Data Analysis
Data analysis occurred both during and following the on-site visit. As Merriam
(2001) notes, “a qualitative design is emergent . . . the process of data collection and
analysis is recursive and dynamic” (p. 155). During data collection, analysis was
ongoing. Interview recordings, field notes, and documents were reviewed between data
collection activities, with time for this activity built in the researcher’s daily schedule, so
that the results of this ongoing analysis could be used to inform the next collection of
data. Merriam (2009) emphasizes the importance of beginning analysis during data
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collection, “without ongoing analysis, the data can be unfocused, repetitious, and
overwhelming in the sheer volume of material that needs to be processed. Data that have
been analyzed while being collected are both parsimonious and illuminating” (p. 171).