Analyzing data for one’s own study can be challenging.

One difficultly I foresee with my project is having an excess in interviewee responses I want to include in the final paper. Narrowing down quotes is tricky for me, especially in cases I am deeply interested in the topic. It is also difficult because insofar as I enjoy the prose of a statement, similar to a poetic phrase, it is difficult for me no exclude it from the paper. In order to combat the challenge, I need to see the value of an interviewee response based upon how it contributes to understanding my hypothesis. I need to include direct quotations in cases where it is less fluid for me to paraphrase it. I also need to consider which interviewee is providing the information instead of only the words. I also can address the challenge by noticing repetition amongst data and drawing observations of patterns rather than individually dissecting every response. Creating a thorough outline of the data analysis portion would also help me not panic at the end so I have time to slowly organize direct quotations and emit as appropriate.

The second challenge I may face is being overwhelmed with the quantity of material to go through. I can address this in the data collection phase. For example, while I am interviewing the participants, in the case I hear a response particularly relevant to my hypothesis, I can star it in the moment which helps me have a set of core quality data I can return to during the analysis phase. I can also create deadlines for myself to complete each phase of the analysis in parts so I am spacing out the work. I can plan for my data to be accurate, in terms of a large population, and still not scattered based on my procedure in methods.

Comment by Nikki Nelson:

I can relate to the issue of narrowing down quotes to put in your final paper when you are extremely interested in the topic, when you are invested everything you learn and everything anyone says seems of great importance. In my option, from studies who have utilized interviews for their research studies, the most helpful and concise studies created themes that emerged from the interviews. This may be a way to effectively condense your study yet still cover all topics. Emerging themes from an interview may also help with your excess of interviewee responses. I believe creating these themes will also allow you to include more meaningful quotes into your study because some participants may answer questions in almost the same exact way.