ANALYZING INTERVIEW
DATA
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şehnaz Şahinkarakaş
BASIC STEPS
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I.
Prepare the data (Transcription)
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II.
Develop codes / categories (content analysis)
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III. Complete and revise the system of categories
based on the data
IV. Report the result of data analysis
PREPARING THE DATA
(TRANSCRIBING)
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Transcribing data is very important when your
study is mostly based on interviews
Transcription is time-consuming and demanding
Try to transcribe your data soon after the
interview, when it is still fresh in your mind.
POINTS TO CONSIDER FOR TRANSCRIPTION
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Begin the transcript with the name of the
participants and a pseudonym you have given to
him/her
Transcribe all the interview carefully and
completely (words are the data of the qualitative
study!)
It’s possible to ask someone else to transcribe the
data for you, but if you prepare yourself, you will
be familiar with it.
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Use some conventions such as:
Brackets [ ]: your addition to transcript
 Question mark ?: interviewer’s words couldn’t be
deciphered
 Three periods …: there is a pause (or missing
data)
 Italics or bold: emphatic stress
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Types of transcription
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Simple transcription
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“Jeffersonian/Jefferson” transcription
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Summarising protocol
SIMPLE TRANSCRIPTION
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IR: So today is March seventh. I’m at Annals of
Internal Medicine and I’ll be interviewing Dr. P.E.
And for the record can you state your name and
position?
DrE: It’s P.E. I’m deputy editor of Annals of Internal
Medicine.
IR: Okay. And how long have you been working at
Annals?
DrE: Since 1978. It’s a long time. I was associate
editor from 1978 to 1999 and I’ve been deputy editor
from 1999 to 2003.
“JEFFERSONIAN” TRANSCRIPT
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IR= So: today is March seventh, I’m at Annals
of Internal Medicine and I’ll be interviewing
doctor Pete Ernest. (0.4) A::nd um for the
record can you state your name and position?
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IE= It’s Pete Ernest, I’m deputy editor of
Annals of Internal Medicine.
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IR= Okay. And how long have you been
working at Annals?
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(0.4)
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IE= Since nineteen seventy eight. It’s a
lo::ng time. I was uh:: associate editor
from nineteen seventy eight to nineteen
ninety ni:ne, …
SUMMARISING PROTOCOL
Contains only the important contents of the
interview.
 Important passages can be verbatim transcripts
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E.g.
Dr. E: I’m deputy editor of Annals of Internal
Medicine. I was associate editor from 1978 to
1999, and I was deputy editor from 1999 to
2003. My sub-specialty is pulmonary disease
which I practice every day at the University of
Pennsylvania.
DEVELOPING CODES/CATEGORIES
(CONTENT ANALYSIS)
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Content analysis is used to determine the
presence of certain words, concepts, themes,
phrases, characters, or sentences within texts or
sets of texts and to quantify this presence in an
objective manner.
How can this be done?
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Making sense out of the text data
Dividing the text into segments
Labelling the segments with codes
Examining codes (for overlap and redundancy)
Putting them in broad themes
GETTING READY TO CODE
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Mainly two ways of categorization:
1. A Priori Coding (Relational Analysis) :
 Before the analysis begins, the researcher determines
the categories which are based on previous knowledge,
experience, literature, or theory (i.e. Develops a coding
scheme)
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These can be identified from a range of sources:
 Previous research or theory
 Research or evaluation questions you are addressing
 Questions and topics from your interview schedule
PS. Conduct a pre-test to the coding scheme to see if it is
working.
A SAMPLE CODING SCHEME
Code
Acronym
Description
T-FEC
Feedback Evaluative Correct
Confirmation of correct answers
T-FEI
Feedback Evaluative Incorrect
Rejection of incorrect answers
T-FDD
Feedback Descriptive Data
Guidelines on how to succeed against predetermined data
T-FDMA Feedback Descriptive Mutual Achievement
Mutual discussion/articulation of the
current achievement
T-FDS
Engage learners to self-assessment (prompt
them to compare their current achievement
to their previous work)
Feedback Descriptive Self
T-FDMD Feedback Descriptive Mutual Development
Mutual discussion /articulation on whether
there was some development or whether
some development is needed.
T-FDSD
Provision of strategies for further
development.
Feedback Descriptive Strategies
Development
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2. Emergent Coding (Grounded Coding-Conceptual Analysis):
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Categories emerge as the analysis continues.
Good categories are
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Exhaustive (all relevant content can be categorized)
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Mutually exclusive (data can be placed in only one
category)
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Independent (assignment of data to one category does
not affect the assignment of other data to a category)
CODING THE MATERIAL
(ANALYZING THE DATA)
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If you are using a priori coding, analyze the data
according to the codes you have already
identified.
