The eighth step refers to the process of exploring the “knowing” evidence or actual content of the documents, and O`Leary gives two main techniques to achieve this (2014). One of them is the interview technique. In this case, the researcher treats the document as a respondent or informant who provides relevant information (O`Leary, 2014). The researcher “asks” questions and then highlights the answer in the text. The other technique is event detection or content analysis, in which the researcher quantifies the use of specific words, phrases, and concepts (O`Leary, 2014). Essentially, the researcher determines what to look for, documents, and then organizes the frequency and amount of occurrences in the document. The information is then organized in what is “related to the central questions of research” (Bowen, 2009, p. 32). Bowen notes that some experts oppose this type of analysis, arguing that it obscures the interpretation process in the case of interview transcripts (Bowen, 2009). However, Bowen reminds us that documents include a variety of types and that content analysis can be very useful in building an overall picture (2009).
According to Bowen (2009), content analysis is then used as a “first-pass document review” (p. 32), which can provide the researcher with a way to identify meaningful and relevant passages. Before the coding process begins, it is necessary to decide on the coding units, as well as the coding rules. It is especially important to choose your coding unit (sentences, paragraphs, quasi-sentences, etc.). Coding rules help keep this selection consistent and help you stick to your research questions, as every passage you code and every memo you write must be made to answer your research questions. Decision rules should be added: What will you do if a passage does not fit into your subcodes but needs to be coded because it is important to your research question? Once everything has been coded, you can use different analysis strategies: paraphrase, write summaries, look for code intersections, probability patterns between documents with simple or complex queries. For this step, MAXQDA 2020 is a great tool that allows you to prepare the selected data for later steps. Regardless of the type of qualitative data you choose, you can import it into MAXQDA and then ask MAXQDA to help with the transcription. Ultimately, the qualitative analysis of documents concerns written forms of communication (Kuckartz, 2014). The disadvantages of using document analysis are not so much limitations, but potential concerns to consider before choosing the method or when using the method. A first concern to consider is that documents are not created with data research programs and therefore require investigative skills. A document will not provide all the information needed to answer your research questions.
Some documents may provide only a small amount of useful data, if at all. Other documents may be incomplete or their data may be inaccurate or inconsistent. Sometimes there are gaps or sparse records, resulting in increased research or reliance on additional records than expected (Bowen, 2009). In addition, some documents may not be available or easily accessible. For these reasons, it is important to assess the quality of your documents and be prepared for challenges or gaps when using document analysis. Literature review is a social science research method and an important research tool in itself and is an invaluable part of most triangulation patterns, the combination of methods in the study of the same phenomenon (Bowen, 2009). To seek convergence and validation, qualitative researchers typically use at least two resources using different data sources and methods. The purpose of triangulation is to provide a confluence of evidence that creates credibility (Bowen, 2009). Confirming results across datasets can reduce the impact of potential bias by examining information collected using a variety of methods. In addition, the combination of qualitative and quantitative factors sometimes included in the literature review is referred to as mixed-method studies. There are many reasons why researchers choose literature review.
First, document analysis is an effective and efficient way to collect data because documents are manageable and practical resources. Documents are commonplace and come in a variety of forms, making them a very accessible and reliable source of data. Obtaining and analyzing documents is often much more cost-effective and timely than conducting your own research or experiments (Bowen, 2009). In addition, documents are stable and “non-reactive” data sources, meaning that they can be read and revised several times and remain unchanged by the influence of the researcher or research process (Bowen, 2009, p. 31). Once you`ve decided on questions, you should think about how to answer them. Which qualitative data best answers your question? Interviews – how much and with whom? Documents – which ones and where can you retrieve them? Qualitative analysis of texts or documents has become one of the most commonly used qualitative methods in several disciplines (Kuckartz, 2014 and Mayring, 2010). Their simple structure and approach allow the researcher to adapt the method to his particular case – almost to any need. Literature review, qualitative survey, reflective thematic analysis The literature review was a little-used approach to qualitative research. This approach can be useful for a number of reasons. When this method is used to analyze existing texts, researchers can conduct studies that they may not be able to complete otherwise.
Some researchers may not have the resources or time to work in the field. While videoconferencing technology and other types of software can be used to reduce some of the barriers that qualitative researchers sometimes encounter, these tools present various problems. Participants may be clumsy in their use of technology or not be able to afford it. Conducting a literature review may also reduce some of the ethical concerns associated with other qualitative methods. Since document analysis is a valuable research method, one would expect to find a variety of literature on the subject. Unfortunately, literature on literature search is scarce. This document is designed to fill gaps in the literature in the qualitative analysis of documents by emphasizing the advantages and limitations of using documents as a data source and by providing strategies for document selection. It also provides reasons for using reflective thematic analysis and includes a hypothetical example of how a researcher might perform a document analysis. In addition to content analysis, Bowen also mentions thematic analysis, which can be seen as a form of pattern recognition with the document data (2009). This analysis takes emerging topics and turns them into categories that are used for further analysis, making it a useful practice for well-founded theory. It includes careful and focused reading and proofreading of data, as well as coding and building categories (Bowen, 2009).
Emerging codes and themes can also be used to “integrate data collected using different methods” (Bowen, 2009, p. 1).