Making sense of qualitative data

The analysis of qualitative data is a rich experience that requires the researcher to combine creative and reflective thinking alongside systematic and rigorous standards of empirical enquiry. As such, the process of qualitative analysis is data-based and data-driven (Bogdan & Biklen 2007). There are several analytical approaches available to the qualitative researcher in order to be able to turn data, which is often voluminous, into ‘a clear, understandable, insightful, trustworthy and even original analysis’ (Gibbs 2007, p. 1). In this chapter we will focus on two more commonly used approaches: content analysis and thematic analysis