Qualitative Analysis as a Public Event: The Documentation of Category Development Procedures

Abstract

Although the use of qualitative methods has increased greatly in popularity, many still question the defensibility of the qualitative orientation. It is argued here that questions concerning the credibility and status of qualitative inquiry are related to the privatization of qualitative analysis. The particular area of qualitative analysis I focus on is the process of category development. It is my argument that qualitative researchers must make all aspects of their analysis open to public inspection. In order to achieve this objective, I propose a two-dimensional model designed to facilitate the documentation of procedures used to generate categories. The domain representing the first dimension specifies the various components or actions associated with the development of categories. The second domain addresses the temporal aspects of category development. The intersection of these two analytical domains forms a two-dimensional table that may be used to document the nature of the analytical actions employed in a given study. An empirical example is presented with the intention of illustrating the utility of the approach. The implications of this approach, and some possible criticisms, are considered.