Which of the following is a significant challenge in qualitative analysis?

Question

A) Mastering the standard procedures for analyzing qualitative data
B) Lack of narrative materials to analyze
C) Reducing data for reporting purposes
D) Deducing particulars from a universal

Answer 1

C
Feedback:
Qualitative data analysis is challenging, for several reasons. First, the absence of standard procedures makes it difficult to explain how to do such analyses. A second challenge is that qualitative analysts must organize and make sense of hundreds or even thousands of pages of narrative materials. A third challenge is that doing qualitative analysis well requires creativity, sensitivity, and strong inductive skills (inducing universals from particulars). A good qualitative analyst must be skillful in discerning patterns and weaving them together into an integrated whole. Another challenge comes in reducing data for reporting purposes. Quantitative results can often be summarized in a few tables. Qualitative researchers, by contrast, must balance the need to be concise with the need to maintain the richness and evidentiary value of their data.