The analysis of qualitative data begins with the first observation. As the observation phase winds down, analysis becomes more intense.
Analysis organizes the hundreds of pages of raw notes into a meaningful pattern. It interconnects discrete observations and locates these connected events within a small number of conceptual categories. As with a jigsaw puzzle, the researcher fits and refits the pieces according to a variety of tentative models until few unconnected pieces remain and the fit seems subjectively and logically satisfying.
A final report-gives the resulting “jigsaw” picture as clearly and convincingly as possible. A common reporting method combines quotations from interviews with anecdotes from the field observations to illustrate and support the analyst’s general argument.