SocialNet – Empowering Communities: Module 2

Transcription: Empowering Communities Before, During and

After an Infectious Disease Outbreak

Module 2 – Unit 6: Data Analysis

Slide 1
{0.00 – 0.07}
Welcome to Module 2, Unit 6: Data Analysis.

Slide 2
{0.08 – 0.20}
By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

• Explain the purpose of data analysis;

• Describe approaches for analyzing data;
• Explain how to minimize bias.

Slide 3
{0.21 – 0.37}
Data analysis is the process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming and modeling data with the
goal of:

• Discovering useful information;

• Interpreting the information;
• Using it to inform conclusions;
• And applying what you have learned to your decision-making.

Slide 4
{0.38 – 1.00}
Although data analysis takes place after data is collected, rapid analysis of preliminary data
can also redirect or prompt further data collection, especially during qualitative research.

For example, an interviewer may decide to ask follow-up questions because they detect an
unusual or interesting element in the interviewee’s answer.

Slide 5
{1.01– 1.13}
Coding is the process of organizing data to make it manageable for analysis.

It helps you to identify themes – or categories – to support the analysis process.

Slide 6
{1.14 – 1.29}
The approach to data analysis will depend on the type of data collected. This is because:

• Qualitative data is about perceptions, thoughts and feelings.

• And quantitative data is related to numbers.

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 SocialNet – Empowering Communities: Module 2

Slide 7
{1.30 – 1.50}
Quantitative data is numerical data that can be measured.

However, the analysis of quantitative datasets can be complex, requiring knowledge of

sophisticated statistical software

Therefore, one purpose of coding is to transform quantitative data into a format suitable for
computer-aided analysis.

Slide 8
{1.51 – 2.13}
Coding also helps to identify categories of data.

For example, quantitative research could be used to find out how many members of a
community have received an influenza vaccine. Coding can be used to identify two data
categories:

• Vaccinated
• Unvaccinated

And analyzing data will tell you how many people fall into each category.

Slide 9
{2.14 – 2.22}
Coding can also be used to discover patterns in qualitative data, where the information
gathered reveals thoughts, feelings and beliefs.

Slide 10
{2.23 – 2.51}
Data coding for qualitative data can be conducted in a series of steps.

• Step 1: Prepare the data for coding.

• Step 2: Read and re-read the transcripts.
• Step 3: Identify major and minor themes – or codes – within the data.
• Step 4: Assign codes to the relevant text.

We’ll now look at these steps in more detail.

Slide 11
{2.52 – 3.27}
When you have collected your data, the first step is to prepare it for coding.

• If you are using social media or newspaper reports, import the text into a Word
document and organize it – organizing it chronologically can be a useful approach.

• If you have gathered data through focus group discussions and interviews, transcribe
the recordings or notes.
o If the sessions were recorded, your transcripts may be verbatim;

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 SocialNet – Empowering Communities: Module 2

o If they were in note form, you may not have gathered the exact wording of
the participants.
Slide 12
{3.28 – 4.00}
Step 2 involves reading and re-reading the material.

Reflect on the contents and jot down your thoughts in these areas:

1. Observations – what does the data say?

2. Impressions – what reactions do I have about the data; is it expected, surprising or
shocking?
3. Application – how can the data be used or useful? What does the data mean for
action?

Slide 13
{4.01 – 4.46}
In Step 3, you should identify major and minor themes within the data.

Two different types of codes will generally be found in the material:

• Deductively derived codes are codes that you already know or expected to see in the
materials. For example, when you have a specific question that you search the data
for answers to.

• Inductively derived codes are ideas that you hadn’t previously known about or
thought about. This is when questions or ideas emerge as you read the text in detail.

Note that codes and themes are different. Codes have definitions, and themes are assertions
that someone makes from analyzing the text.

Slide 14
{4.47 – 4.53}
In Step 4, you then assign the codes to the relevant pieces of information.

Slide 15
{4.54 – 5.11}
To minimize bias, two or more researchers generally code the material independently and
they review each other's work.

• When there is disagreement, they discuss what they did;

• When they cannot agree, they get another person involved to offer perspective.

Slide 16
{5.12 – 5.26}
Because analyzing text data is by nature subjective, it's important to be transparent and
consistent in:

• How codes are applied;

• And how themes are developed from the data.

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Slide 17
{5.27 – 5.49}
The systematic process of coding and identifying themes in qualitative data allows the
researcher to:

• Analyze the extent of disagreement or agreement about the various issues identified
within the community and why;
• And help to identify potential solutions to issues arising during an outbreak, as voiced
by the community.

Slide 18
{5.50 – 6.14}
In analyzing data, follow these rules:

• Be objective and transparent;

• Commit to sharing your data with people who can use it;
• Be open and accepting of feedback on your work if people see the data in a different
way than you do;
• And seek to understand before you seek to be understood.

Slide 19
{6.15 – 6.27}
Congratulations! You have now completed Unit 6 of this module on Data Collection and
Analysis.

This is the final unit in this module.

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