Doctoral Program Democracy Studies Workshop Qualitative Content Analysis

15-16 December 2016

Content Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) is a method for the analysis and interpretation of the content of text (and visual materials) through the systematic classification of themes or patterns. Often used in social science research, QCA is a flexible method that can be used in a variety of ways: inductively or deductively (or most often a combination of both), for cross- and within-case analysis, in a more positivist or a more interpretive spirit, and in connection with a variety of theoretical approaches. Finally, it can also be carried out manually, or with the assistance of a software. Intuitive in nature, it nevertheless requires clear and explicit analytic strategies to be carried out properly and to carry the analysis beyond simple description. This workshop introduces QCA both as a method in its own right, and as a base method that everyone interested in qualitative data analysis (including less formalised approaches such as discourse or narrative analysis) should be aquainted with (as its analytic procedures are at the core of other types of qualitative analysis as well, although in a modified and less visible way). Audience This workshop is intended to advanced researchers (PhD candidates in particular) who have little background in qualitative data analysis and would like to get an overview and some hands-on experience with QCA.

Format

The workshop runs over two days (9:00-17:00 with coffee breaks as necessary and a lunch break from about 12:30-13:30).

Three of the four half-days are devoted to presenting the key principles of QCA and to carrying out practical exercises. On the the last afternoon will we will discuss the participants’ own projects and how they think that QCA can be useful to them. The participants who are willing to present their project are welcome to do so (short oral presentation & text to be circulated ahead if possible, which can be in English, German or French).

Venue

The workshop takes place at the University of Zurich (IPMZ, Andreasstr. 15, Thursday room 3.46, Friday room 3.06).

Preparatory tasks

The registered participants are kindly requested to:

• Read the “essential readings” ahead of the workshop (see list below).

They are posted in a DropBox folder accessible under the following link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w70ai0oggip3e72/AADqELgIwAyEv9mW_BFj7wqya?dl=0

• Read through a 30p or so data body before the workshop (that will be circulated a week before the workshop at the latest)

• By Nov. 30: upload a summary of the research for which they plan to use QCA (an abstract or 1-3 page summary with a short description of their topic and methodology, and specifying the stage of advancement of their project, in English, German or French) to the DropBox file in the folder “Thesis abstracts or summaries”)

• By Nov. 30: Signal if you are interested in presentig your research on Friday afternoon. If you are interested, then you can prepare a short (10’) or so presentation and upload a 10-15 pages (or so) text by Dec. 10 (to DropBox, under “Theses to be presented”).

• Nov 30: Send along a max. 800 word text on the topic “Being a PhD student” (in English) – we will use the collection of (anonymised) texts for a group exercise (alongside a text of similar materials produced by other people). Thanks for sending this text by email to SgierL@ceu.edu (in word format). (Don’t worry about language mistakes etc., they are of no importance to the exercise)

Outline (indicative – can be adjusted as necessary)

Thursday 15th December (9-17h). Introduction to QCA:

• The logic and analytic features of qualitative data analysis

• QCA as a distinct approach (as opposed for instance to classical (quantative) content analysis or discourse analytic approaches); QCA and thematic analysis

• QCA and its relation to epistemology and theory QCA and the research process

• Inductive, deductive and hybrid approaches • Degrees of formalisation

Analytic steps of QCA (1)

• Pre-analysis, coding and “theming” – the identification of patterns • Cross- and within-case analysis • Uses of theory in the coding process (“measurement” vs sensitising concepts

approach) The analysis of ‘natural’ vs generated data Comparative analysis

Friday 16th December (9-17h)

Analytic steps of QCA (2)

• From themes to interpretation: first and second-cycle coding • Beyond data analysis: the iterativity of the research process and its practical

implications The construction of a data body

• Predefined and evolutive data bodies Quality criteria in qualitative analysis and writing up

• Validity and reliability in QCA – formal and less formal approaches and their epistemological underpinnings

• Writing up qualitative research findings • Limitations of QCA

Software assisted data analysis

• A short presentation of MaxQDA • Practical resources • Using or not using a software?

Discussion of the participants’ own projects and specific plans to use qualitative data analysis (in the afternoon).

References

Essential readings

Methodological texts:

Bazeley, Patricia (2009). "Analysing Qualitative Data: More Than Identifying Themes". Malaysian Journal of Qualitative Research 2(2): 6-22. (http://www.researchsupport.com.au/Bazeley_MJQR_2009.pdf)y

Braun, Virginia and Clarke, Victoria (2006). “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology”, Qualitative Research in Psychology 3(2): 77-101.

