5. IDENTIFICACIÓN Y VALORACIÓN DE IMPACTOS
5.4. POSIBLES IMPACTOS GENERADOS POR EL PROYECTO
The final section of the chapter will explore the process of analysing data and organising it into a form appropriate to structure the rest of this thesis. Thematic analysis is “a method for identifying, analysing and reporting patterns (themes) within data” (Braun and Clarke, 2006, p. 79). This flexible method of analysis is useful for providing rich description of data when investigating under-researched topics. Using thematic analysis as a means of data analysis is not to summarise the data content, but rather to identify, and interpret, the key features or themes of the research data, guided by the research questions (Clarke and Braun, 2017). Within this project, the use of themes allowed for comparisons to be drawn between participants’ understandings of their role as a father, and in relation to wider societal and governmental expectations of fathers and parents. Analysis also explored if there were patterns in factors that facilitate or inhibit fathering practices.
The process of data analysis occurred in a somewhat logical manner but involved reforming and reflecting throughout the process. The first step of analysis occurred during data collection when I made notes and reflected upon my early impressions of the data. Next was the process of transcribing interviews, and through which I re-experienced the interview encounters, prompting further reflections to be made. After this, a full reading of all interviews was carried out where I noted down the significant issues and anything I thought would make for themes or potential codes. I combined these reflections with notes made immediately after interviews and during transcription. Through this familiarisation with the data, and
through the aide of NVivo ‘mind map’ feature I then gave consideration as to how these codes could be organised into thematic groupings. This process led me to feel more confident in the salient topics within my data, and I then progressed to coding using NVivo as an aide. Through coding and re-reading each transcript, a handful of additional codes were added to the overall list. Writing of findings chapters occurred after this, with the first iteration of ‘writing up’ aiming to organise interview extracts in a coherent order and begin to develop arguments. Each of these three chapters were then discussed with my primary supervisor and led to a second iteration of writing which aimed to reduce the volume of data and focus on developing arguments. At this point it was decided that the initial plan to have one chapter about ‘social relationships’ should be split into two separate but complimentary chapters due to a different focus between the two ‘new’ chapters. This fluid approach to analysis allowed for flexibility in including and excluding themes and data based upon discussion and reflection to the data and the research questions. After investing time in learning how to use the software, NVivo was a useful tool in organising and visualising my codes, and also aided the often messy and complex process of coding interview transcripts (Zamawe, 2015). It can be argued that reflexivity has largely been considered in theory construction and data collection stages, as discussed earlier in this chapter. However, Mauthner and Doucet (2003) argue that when considering analysis methods, one should not assume, as it is common to do, that analysis methods are neutral and mechanical and the individual carrying out the analysis is objective in their values. Methods of analysis cannot be considered to be neutral because they carry the epistemological, ontological and theoretical assumptions of the researchers who developed them. Computer aided programmes for qualitative data analysis, such as NVivo used in this project, can further confer a sense of scientific objectivity to the process. Discussing how themes ‘emerge’ or are ‘discovered’ from the data is a passive account of analysis and denies the active role that the researcher plays in identifying, selecting and reporting themes (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Whilst there is a tendency to assume analysis only begins after data collection, analysis - or the process of making meaning from the data - is a continuous process beginning at the start of research as I had thought about potential codes or themes throughout the research process.
Moreover, when presenting data, particularly interview data and extracts, Mauthner and Doucet (2003) argue that there can be a tendency to assume that participants’ voices ‘speak on their own’ and simplify the complex processes of representing the ‘voices’ of respondents which is mediated through the choices made by the researcher. To implicitly believe one has captured the voices of respondents and is telling their stories is assuming that what a person said in an interview context gives us direct access to their subjectivity and lived experiences. However, through an awareness of an interpretivist epistemological approach, it can be
seen that the data presented, and arguments constructed in the following chapters are based upon my interpretation of participants’ interpretations of their own lives.
When selecting which data to present in the thesis, the nature of qualitative research suggests that the importance of a theme is not related to quantifiable measures, but whether it captures something important in relation to the research questions. However, whilst the relevance to the research questions was a paramount consideration of the research, the prevalence of a theme was undoubtedly considered as important, as can be seen in my using phrases such as ‘many participants said...’ or counting the number of participants. There was around 40 hours of interview for the 26 participants, resulting in approximately 250,000 words in transcripts. In order to reduce this data into meaningful findings, selections were made about what to include. I chose to include data based on what was most commonly said, what related to research questions and also what I thought was interesting. Moreover, when choosing specifically what interview extracts to include, decisions were made based upon the perceived relevance of a quote, the ability to convey meaning, but also the articulation of the participant. Whilst efforts have been made to include extracts from all participants, it should be noted that I felt some participants had better abilities to express themselves in more succinct ways than others. It was difficult to resist the temptation to rely on certain participants’ extracts over others. However, I felt a sense of duty to include extracts from all participants across the following chapters. A final feature demonstrating to me how the data I am presenting is not a direct replication of people’s interviews is that in a couple of occasions, people shared ‘secrets’ with me that they admitted had not been told to anyone else. These of course shaped the research findings, but I chose not to include many of these ‘secrets’ and if they were shared, they were done so without the corresponding pseudonym to further increase anonymity. As such, even though information given in interviews is known to be shared for the purpose of research, I have made a conscious decision based upon ethical principles to not share all data.
4.7 Conclusion
This chapter has explored the methodological logic underpinning this research and the practical methods employed to collect and analyse data. As aforementioned, the research aims of this study meant the overarching methodology of this research took a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews in order to hear ‘stories’ of non-resident fatherhood. Analysis of data and consideration to the research questions meant the data was divided into four thematic chapters. The first of these, in the following chapter, explores fathers’ accounts of becoming and being a non-resident father. This chapter introduces the first of
three overarching findings of the research; demonstrating moral narratives of being ‘good fathers’ and demonstrating a child-centred approach which resonates with socially recognised normative discourses of fatherhood and parenthood are a key concern for non-resident fathers. However, non-resident fathers face unique challenges in performing notions of ‘good fatherhood’, and the next chapter introduces the complexity and diversity found across the sample.