Definition:

Qualitative Data
- Qualitative data is a type of data that describes information. It is investigative and also often
open-ended, allowing respondents to fully express themselves.

- Qualitative data can be observed and recorded. This data type is non-numerical in nature.
This type of data is collected through methods of observations, one-to-one interviews,
conducting focus groups, and similar methods. Qualitative data in statistics is also known as
categorical data – data that can be arranged categorically based on the attributes and properties
of a thing or a phenomenon.

Qualitative Data
• Definition
• Types
• Qualitative Data Approach
• Steps on Analysis

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Selwyn D. Dela Cruz
12- Faraday
Types
of Nominal Data
- In statistics, nominal data (also known as
nominal scale) is a classification of

Qualita
categorical variables, that do not provide
any quantitative value. It is sometimes
referred to as labelled or named data. It is
used to label or name variables without
providing any quantitative value. This is not
true in some cases where nominal data takes
a quantitative value.

tive Ordinal Data

- Ordinal data is a type of qualitative data

Data
where the variables have natural, ordered
categories and the distances between the
categories are not known. In some cases,
ordinal data is classified as a quantitative
data type or said to be in between qualitative
and quantitative. This is because ordinal
data exhibit both quantitative and qualitative
characteristics.
- Qualitative Data can be divided into
two types, namely; Nominal and
Ordinal Data

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Selwyn D. Dela Cruz
12- Faraday
 Qualitative Data
Analysis Approach
Deductive Approach
- The deductive approach involves
analyzing qualitative data based on a
structure that is predetermined by the
researcher. A researcher can use the
questions as a guide for analyzing the
data.
- This approach is fairly easy since the
researcher already has an idea about the
likely results of the analysis before
conducting the research. It is usually
associated with scientific investigations.
Inductive Approach
- The inductive approach to qualitative
data analysis is the process of developing
a new theory or hypothesis for data
analysis. An inductive approach is often
used when a researcher has very little or
no idea of the research phenomenon.
Selwyn D. Dela Cruz
12- Faraday
Steps to Qualitative
Data Analysis
Step 1: Arrange and Organize the
Data
It is essential that as a researcher, you first
need to transcribe the data collected. The first
step in analysing your data is arranging it
systematically. After transforming and
arranging your data, the immediate next step
is to organize your data. One of the best ways
to organize the data is by going back to your
research objectives and then organizing the
data based on the questions asked.
Step 2: Setting Code
The coding of qualitative data simply means
categorizing and assigning properties and
patterns to the collected data. Coding is an
important step in qualitative data analysis, as
you can derive theories from relevant
research findings.
Step 3: Validate the data
Validating data is one of the crucial steps of
qualitative data analysis for successful
research. Since data is quintessential for
research, it is imperative to ensure that the
data is not flawed.
Step 4: Summarize the Data
This is the process of streamlining the
remaining chunk of data and keeping it brief.
All parts of the data should be summarised to
get them ready for analysis.
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