Maps, tables, flow charts and
diagrams in Qualitative Data
Analysis
1
Use for…

Clarification in elicitation process (share
with respondents)

Develop ideas about a model, processes etc.

Illustrate examples and your argument

Lay out data so that patterns can be
discovered

Data reduction
Slide 2
Domain analysis

Examination of what some term or concept
means for a culture or subgroup

Can be expressed as a taxonomy

Captures relationships. Hierarchical system of
types. Each type has ‘children’ subtypes that are
mutually exclusive and do not have different
parents.
Slide 3
Slide 4
Miles, M.B. and Huberman, A.M. (1994) Qualitative data analysis: a sourcebook of new methods.
Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. p. 133
Slide 5
Componetial analysis

What attributes does an individual or
thing have?
Slide 6
Componential analysis of
services for the unemployed
For young
For older
Training
Advice
Adult Training
-
+
+
-
Youth Training
+
-
+
-
Training Access Points
+
+
-
+
Work Link
+
+
+
+
BCEATA
+
+
+
+
Start-up Business Units
-
+
-
+
Business Access Scheme
-
+
+
-
Workers Co-operatives
-
+
-
+
CEASA
+
+
-
+
Careers Service
+
-
-
+
Redundancy Counseling
-
+
-
+
Slide 7
Matrices

Simple, like crosstabs. Exclusive values in
each cell
Or

Non-exclusive values in each cell
See: Ritchie, J. and Lewis, J. (eds) (2003)
Qualitative Research Practice: A Guide for
Social Science Students and Researchers.
London: Sage.
Slide 8
Example qualitative table.
Descriptions of people with degrees
Has science
degree
Male
Cell 1,1
Reliable, steady,
dull, numerate,
traditional,
clever, laddish
Female
Cell 2,1
Non-science
degree
Cell 1,2
Artistic, sociable,
ordinary,
unreliable,
unwo rldly
Cell 2,2
Ind ividualistic,
Arty, feminine,
dogmatic, clever,
bookish,
masculine,
traditional, radical,
inspirational,
numer ate
Slide 9
Character of company departments
Marketing dept.
CompSmall size, “We t ry to
biz
keep our staffing cut to
the bone”
high turnover, “You’ re
considered an oldie if
you’ve been here longer
than 2 years!”
Code-Co Medium sized “The
company has about 80
staff now”
older staff “One
department , and that’s
typical, will lose half its
staff to retirement in the
next 5 years.”
Production Dept.
Outsources, “We’ve found
it impossible to produce at
a competitively low price in
the UK”
high turnover, “Most fo lk
don’t last long in
production…”
High turnover “We suf fer
from people finding better
paid jobs in local factories”
local production, “We
struggle, but it’ s a matter of
pride to produce our own
kit.”
Slide 10
Summary responses by
codes

Cells contain typical or summaries of
text from respondents

E.g. Job search strategies by gender
Slide 11
Job search strategies by gender
Female
Male
Rout ine
Cell 1,1
My routine’s determined by
childcare requirements (Pauline).
I get the paper every day , without
fail (June).
I used to go down Racetrain a lot,
... I also joined Job Club… I kept a
file and a record of all the letters I
received (Sharon)
Cell 1,2
I used to spend mornings going through
the papers. I either used to buy papers or
go down to the library. Af ternoons writing
off to places for information or filling
application forms in, and then evenings
for the evening papers, again. (Jim)
Just the same pattern all through the
week (Harry).
Haphazard
Cell 2,1
Cell 2,2
Not really, I just do it. It happens
(Susan).
Not really, because my husband
works shift work (Mary).
Ent repreneurial
Cell 3,1
Personal approaches to firms and
through friends. (June)
No routine, but I keep meself busy, like –
keep meself occupied – I’ve plenty of
gardening to do (Dave).
No, not really. I usually go down and
have a look Mo nday, Wednesday, Friday,
something like that (And y)
Cell 3,2
I … spend … a couple of days every
week with a company. I make sure that
they know that I'm there (John).
Slide 12
Case by codes with
exemplars