If you are using grounded/emergent coding, there
are some steps to follow
STEPS FOR EMERGENT CODING
(CRESWELL, 2012)
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1. Get a sense of the whole: read the transcripts
and take notes in the margins
2. Take one document (e.g. one interview); go
through it and consider the underlying meaning.
3. Start coding the document: identify text
segments (word/sentence/paragraph for a code)
and assign a code word for the segment
(In first coding, don’t use lots of different codes; try to
assign only a few—you can separate them later)
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4. Make a list of all code words. Group similar
codes and check redundancies (reduce if
necessary)
5. Check the data with this list (grouped and
reduced) and check whether new codes emerge.
Circle the quotes that support the codes
6. Reduce the list of codes to get 5 - 7 themes
(categories).
SAMPLE CODING 1
SAMPLE CODING 2
RELIABILITY & VALIDITY
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The primary reason for content analysis is to
collect objective information, so reliability is very
important and it means the degree to which
multiple coders yield identical results.
In general there are two stages in determining
coding reliability.
Ensure that the classification system is understood
and applied to each unit separately.
 Compare how multiple coders classify a sample of the
same material. (80% of agreement is good enough)
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MAIN ADVANTAGES OF CONTENT
ANALYSIS
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1.
Quantifies largely qualitative information
2. Adds qualitative richness to otherwise
quantitative data
3. Helps researchers learn more about issues of
interest.
DISADVANTAGES OF CONTENT ANALYSIS
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1.
Usually limited to recorded information
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2.
Might have validity problems
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3.
Analysts can achieve acceptable agreements
(reliability) but the true meanings of categories might
still be a problem.
Be challenged as too subjective.
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Exercise for coding!
1. DECIDE WHICH CODE SUMS UP WHAT IS BEING TOLD IN EACH LINE
LIST OF CODES:
BREAKING UP
GETTING PREGNANT
INSECURITY
LIFESTYLE
UNCERTAINTY
SETTLING DOWN
MOVING IN TOGETHER
NOT WANTING TO MOVE
PROPOSAL
1. When I found out I was pregnant, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get married and he …
2. wasn’t the settling down kind. He was old enough to bring up a child but I knew he …
3. wasn’t ready to. He was in the Navy he liked the life and preferred going off with …
4. his friends and that bothered me. At first I hoped something would happen so I …
5. didn’t have the baby and I wanted him to marry me ’cause he wanted to not …
6. because I was pregnant. Anyway when the baby was born we broke up and I have …
7. seen him a couple of times but he has phoned lots and says he will marry me. He …
8. wanted me to marry him and go and live with him, but I didn’t want to leave home.
9. He leaves the Navy in 6 months so I’m getting the flat ready for him to move in. But …
10.I still worry he’ll go off with his friends and won’t be able to give up the life.
ORIGINAL CODING FOR THE FIRST 3 LINES(EXERCISE 1)
1. When I found out I was pregnant, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get married and he …
(getting pregnant)
2. wasn’t the settling down kind. He was old enough to bring up a child but I knew he …
(settling down)
3. wasn’t ready to. He was in the Navy he liked the life and preferred going off with …
(lifestyle)
4. his friends and that bothered me. At first I hoped something would happen so I …
5. didn’t have the baby and I wanted him to marry me ’cause he wanted to not …
6. because I was pregnant. Anyway when the baby was born we broke up and I have …
7. seen him a couple of times but he has phoned lots and says he will marry me. He …
8. wanted me to marry him and go and live with him, but I didn’t want to leave home.
9. He leaves the Navy in 6 months so I’m getting the flat ready for him to move in. But …
10. I still worry he’ll go off with his friends and won’t be able to give up the life.
ORIGINAL CODING FOR ALL THE LINES(EXERCISE 1)
1. When I found out I was pregnant, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get married and he …
(getting pregnant)
2. wasn’t the settling down kind. He was old enough to bring up a child but I knew he …
(settling down)
3. wasn’t ready to. He was in the Navy he liked the life and preferred going off with …
(lifestyle)
4. his friends and that bothered me. At first I hoped something would happen so I …
(uncertaintly)
5. didn’t have the baby and I wanted him to marry me ’cause he wanted to not …
(insecurity)
6. because I was pregnant. Anyway when the baby was born we broke up and I have …
(breaking up)
7. seen him a couple of times but he has phoned lots and says he will marry me. He …
(proposal)
8. wanted me to marry him and go and live with him, but I didn’t want to leave home.
