Developing descriptions of the data

Table of Contents

Developing descriptions of the data

The next step in qualitative analysis is drawing explanations from the data.

Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between description and explanation.

1

Which of the following statements is an explanation of the data?

	a)	Those patients who had travelled furthest and for whom no direct bus route was available found the clinic appointment most financially costly. The perception of financial cost in this sample is linked to the availability of public transport.
	b)	Those patients who identified the expertise of the doctors as most reassuring were most likely to be satisfied with the facilities provided at the clinic. Finding the consultation satisfactory is more likely to result in overall perceptions of satisfaction with the clinic as a whole.
	c)	Several patients were able to meet people they already knew at the clinic. They were surprised that so many people suffered from the same condition.
	d)	Anxiety was experienced as a result of ongoing pain and those patients experiencing ongoing pain as they waited at the clinic were more likely to find the clinic surroundings uncomfortable.
	e)	Patients who knew what to expect when they arrived at the clinic found the experience more satisfactory than those who did not.
All are explanations of the data, except c. This is just fact that patients were surprised, not an explanation of anything.