Chapter Five

Processing and Analysis of Data

5.1. Nature and Meaning of Data Processing

Data processing is a set of methods that are used to input, retrieve, verify, store, organize,
analyze or interpret a set of data. Data processing enables information to be automatically
extracted from data.

Qualitative Data Processing: Editing; Coding; Classification; & Tabulation

After collecting data, it must be reduced to some form suitable for analysis so that finding and
conclusions. For analyzing data researchers must give a focus for the following steps:

1. Editing: First step in analysis is to edit the raw data. Editing detects errors and omissions,
corrects them whatever possible. Editing of data may be accomplished in two ways - (i) field
editing and (ii) in-house editing. Its purpose is to identify technical omissions, check legibility,
and clarify responses that are logically and conceptually inconsistent. When gaps are present
from interviews, a call-back should be made rather than guessing what the respondent would
probably say.

2. Coding: Coding refers to the process of assigning names, numerals or other symbols to
answers so that responses can be put into a limited number of categories. Such categories should
be appropriate to the research problem under consideration.

3. Classification: Most research studies result in a large volume of raw data which must be
reduced into homogeneous groups if we are to get meaningful relationships. This fact
necessitates classification of data which happens to be the process of arranging data in groups or
classes on the basis of common characteristics. Data having a common characteristic are placed
in one class and in this way the entire data get divided into a number of groups or classes.
5.2.1 Qualitative Data Analysis

Qualitative data analysis is a process of gathering, structuring and interpreting non-numerical

 How is qualitative data analysis different from quantitative data analysis?

Qualitative data analysis dives into the stories hidden in non-numerical data such as interviews,
open-ended survey answers, or notes from observations. It answers the „why‟ and „how‟
questions giving a deep understanding of people‟s experiences and emotions. Quantitative data
analysis on the other hand deals with numerical data, using statistics to measure differences,
identify preferred options, and pinpoint root causes of issues. It steps back to address questions
like "how many" or "what percentage" to offer broad insights we can apply to larger groups.
Common types of qualitative data analysis methods are explained below:

1. Content Analysis

This is a popular approach to qualitative data analysis. Other qualitative analysis techniques may
fit within the broad scope of content analysis. Thematic analysis is a part of the content
analysis. Content analysis is used to identify the patterns that emerge from text, by grouping
content into words, concepts, and themes. Content analysis is useful to qualify the relationship
between all of the grouped content.

2. Narrative Analysis

Narrative analysis focuses on the stories people tell and the language they use to make sense of
them. It is particularly useful in qualitative research methods to describe existing realities. A
narrative analysis might enable us to summarize the outcomes of a focused case study.

3. Discourse Analysis

Discourse analysis is used to get a thorough understanding of the political, cultural and power
based texts, speeches that exist in specific situations. The focus of discourse analysis here is on
the way people express themselves in different social contexts. Discourse analysis is commonly
 used by brand strategists who hope to understand why a group of people feel the way they do
about a brand or product.

4. Thematic Analysis

Thematic analysis is used to deduce the meaning behind the words people use. This is
accomplished by discovering repeating themes in text. These meaningful themes reveal key
insights into data and can be themed, particularly when paired with sentiment analysis. Often, the
outcome of thematic analysis is a code frame that captures themes in terms of codes, also called
categories. So the process of thematic analysis is also referred to as “coding”. A common case
for thematic analysis is in political parties‟ analysis of voters‟ perception towards their party.

5. Grounded Theory

Grounded theory is a useful approach when little is known about a subject. Grounded theory
starts by formulating a theory around a single data case. This means that the theory is
“grounded”. Grounded theory analysis is based on actual data, and not entirely speculative. Then
additional cases can be examined to see if they are relevant and can add to the original grounded
theory. Challenges of Qualitative Data Analysis
While qualitative data analysis offers rich insights, it comes with its challenges. Each method has
its own challenges. Let‟s take a look at the challenges researchers and analysts might face,
depending on the chosen method.
 Time and Effort (Narrative Analysis): Narrative analysis, which focuses on personal stories,
demands patience. Sifting through lengthy narratives to find meaningful insights can be time-
consuming requires dedicated effort.
 Complexity (Thematic Analysis): Thematic analysis involves identifying themes within data, a
process that can be intricate. Categorizing and understanding themes can be complex,
especially when each piece of data varies in context and structure. Thematic Analysis software
can simplify this process.
 Managing Data (Thematic Analysis): Thematic analysis involves organizing and managing
vast amounts of unstructured data, like interview transcripts. Managing this can be a hefty
task, requiring effective data management strategies.
 Being Objective (Grounded Theory): Grounded theory, building theories from data, faces the
challenges of personal biases. Staying objective while interpreting data is crucial, ensuring
conclusions are rooted in the data itself.
 Skill Level (Grounded Theory): Grounded theory demands specific skills to build theories
from the ground up. Finding or training analysts with these skills poses a challenge, requiring
investment in building expertise.