Analysis Basics: What Deserves Particular Attention During Analysis

• What words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs have a feeling of extra importance to you? The importance could stem from any of these factors:

  • Several people within a group repeated them or made very similar statements.

  • People in several groups repeated them or made very similar statements.

  • When someone made the statement, a substantial number of people in the group demonstrated agreement either verbally or nonverbally. (You have to be there to know about the nonverbal, unless the facilitator notes the agreement orally during the session.)

  • The statement came with a "charge" on it. It had unusual importance to the speaker.

  • The statement either strongly supports or strongly challenges your own views. (This is not a reason to elevate a statement's importance during analysis, but it is a reason a statement may strike you as important in the first place.)

• What was happening in each group when the words came up? What was the context of the conversation at that moment?

• How intensely did people state their views?

• How much agreement did there appear to be in the group when people made key statements? How much disagreement? How sharp was the disagreement?

• What subgroups held which sets of views? For example, were middle school females more likely than middle school males to hold a particular view? Subgroups (not the same as focus groups) may consist of students who have any number of similarities:

  > age/grade
  > gender
  > school
  > race/ethnic background
  > social "clique"
  > level of academic performance

• Did anyone change opinions in a significant way? What clues do you have to the reasons for the change?