It appears that in the process of making sure I don’t leave any stone unturned during my data analysis, I have lost sight of the bigger picture. My supervisors brought this to my attention by explaining that although there was value in the work I have done thus far, I need to remain attentive to the main ideas that are coming from my data rather than concerning myself with minute details. My interviews are lengthy and large portions of text will not be directly relevant but rather provide context for the portions that are necessary to include.
To address this, I set myself the following goals.
Create a 1-2 sentence summary of what each participant said across all their interviews.
Identify meaningful statements and create a 1-2 sentence summary of the significance of that statement.
Collate overall themes that are emerging from the data as a whole.
I have been reading through my interview transcripts and pulling out quotations that catch my attention because they speak directly to the question I am addressing for this study. In doing so, the data acts as the driver of the analysis. I imagine that once the meaningful statements are identified, they will form the chapters of my thesis. Some may need to be combined and others may stand alone.
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