Feredey, J. and Cochrane, E.M. (2006) ‘Demonstrating Rigor Using Thematic Analysis: A hybrid approach of inductive and deductive coding and theme development,’ International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5(1): 80-92

Hsieh, H. F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative health research, 15(9), 1277-1288.

Miles, Matthew B., Huberman, A. Michael and Saldaña, Johnny (2014).Qualitative Da-ta Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. Thousand Oaks: Sage, ch. 4.

Ritchie, Jane and Spencer, Liz (2002). "Qualitative Data Analysis for Applied Policy Research", in Huberman, A. Michael and Miles, Matthew B. (eds), The Qualita-tive Research Companion. Thousand Oaks: Sage, pp. 305-329.

Two examples of qualitative content analysis:

Butcher, Howard Karl et al. (2001). "Thematic Analysis in the Experience of Making a Decision to Place a Family Member With Alzheimer's Disease in a Special Care Unit". Research in Nursing&Health 24: 470-80.

Rausch, John and Hamilton, Matthew (2006). “Goals and Distractions: Explanations of Early Attrition from Traditonal University Freshmen”. The Qualitative Report, 11(2), 317-334. Retrieved from http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol11/iss2/6

Additional readings

Bowen, Glenn A. 2006. "Grounded Theory and Sensitizing Concepts." International Journal of Qualitative Methods 5(3), article 2. Retrieved on September 5 from http://www.ualberta.ca/~ijqm/backissues/5_3/pdf/bowen.pdf

Boyatzis, RE (1998). Transforming Qualitative Information, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Gibbs, Graham R. (2013). “Using Software in Qualitative Analysis”, in Flick, Uwe (ed.), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis. London: Sage (e-version).

Guest, Greg; MacQueen, Kathleen and Namey, Emily E. (2014). Applied Thematic Analysis. Thousand Oaks: Sage (ch. 7, Comparing Thematic Data).

Maxwell, Joseph A. and Chmiel, Margaret (2014). "Notes Toward a Theory of Qualita-tive Data Analysis", in Flick, Uwe (ed.), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis, London: Sage, pp. 21-34.

Maxwell, Joseph A. (2002). "Understanding and Validity in Qualitative Research", in Huberman, A. Michael and Miles, Matthew B. (eds), The Qualitative Research Companion. Thousand Oaks: Sage, pp. 37-64

Mayring, Philipp (2000). Qualitative Content Analysis [28 paragraphs]. Forum Qualita-tive Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 1(2), Art. 20, http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0002204.

*Miles, Matthew B., Huberman, A. Michael and Saldaña, Johnny (2014).Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Palmberger, Monika and Gingrich, Andre (2014). "Qualitative Comparative Practices: Dimensions, Cases and Strategies", in in Flick, Uwe (ed.), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis, London: Sage, pp. 94-108.

Riessman, Catherine Kohler (2008). Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences. Lon-don: Sage, ch. 3 (“Thematic analysis” – for within-case analysis)

Ryan, G.W. and Bernard, H.R. (2000) ‘Data management and analysis methods’ in Denzin, N. & Lincoln,Y. (eds), Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2nd ed, London: Sage.

Saldaña, Johnny (2015). The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 3rd edition.

Schofield, Janet Ward (2002). “Increasing the Generalizability of Qualitative Re-search”, in Huberman, A. Michael and Miles, Matthew B. (eds). The Qualitative Researcher’s Companion. Thousand Oaks: Sage, pp. 171-204

Schreier, M. (2014). “Qualitative content analysis”, in Flick, Uwe, (ed), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis, London: Sage, pp 170-183.

Steenbergen, Marco R.; Bächtiger, André; Spörndli, Markus and Steiner, Jürg (2003). "Measuring Political Deliberation: a Discourse Analysis". Comparative Europe-an Politics 2003/1: 21-48.

The instructor:

Lea Sgier is an assistant professor in political science at Central European University (CEU) in Buda-pest, and an associate researcher at the Institute for Citizenship Studies of the University of Geneva. She is also an instructor on various methods summer schools (Essex Summer School, ECPR Winter School, Hong Kong Summer School, Concordia Workshops in Social Science Research in Montreal), and has taught qualitative-interpretive methods widely across Europe. She has been a co-convenor of the ECPR Standing Group on Political Methodology (www.methods.org) since 2013, and in that capaci-ty has co-organised various methods sections at European conferences (ECPR General Conference and European Conference on Politics and Gender). Her main interests are in qualitative methodology, gender and politics and old age. She has a project soon starting on the political citizenship of older people living in nursing homes in French speaking Switzerland (funded by the Leenaards Foundation, 2017-18).

Contact: SgierL@ceu.edu (+36 1 327 30 73) or Lea.Sgier@unige.ch (022 379 89 51)