individuals or agencies
we have observed. And we have a ‘plot’ in the shape of the ‘social action’ in which
they are involved, which may be their individual life histories, or their interaction in
various social or institutional contexts. How can we describe our settings, develop
our characters and present our plot in ways which engage our audience?
Consider how each of these different ingredients can contribute to the creation of
a good story. One contribution is through vivid and convincing description of the
setting. This provides an authentic context in which characters and plot can unfold.
Another is the ability to empathize with one or more of the characters. The story
then engages our attention by making us care what happens to the characters. A
third is the evolution of the plot towards some sort of climax or resolution. The
story becomes a ‘drama’ which grips our attention through uncertainty about the
outcome. Dramatization need not involve exaggeration; it depends on our sympathy
with the characters and their situation, and our uncertainty about how this will
finally be resolved.