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Concurrent Data Collection and Analysis: Say What?

Hello Qualitative Mind,

One of the comments I often hear from people who join the Quali Q for Qualitative Minds Private Facebook Group is how hard it is to manage qualitative data. This includes data storage, sharing among team members, organizing and cataloguing. I confess that I’m still learning the systems and processes I need to implement in order to effectively manage large volumes of qualitative data. I’m far from where I want to be; yet, I’ve worked with two Jessica’s in the past five years and learned a lot about data management and organization with both of them. So, throughout January I’ll be talking about strategies you can try as a qualitative researcher, research coordinator and/or supervisor.

In today’s blog post I’ll talk about the one thing I’ve tried (and it works!) when I want to proactively organize my qualitative data, and that is concurrent data collection and analysis. I’ve said 101 times here, as well as across all Quali Q channels and products, how important it is to strive for concurrent data collection and analysis.

I have come across many people {I was one of them at a certain point in my career} who proudly stated, "I am done with data collection and ready for data analysis now.” From the perspective of rigor and data validity in qualitative research, that is far from ideal. We want to be responsive to our data and learn as we go.

It’s also far from ideal if you want to:

  1. Keep your qualitative data organized.

  2. Teach your trainees best practices.

  3. Properly manage a team of people involved in a qualitative project.

By striving for concurrent data collection and analysis, you’ll also find that it’s easier to keep your recordings, transcripts and notes properly sorted and filed. There is no secret here. The simple fact is, you organize your individual participant’s data as soon as you collect it in order to be able to conduct some sort of preliminary data analysis.

If you’re curious and wanting a tangible example, you’re in for a treat. This is all very fresh in my mind as I’m currently conducting interviews for a project. So, what do I do for each participant? Once I finish the interview, I check the audio recording. I always have two recorders simultaneously recording during the interview but one of them is newer and better so it’s that one that I check first. From there, I plug it into my laptop and transfer the recording into the project folder. I use a two-step verification system for anything that goes onto Dropbox and password protect word documents.

It sounds silly to write this but I’m doing it anyway. I try to name the files in a way that it makes it faster to find them in the future. In the example of the project I’m currently conducting I name the recordings using the following format: Date_Year_Participant0## and have a separate folder for each participant/case/dyad. Once I’ve taken care of storing the data on my laptop, I move on to sending the files for transcription. This happens on the same day the interview is conducted in order to avoid delays and tasks going into the dreaded “half-done” list.

The other piece of data that gets reviewed and sorted right away is my interview log (see picture for a quick reference). I make comments on what participants shared, my perceptions and interpretations, and anything that stood out for me. I like pen to paper; thus, I print the interview guide with the comment log in advance. Then, I take 10 minutes to write on it after the interview ends; it’s one simple strategy I use to get myself familiar with and immersed in the data.

I don’t think my process is perfect, let alone perfect for everyone. However, it works for me because my priority is to collect and analyze data simultaneously. If you’re involved in a fast-paced project where many interviews or focus groups are conducted in a week, I highly recommend that you set time aside to organize your data and begin data analysis on a weekly basis (at the least).

You can listen to segments of audio recordings or revisit collected data (e.g., documents, notes). This is something you can easily do while collecting data. I feel that going back to the audio recordings can help you become more familiar with participants’ perspectives while thinking about how you’ll manage all that you’ve collected.

In addition, by listening to the audio recordings, you'll also be able to see how you responded and followed up with certain questions that were valuable. {If you haven't downloaded it yet, I encourage you to download "The 7 Reflections for Better Responses" from the resources page of our website.}

This post had two goals. First, to demonstrate that concurrent data analysis is key beyond the perspective of qualitative rigor. Second, to give you practical examples you can try. I hope these tips that work for me will work for you, too. If not, I hope you’ll find a system and rhythm that fosters concurrent data collection and analysis (and optimal data management) in your qualitative work!


Talk soon,

Maira