Russel-Research-Method-in-Anthropology

Qualitative Data Analysis I: Text Analysis 503
each of the substantive themes in their model is succinctly defined by a quote
from a respondent.
When the steps of the grounded-theory approach are followed, models or
theories are produced that are, indeed, grounded in the text. These models,
however, are not the final product of the grounded-theory approach. In their
original formulation, Glaser and Strauss (1967) emphasized that the building
of grounded-theory models is a step in the research process. The next, of
course, is to confirm the validity of a model by testing it on an independent
sample of data. Kearney et al. checked the validity of their model by presenting
it to knowledgeable respondents (pregnant drug users), to members of the
project staff, and to health and social service professionals who were familiar
with the population.
Using Exemplar Quotes
Besides displaying models, one of the most important methods in
grounded-theory text analysis is the presentation of direct quotes from respondents—quotes
that lead the reader to understand quickly what it took you
months or years to figure out. You choose segments of text—verbatim quotes
from respondents—as exemplars of concepts and theories or as exemplars of
exceptions to your theories (those superimportant negative cases).
This technique looks easy, but it’s not. You have to choose the exemplars
very carefully because your choices constitute your analysis, as far as the
reader is concerned, and you have to avoid what Lofland (1971) called the two
great sins of qualitative analysis in order to use the exemplar quote technique
effectively.
The first sin, excessive analysis, involves the all-too-familiar practice of jargony
writing and the avoidance of plain English to say plain things. If you
analyze a batch of data and conclude that something simple is going on, don’t
be afraid to say so. There is absolutely nothing of scientific value to be gained
from making straightforward things complicated.
Compare these two sentences: (1) ‘‘The more generations that people from
various ethnic groups are in the United States, the less likely they are to speak
anything but English.’’ (2) ‘‘Over an expanding number of generations, people
of ethnic heritage in the United States become, probabilistically, less likely to
adhere to their traditional linguistic symbol systems.’’ The best word to
describe the second sentence is yucky.
The second sin consists of avoiding doing any analysis on your own—being
so gun-shy of theory and jargon that you simply fill up your papers and books
with lengthy quotes from people and offer no analysis at all. Data do not speak
for themselves. You have to develop your ideas (your analysis) about what’s