Transcripts and Analysis

Abstract

Riach maintains that the challenge for the qualitative researcher is ‘conducting analysis or presenting findings in a way that sensitively captures the multiple levels of a research encounter’ (2009: 356). The next two chapters outline the nature of this challenge, both in terms of transcription and analysis (Chapter 8) and representing data and findings (Chapter 9). Working with interviews creates a number of different challenges: making contact with interviewees and arranging interviews can be demanding; organising and securing permissions with ethical approval can be frustrating; however, it is often grappling with data analysis that causes the most angst. Generally speaking there is more advice available on how to conduct interviews than on how to analyse the interview interaction (Wilkinson 2004). This is partly because analysis varies so much across different paradigms and research traditions.