When you engage in analysis, you may have collected the data yourself, or it may have been given
to you. If you collected it through interactive means, you will come to the analysis with some prior
knowledge of the data, and possibly some initial analytic interests or thoughts. Regardless, it is vital
that you immerse yourself in the data to the extent that you are familiar with the depth and
breadth of the content. Immersion usually involves „repeated reading‟ of the data, and reading the
data in an active way - searching for meanings, patterns and so on. It is ideal to read through the
entire data set at least once before you begin your coding, as your ideas, identification of possible
patterns will be shaped as you read through.