Collecting and Analyzing Data

Once the interviews have been completed, it is time to analyze all of the information you gained during the interview process. How you do this will depend on how many people you interviewed, and the depth and length of those interviews.

Key Term!
Qualitative Data - Qualitative data is a measurement expressed in terms of language, not numbers. Data expressed in numbers is called quantitative data.


There are two main ways to analyze qualitative data, and these are deductive and inductive.

The deductive method uses structured and predetermined framework to analyze the data. This means the researcher sets the standards using his or her own ideas or theories, and uses them to analyze the interview transcripts.

This type of approach is best for situations when the researcher is already aware of possible subject responses. For example, if veterans state that certain war-time activities cause PTSD, the researcher may know which activities these are. When it comes to analyzing the data, the researcher can completed the data assessment, marking which veteran experienced which negative war-time activity.

The deductive method can also be faulty, especially if the researcher doesn't do enough background research. If the researcher has never been to war, or fought combat, there are things that occur that the researcher may not be privy to. Without knowing this, the researcher could be leaving out a major trigger of PTSD.

The inductive method analyzes data based on zero pre-determined notions. A researcher using this method goes into the study blind, and uses the data obtained in the study to determine the solutions.

For example, a researcher studying the triggers for PTSD would conduct all of the interviews, and then use the results to determine what was the biggest trigger. Some vets may say that gunfire is a trigger; others might say that seeing an injured child is a trigger. The researcher will record every possible trigger mentioned by the vets, and then will mark down each time the vets mentioned the particular trigger.

The inductive method is the most common form of data analysis used in case studies.