Qualitative data analysis requires organizing and synthesizing often large quantities of text. In many cases, this analysis entails negotiating the interplay between raw data, semantic themes or codes, and the overarching conceptual framework. In this article, the authors use a case study, which examines HIV vaccine efficacy trial participants' discourse, to demonstrate how cluster analysis can be used to aid in the analysis of large qualitative data sets. After briefly reviewing the systematic approaches to qualitative analysis and describing the project background, the authors present an example of how a hierarchical cluster technique can be incorporated into a multistage thematic analysis.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aldenderfer, M. S., and R. K. Blashfield. 1984. Cluster analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
2.
Barnett, G., and J. Danowski. 1992. The structure of communication: A network analysis of the International Communication Association. Human Communication Resources19:164-285.
3.
Bernard, H. R., and G. Ryan. 1998. Text analysis: Qualitative and quantitative methods. In Handbook of methods in cultural anthropology, edited by H. R. Bernard, 595-645. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira.
4.
Borgatti, S. 1996. ANTHROPAC 4.0. Natick, MA: Analytic Technologies.
5.
Carey, J. W., M. Morgan, and M. J. Oxtoby. 1996. Intercoder agreement in analysis of responses to open-ended interview questions: Examples from tuberculosis research. Cultural Anthropology Methods Journal8:1-5.
6.
Danowski, J. 1993. Network analysis of message content. In Progress in communication science, XII, edited by D. Richards and G. Barnett, 197-221. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
7.
Dey, I. 1993. Qualitative data analysis: A user-friendly guide for social scientists. New York: Routledge.
8.
Doerfel, M., and G. Barnett. 1996. The use of Catpac for text analysis. Cultural Anthropology Methods Journal8 (2): 4-7.
9.
Glaser, B., and A. Strauss. 1967. The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. New York: Aldine.
10.
Jang, H.-Y., and G. Barnett. 1994. Cultural differences in organizational communication: A semantic network analysis. Bulletin de Methodologie Sociologique44:31-59.
11.
Kearney, M., S. Murphy, and M. Rosenbaum. 1994. Mothering on crack cocaine: A grounded theory analysis. Social Science and Medicine38:351-361.
12.
Krippendorf, K. 1980. Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
13.
LeCompte, M. D., and J. J. Schensul. 1999. Analyzing and interpreting ethnographic data. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira.
14.
MacQueen, K. M., S. Buchbinder, J. M. Douglas, F. N. Judson, D. J. McKirnan, and B. Bartholow. 1994. The decision to enroll in HIV vaccine efficacy trials: Concerns elicited from gay men at increased risk for HIV infection. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses10:S261-S264.
15.
MacQueen, K. M., E. McLellan, K. Kay, and B. Milstein. 1998. Codebook development for team-based qualitative analysis. Cultural Anthropology Methods Journal10:31-36.
16.
MacQueen, K. M., E. McLellan, D. S. Metzger, S. Kegeles, R. Strauss, R. Scotti, L. Blanchard, and R. Trotter III. 2001. What is community? An evidence-based definition for participatory health. American Journal of Public Health91 (12): 1929-1937.
17.
Miles, M. B., and M. A. Huberman. 1994. Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. 2d ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
18.
Osgood, C. 1959. The representational model and relevant research methods. In Trends in content analysis, edited by I. de Sola Pool, 33-88. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
19.
Ragin, C. C. 1995. Using qualitative comparative analysis to study configurations. In Computer-aided qualitative data analysis: Theory, methods, and practice, edited by U. Kelle, 177-189. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
20.
Richards, T., and L. Richards. 1995. Using hierarchical categories in qualitative data analysis. In Computer-aided qualitative data analysis: Theory, methods, and practice, edited by U. Kelle, 80-95. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
21.
Romme, A. G. 1995. Boolean comparative analysis of qualitative data: A methodological note. Quality and Quantity29 (3): 317-329.
22.
Ryan, G. 1999. Measuring typicality of text: Using multiple coders for more than just reliability and validity checks. Human Organization58 (3): 313-322.
23.
Schnegg, M., and H. R. Bernard. 1996. Words as actors: A method for doing semantic network analysis. Cultural Anthropology Methods Journal8 (2): 7-10.
24.
Strotman, R., E. McLellan, K. M. MacQueen, and B. Milstein. 2002. AnSWR: Analysis software for Word-based records. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
25.
Weber, R. 1990. Basic content analysis, 2d ed., Vol. 48 in Quantitative applications in the social sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
26.
Weitzman, E. A., and M. B. Miles. 1995. Computer programs for qualitative data analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
27.
Wright, K. B. 1997. Shared ideology in Alcoholics Anonymous: A grounded theory approach. Journal of Health Communication2 (2): 83-99.