Example of a comparison between
cases

These are good for investigating
differences by code or by case
Slide 13
Work
background
Harry
Cell 1,1
Caretaker
Pauline
Cell 2,1
Supply
teaching
June
Cell 3,1
Clerk at a
solicitors
Vacancy searching
accounts
Cell 1,2
“[The] other
applicant… had a car
and it were funny
hours working and he
had advantage of
being there on time,
so that's why he got
it.”
Cell 2,2
“I got the interview, so
I treated it as a trial
run. Really, I didn't
think.”
Cell 3,2
“when she told me
how much they were
paying ... it would be
like going back to
square one”
Job search
breadth
Cell 1,3
“Not really away
from town.” (local)
Cell 2,3
“Bonstreet” (local)
Cell 3,3
“I told them, ‘I'm
quite willing to
relocate, but only to
North East
England.’”
Slide 14
Time ordered matrix

Example of a comparison within a
single case.

e.g. influence of time on code type.
Code type Time 1
Type 1
Quote 1
Type 2
Type 3
Time 2
etc
Time 3
Slide 15
Example of a comparison within a single case
Fir st interview
Second interview
Pain
manage
-ment
Cell 1,1
Help
from
relatives
Cell 2,1
Cell 2,2
“My husband did his
best to help, but
he’s never done
much cooking.”
“Fred went to evening “I don’t know what I’d
classes on cooking. I
do if Fred got ill, my
think he quite enjoys
children live so far
himself now.”
away.”
Indepen
-dence
Cell 3,1
Cell 3,2
“At fi rst I was
worried I might run
out of pain killers.”
“I th ink I was so self
absorbed with the
illness that I didn’t
worry about getting
help.”
Cell 1,2
Third interview
“I try to avoid taking
pain killers because
of the side effects.”
“I fi nd it very
frustrating having to
get Fred or someone
else to move and lift
things for me.”
Cell 1,3
“There are times
when I find the
drowsiness better
than the pain.”
Cell 2,3
Cell 3,3
“With the new
equipment I feel a lot
more in control.”
Slide 16
Tables or matrices cont.

Tables can include counts, e.g. Size of
coded text (number of words) or no. of
coded chunks of text

This may indicate importance or
salience (or not?)
Slide 17
Quasi-quantitative.

Recode or categorize the
concept/variable. E.g. into high or low,
good or bad etc.

Cf. Grounded theory idea of properties
and dimensions.
Slide 18
Summed indices

A way of creating a new variable and
ordering cases.

N.B. use cut and paste in word
processor to order the lines.

These can be used to produce…
Slide 19
Slide 20
Miles, M.B. and Huberman, A.M. (1994) Qualitative data analysis: a sourcebook of new methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. p. 194
Scatter plot with movement over time
Miles, M.B. and Huberman, A.M. (1994) Qualitative data analysis: a sourcebook of new methods. Beverly Hills, CA:
Sage. p. 199
Slide 21
Cluster plot of cases Job searching
Slide 22
Maps

Use different shapes to represent different
ideas

Use different lines to represent different
relationships

Arrows for direction, + or - for positive or
negative influence.
Concep t
Relationship
Concep t
Slide 23
Event state network
Events
Quit job
Redundancy
End of short-term
contract
Leave School or college
Interview
Careers advice
Training
Job offer
States
Unemployed
Routine searching
Entrepreneurial
searching
Looking for work
Half looking for work
New social relations
In work
Slide 24
Slide 25
Venn Diagrams

To show set of objects, cases etc and
their relationships.
Born i n
Yorshi re
Intell igent
Good looking
Intell igent, good
l ooking and born in
Yorkshire
Slide 26
Flow charts

Input, output, decisions, processing of
inputs to produce outputs.

E.g. entry to University, exams and final
degree. Admission to day centre for persons
with learning difficulties.

Can show flow of people through system, or
flow or one person/case through system of
decision making.

Can use to compare cases.
Slide 27
Flow of people through job finding services
Slide 28
Example decision flowchart
Slide 29
Miles, M.B. and Huberman, A.M. (1994) Qualitative data analysis: a sourcebook of
new methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. p. 186.
Slide 30
Causal diagram

Special case of the map, where the
connecting line shows causation…
Slide 31
Miles, M.B. and Huberman, A.M. (1994) Qualitative data analysis: a sourcebook of
new methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. p. 225.
Slide 32
Organizational charts.

Shows units in an organization and the
relationship between them. Relation
can be, reports to, is boss of, sends
papers to, receives good from etc. (e.g.
School diagram).
Slide 33
Slide 34