Two researchers from the University of Liverpool have proposed a novel approach for analysing qualitative diary data.
Dr Laura Radcliffe and Dr Leighann Spencer, who led NCRM’s recent Qualitative Diary Methods course, published their work in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology.
The new technique, termed Thematic Trajectory Analysis (TTA), offers a step-by-step approach for qualitative researchers seeking to understand within-person changes over time.
The approach was developed to overcome the limitations of existing analytical approaches when applied to qualitative diary data, in particular their ability to capture daily fluctuations and how people's experiences change over time.
TTA combines textual and visual data to overcome these limitations, enabling the benefits of qualitative diaries to be better exploited. TTA opens up the opportunity for researchers to better understand how phenomena and processes may unfold.
Follow Dr Laura Radcliffe (@LauraSue888) and Dr Leighann Spencer (@SpencerLeighann) on Twitter and read their paper, Thematic trajectory analysis: A temporal method for analysing dynamic qualitative data.