Analyzing The Data

The type of analysis required will be determined by the kind of data gathered.

Quantitative data

• Does the data require a statistical package (such as SAS or SPSS), or would a spreadsheet suffice?

• Are there staff available on the team or elsewhere who know the software? Who will be responsible for data entry?

• Does the team have an understanding of how to approach the results?

Qualitative data

• In qualitative analysis the knowledge and judgment of the persons administering the assessment is crucial.

• A useful approach for beginning to analyze qualitative data is to review the transcripts or notes carefully, observing themes or categories that repeat:

  • Begin by writing out each theme, using a word processor

  • Fit each remark or comment under an appropriate theme

  • If a remark fits into more than one category, it can be duplicated

  • There may be some comments "left over." Analyze them to see if they are sub-themes fitting under one of the existing themes, or if new themes emerge. If not, and there are only a few remarks, you may have a "miscellaneous" category.

Let's continue with Step 5, Implementing or acting on the findings.