Data analysis
QSR Nvivo was used as a data management tool for the
project. Thematic analysis was employed within this study.
This type of analysis allows the identifying, analysing and
reporting of patterns (themes) within data (Strauss & Corbin
1998, Braun & Clarke 2006). A preliminary analysis
of the data was integrated with the data collection process
as part of a process of continual reflection. Once fieldwork
had been completed, a set of thematic categories (cf.
Ritchie et al. 2008) were developed. This involved the
reading and rereading through the data set by set and
identifying re-occurring themes. This meant that the development
of thematic categories was an emergent and iterative
process, which allowed first insight into connections
between themes. The approach taken in this study incorporated
both inductive and deductive methods of data analysis.
Themes were also produced with theoretical concepts
in mind. These themes were coded on the transcripts in
Nvivo along with any links between the existing nodes
and the new themes. This approach complemented the
research questions by allowing analysis to be driven by the
researcher’s theoretical and analysis interest in the topic
while also allowing for themes to emerge direct from the
data using inductive coding. Figure 2 shows the final thematic
map.