Inductive Coding
Inductive research involves the conversion of raw, qualitative data into more useful quantitative data. Unlike deductive analysis, inductive research does not involve the testing of pre-conceived hypotheses, instead allowing the theory to emerge from the content of the raw data. This is advantageous because it ensures that no misconceptions are made in advance of the analysis, clouding the truth within the actual content.
There are a number of different inductive methods with varying levels of appropriateness in the context of this project. Several of these will now be discussed and their suitability discussed.
There are a number of different inductive methods with varying levels of appropriateness in the context of this project. Several of these will now be discussed and their suitability discussed.
Discourse Analysis
Discourse Analysis is an inductive method which focuses on the language of the qualitative data [1]. More specifically, this method of analysis targets the language which allows an individual to understand the situation they are in. Paltridge discusses how Discourse Analysis is concerned with the “patterns of language throughout text and the social and cultural contexts in which it is used”. This method was not deemed suitable because the analysis of language is particularly specialised and the language used might only depict the opinion of the individual being interviewed rather than the company. It was also considered that this method may show more inaccuracies in the results than others.
Phenomenology
The study of a participants experience concerning particular phenomenon is called Phenomenology [2]. According to Thomas, a successful Phenomenological analysis requires “extensive and prolonged engagement to develop patterns and relationships of meaning”. Although this strategy could be applied to the problem, the major disadvantage is that although the participating companies were willing to be interviewed, most would not be interested in participating in a longer process.
Grounded Theory
Grounded Theory is the qualitative analysis process whereby a theory is derived to portray the view “grounded” in the participant [3]. This is done through an iterative process, where emerging categories are constantly compared to data extracted from the interviews. The methodology for this process also suggests that sampling different groups would enhance results. It was decided that Grounded Theory was the most suitable method for analysis of the interview transcripts.
[1] B. Paltridge. Discourse Analysis: An Introduction. 2006.
[2] D. Thomas. A General Inductive Approach for Analyzing Qualitative Evaluation Data. American Journal of Evaluation, 2006.
[3] W.M. Trochim. Deduction and Induction [online]. Available from: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/dedind.php. 2012.
[2] D. Thomas. A General Inductive Approach for Analyzing Qualitative Evaluation Data. American Journal of Evaluation, 2006.
[3] W.M. Trochim. Deduction and Induction [online]. Available from: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/dedind.php. 2012.