The Good, the Bad, and the Data: Shane the Lone Ethnographer's Basic Guide to Qualitative Data Analysis

by Sally Campbell Galman

Data analysis is often the most difficult task facing students and novice qualitative researchers, including Shane the Lone Ethnographer--a grad student with fond visions of the Wild West--and her horse Transcriptor. In this comic-style textbook, we follow Shane as she attempts to corral her data and make sense of it for publication. Shane learns how to read, sort, code, write, and assess the analysis of a qualitative study in the traditions of ethnography, grounded theory, discourse, and narrative analysis. Along the trail, she receives helpful advice from experienced researchers who explain their analytic practices in detail. Written in a friendly, comic book style, Shane's Wild West adventures in data analysis will be both instructive and an enjoyable read.

Genres: Anthropology, Research Methods, Nonfiction

103 pages, ebook

First published April 30, 2013

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course this book is fantastic.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm currently in my dissertation analysis & writing phase. I did not do a full ethnography but I did use ethnographic methods (interviewing, participant observation, images, artifacts). I am spooked by the amount of data I have and feel there's no possible way I'll get through it all. This is such a practical guide! While it affirmed that there are no shortcuts to this step, I have some new strategies to organize and analyze my data in meaningful ways. It was an engaging and quick read, accessible even to those who are overwhelmed by all there is to do. The steps she outlines are clear and easy to follow. A great starting point for student researchers.

[Alan Fricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A handy whizz through - accessible and useful.

[Hachiko · Rating 5 out of 5]

lol I finished this book because I need to wait for my friend, trembling because of my hungry belly.
This book is funny and interesting, means a lot to me.

[Caitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful introduction to data analysis and coding! It's cute and easy to read, while also being super useful.

[Glen Farrelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic book is a very useful overview of how to do qualitative data analysis. Very few methods books actually have the practical details of conducting data analysis, so this book is a rare find in this regard. This book has plenty of step-by-step instructions and tips all written and illustrated in a highly accessible and useful manner. For these reasons, I recommend this book for any beginner to data analysis.

My only complaint is it fails to offer sufficient help on using software to aid data analysis.

Still, one of the best books I've encountered on data analysis!