So, after almost a year in a part-time PhD in social sciences, I've come to the point where I say "and now what?".
I have completed my pilot research and I have to analyse my findings.... So far so good! The problem is I don't know how to do it!!!!
I mean, OK I have read how to analyse qualitative data, I know the theory, BUT the real thing is soooooo much different than the theory!!!

I just wanted to say to someone who could understand!!!! Sorry if I sound silly....

So you collected data before you knew how to analyze the results?

I know how to analyse the results. It's just that I haven't done it before and I am not sure about what I am going to do...

Hi Emmaki,
the amount of data can be daunting and it may be difficult to decide how to start to analyse this, especially if you have not done this before.

I think, simplified, a way of approach can be: familiarise yourself with the text, do you see certain issues which come back all the time? Or issues that you think are remarkable. You can provisionally mark them, go through the text again, see some more? Or have to adapt? etc. etc. I think relatively quickly you will get a feel of "categories" or "emergenging themes"

In all fairness it is very useful if you have strategy in mind before you analyse your data. For example if you were going to use an iterative approach between data collection and analysis (as in grounded theory), then strictly speaking you should have started the analysis process during the data collection. Also it may be useful to have another researcher, independantly, to analyse your data as well, and then to compare.
:-)

Hi! I can really empathize with you there... although my PhD is mostly quantitative (the way I like it!), I am doing a qualitative study as well, simply because I don't believe I can do my topic justice just by doing a load of stats and reducing everything to numbers. But like yourself, I have read a lot about the theory of how to do the analysis (I am going to be using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis) but have never actually done any. Although I haven't done my interviews yet, I know how overwhelming it will feel when I actually sit down to do this type of analysis which I have never done before. I am lucky because my supervisor is very well known for her IPA studies and will be able to guide me, but I have also booked myself a place on an IPA conference which incorporates a beginners workshop for people to get stuck in and have a go. Is there any way you could find a workshop to go to? I guess to some extent it is just a case of getting stuck in, but I picture myself in a few months time with a load of transcripts, going 's**t...now what?!'. The other thing that really annoys me is that a lot of people look down on qualitative research, particularly those who have no idea how rigorous and time-consuming the analysis is. I have had statisticians rolling their eyes at me etc when I mention that I am doing some qualitative stuff as well as quant, and this in itself feels like a battle! But in my field (Clinical Psych), this type of research is invaluable. So no, you're not being silly! Good luck with it all! KB

At the risk of sounding completely judgemental, I think you really need to plan analytical strategies before data collection, because how you collect your data is very largely (but not exclusively) based on how you are planning to analyse it, which in turn depends on what you want to find out. Having said that, it sounds as though you know what to do, and are just having a panic attack! Are you planning to start with some sort of thematic coding? That might be a good way to start.