Analysing the data

Once you have collected the data for the needs assessment or the evaluation, you need to sort it out and make sense of what it means. For most small projects, the project team will be able to do the data analysis.

How to analyse qualitative data

Qualitative data, consisting of words, can be analysed logically and systematically. There are four basic steps to analysing qualitative data (based on Hawe et al 1990:148-150).

		Organise the data Get the data into a format that is easy to work with. For example, notes from tape recordings will have to be transcribed. Notes from butchers' paper will have to be categorised and typed up. After organising the data, you should have an overall picture of the complete set of data.

		Shape the data into information After looking at the data, assess what type of themes are coming through. This analysis is done by sorting. Note down the different categories or types of responses found. You can use separate cards or sheets of paper to do this step. Start to separate the data into groups that share similar characteristics. Starting with a large number of categories will make it easier to allocate all the data. After becoming more familiar with the data and thinking about the relationships between the groups, it may be possible to reduce the number of categories.

		Interpret and summarise the information Do not try to quantify the responses (for example, you cannot say "half the people said....".) Instead look for the range of views expressed. It is possible to say "some...." or "others...", but you cannot say "most...." or "few....". It is important to make sure all opinions or views are represented in the summary.

		Explain the information When trying to explain what the information means, it is advisable to discuss it at length with others in the team. It is always better to be cautious about leaping to conclusions or making assumptions. The result of thinking about the information and relating it to what the team already knows will lead to an increase in knowledge and action.

		See the 'Information Pyramid' at the beginning of the chapter

The Question: "What did you like least about the program?"

Responses

A common practice [in analysing qualitative data] is do something like a long-hand version of what researcher's call 'factor analysis'....

Take the first questionnaire and write down what your respondent said. Let's say it was 'The room was too stuffy and crowded. Superior attitude of group leader'... Then take the next questionnaire and read the respondent's answer to the same question. Let's say [the person] said: 'Venue. The film on child-rearing.' Because 'venue' is a bit like what the first person also mentioned, you would write this up next to the first person's words about the room and mark next to it to indicate that two people had now said this. The comment about the film is a new idea so it gets listed on its own, still on the left hand side, beneath the others.... You can see that you start to build up a picture of the most common (negative) feelings about your programme and your analysis sheet could end up looking something like [the one above]...

Extracts from Hawe et al 1990:149-150

If someone does not comment on all the points listed, you do not really know why:

A reasonable analysis of the question "What did you like least about the program?" would be:

Although a few respondents could not nominate anything they didn't like about the programme, the most common problem that participants mentioned was the group leaders. This mostly concerned what participants described as their 'superior attitude' but also included criticism of their capacity to control discussion and allow more people to contribute. Other things participants noted were the limitations of the venue and facilities (the small room, no childcare facilities), the film and an overemphasis on the role of the mother (as opposed to the role of the father).

Hawe et al 1990:150

There are several computer programs specifically designed to analyse qualitative data. The one that is best supported in the NT is called 'NUDIST'. If you are interested in more information about it, contact the Menzies School of Health Research on 8922 8196 or 8922 7863.

How to analyse quantitative data

Keep your analysis as simple as possible. Useful calculations to use are the frequency, the mean or average and percentages (Feuerstein 1986:120-123).

Frequencies and percentages can be calculated from the data in this table. The results are shown below.

A person interpreting this information would note the high percentage of children who are under five years of age and have symptoms of diarrhoea, coughs and/or fever.

There are computer programs especially designed for analysing quantitative data. 'Epi Info' (a word processing, database, and statistics system for Epidemiology on microcomputers) is available free of charge from the THS Helpdesk on 8922 8911. If you would like more information, contact the Epidemiology Branch on 8999 2933 or 8999 2468 in Darwin or Public Health Services on 8951 6904 in Alice Springs.

Share the results

		Show other interested people in the community what the results were and discuss these results with them

		Explain what the team thinks they mean. Do they agree or not?

		Discuss with people any changes the team is thinking about making to the project as a result of the evaluation. Get people's ideas

		See the chapter 'Sharing Health Information' for more detail on feeding back information in ways that are meaningful to community members

		Refer back to the 'Information Pyramid' and the reflection-action cycle at the beginning of this chapter


		Remember that you cannot do calculations on these data. For example, you cannot say that 80 per cent of people thought the group leader had a superior attitude or 15 per cent enjoyed the whole thing. The tally marks are only to help in identifying general themes