Qualitative_data_analysis

66 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
options for our analysis. The danger lies not in having assumptions but in not being
aware of them; in qualitative analysis we should try to suspend beliefs in familiar
convictions and examine evidence in a new and critical way (Edson 1988).
Finding a focus is not something we consider as an afterthought, once we have
embarked on our research and already produced our data. It is a process initiated in
the very moment we first conceive of a research project. It is more or less explicit in
the articulation of our research objectives, in the design of the project, in the kind of
data we have decided to collect and what we anticipate doing with it. As we begin to
analyse our data, we need to review (and perhaps revise) our analytic focus given the
implications of earlier decisions for the development of our analysis.
One way of finding a focus for our analysis is to reflect upon the data we have to
analyse. What kind of data has the research produced? Sometimes, we don’t get what
we expected. Even if the data does conform to our initial expectations, we have to
be sure that our focus is in tune with the data. We need to know what we are going
to analyse. At this stage, this is more a matter of forming some general impressions
and intuitions, than making a detailed study of the data.
Let us explore this through the example of humour. Suppose we have chosen as
our subject the humour of a pre-eminent comedienne, Victoria Wood. Following
up our interest in dating and mating, Illustration 5.1 is a sketch in which Sheila
hopes to find a mate through video dating. Victoria is discussing with Sheila some
of the (un)likely prospects they saw on her videotape.
Looking at our example, what kind of data is this? The first point we may note is
that we are dealing with text rather than video. Although this sketch is the basis for
a performance, we have only the text before us. There are aspects of humour, to do
with visual clues, timing, and setting, which we cannot analyse unless we have access
to the complete performance. This immediately draws some boundaries around
what we can achieve in our analysis.
ILLUSTRATION 5.1
‘THE LIBRARY’
Victoria So who did you fancy?
Sheila Oh I’m no judge of character, Victoria.
Victoria Do you think I am? I’ve had my drive
tarmacked eight times.
Sheila Give me your views on Rodney.
Victoria Well, Rodney had white towelling socks, didn’t
he? Which in my book makes him unreliable,
untrustworthy and prone to vaseline jokes.
Mark…