(not wanting to move)
9. He leaves the Navy in 6 months so I’m getting the flat ready for him to move in. But …
(moving in together)
10. I still worry he’ll go off with his friends and won’t be able to give up the life.
(insecurity)
2. WRITE A CODE THAT SUMMARIZES WHAT HAPPENS IN
EACH LINE
1. It was challenging, after living in Italy for 6 months and then I moved home before …
2. I started university. I was used to doing things my own way when it suited me …
3. and not having to tell people where I was going. I was living with friends and they …
4. didn’t care what I did or where I went. It was really hard to go back to sort of …
5. thinking of others … ’cause Mum and Dad wanted to know where I was going and …
6. who with, which was a nightmare. My parents were strict but I had a lot of …
7. freedom growing up, as long as I didn’t overstep the boundaries. After I came …
8. back from Italy they realised I was more independent and things changed and …
9. they didn’t try and stop me doing things anymore but they would still let know if …
10. they didn’t approve.
ORIGINAL CODING (EXERCISE 2)
1. It was challenging, after living in Italy for 6 months and then I moved home before …
moving away
2. I started university. I was used to doing things my own way when it suited me …
independence
3. and not having to tell people where I was going. I was living with friends and they …
freedom
4. didn’t care what I did or where I went. It was really hard to go back to sort of …
moving back home
5. thinking of others … ’cause Mum and Dad wanted to know where I was going and …
control
6. who with, which was a nightmare. My parents were strict but I had a lot of …
control
7. freedom growing up, as long as I didn’t overstep the boundaries. After I came …
boundaries
8. back from Italy they realised I was more independent and things changed and …
growing up
9. they didn’t try and stop me doing things anymore but they would still let know if …
letting go
10. they didn’t approve.
disapproval
WHAT THEMES (MAIN CATEGORIES) CAN YOU GENERATE?
1. It was challenging, after living in Italy for 6 months and then I moved home before …
moving away
2. I started university. I was used to doing things my own way when it suited me …
independence
3. and not having to tell people where I was going. I was living with friends and they …
freedom
4. didn’t care what I did or where I went. It was really hard to go back to sort of …
moving back home
5. thinking of others … ’cause Mum and Dad wanted to know where I was going and …
control
6. who with, which was a nightmare. My parents were strict but I had a lot of …
control
7. freedom growing up, as long as I didn’t overstep the boundaries. After I came …
boundaries
8. back from Italy they realised I was more independent and things changed and …
growing up
9. they didn’t try and stop me doing things anymore but they would still let know if …
letting go
10. they didn’t approve.
disapproval
3. CODE THE FOLLOWING DATA AND DEVELOP
THEMES/CATEGORIES
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We were playing for our title.
(the injury) It was pretty bad
I got a concussion and I hurt my jaw
it was probably one of the worst concussions I have had so far
This is my thirteenth year (of playing this sport).
I’m on a high school varsity team
I also play on another like semi-competitive team
everyone kind of just goes for the ball
it wasn’t really a foul or anything
I don’t really remember it
people say it was like my own team mate that kicked
me.(smiling)
but I don’t really blame her,
she was just trying to stop the goal
I was really frustrated
A SAMPLE CODING (EXERCISE 3)
Raw data themes
Higher order sub-themes
(the injury) It was pretty bad
experience of her injury
I got a concussion and I hurt my jaw
it was probably one of the worst concussions I have had
so far
This is my thirteenth year (of playing this sport).
experience of playing football
I’m on a high school varsity team
I also play on another like semicompetitive team
Everyone kind of just goes for the ball
feelings about the accident
It wasn’t really a foul or anything
I don’t really remember it people say it was like my own
team mate that kicked me.(smiling)
but I don’t really blame her, she was just trying to stop
the goal
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4. Following transcripts are taken from an
interview with 3 people.
Read the responses of the interviewees and
develop the common themes/categories that come
up.
4. INTERVIEW QUESTION: HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS THE LEVEL OF
AUTOMATION IN YOUR OFFICE?
21
Overall, the system is pretty good. The information we
have access to is very helpful. But, updates to the data
base are batch processed. If the system allowed real-time
updates this would give case workers more up-to-date
information.
22
The terminals hurt my eyes. They are hard to look at for long
periods of time. The system is very slow retrieving information,
and much of the information we get is miscoded or incorrect.
Terminal time is also limited because of frequent down time for
repairs. I can’t say the current system helps me much in doing
my job.
23
There is a serious lack of printers. Case workers need to be able
to print out information on our terminals, but this is time
consuming because we all have to send output to one printer.
Lots of days the printer is offline for repairs which complicates
the situation
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Next week is the practice time for Content
Analysis (Coding)
Don’t forget to prepare 3-4 interview questions on
a topic of your interest.