Analysing interview transcripts

Tony Harland

Higher Education Development Centre

University of Otago

What is it about?

This workshop is aimed at new researchers who collect data using recorded interview techniques and who would like to get a better understanding of analysis. In particular it will focus on interviews in case-study research. Two topics will be addressed:

1)    Analysis methods

2)    The relationship between analysis and research purposes

Why is it important?

Many new researchers have difficulty with analysis and in understanding the relationship between analysis and methods, and analysis and research purposes. These are complex issues of qualitative research that can take some years to work through, usually as the researcher gains repeated experience of the complete research cycle. The workshop seeks to clarify some of this complexity so that a researcher’s journey changes, they feel more confident in their decisions and are able to produce higher quality research

How will the session be run?

There will be an introduction to two types of analysis followed by an exercise using an authentic transcript. This will be followed by a second exercise in which the processes that went into a research project are modelled, broken down into component parts and critiqued by the group.