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USING SOFTWARE TO ANALYZE QUALITATIVE DATA CONTINUED...
shots a parent is willing to give his or her infant, you might code all lines of your
transcript that include comments on that question as “A,” signifying that they
correspond to your first research question. Applying the code requires that you review
the transcripts and use a mouse to indicate on the computer screen all the lines of the
transcript that pertain to that code word.
3. Generate reports using the codes you developed. To do this, you instruct the program
to search for a particular code or a combination of codes. The program then presents a
single report showing all the lines of the transcript bearing the requested codes.
For a complete review of qualitative data analysis software, refer to Computer Programs for
Qualitative Data Analysis: A Software Sourcebook, by Eben A. Weitzman and Matthew B.
Miles, 1995, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. A new edition of this book is due out in 2002.
Central-Location Intercept Interviews
Central-location intercept interviews consist
of stationing interviewers at a point
frequented by individuals from your intended
audience and asking the individuals to
participate in a study. If they agree, they are
asked specific screening questions to see
whether they fit the study criteria. If so, the
interviewer takes them to the interviewing
station (a quiet spot at a shopping mall or
other site), shows the pretest materials, and
then administers the pretest questionnaire.
For intercept interviews to be effective, you
must obtain results from a minimum of 60 to
100 respondents from each intended
audience segment you want to test.
Pros
• You can connect with harder-to-reach
respondents in locations convenient and
comfortable for them.
• The interviews can be conducted quickly.
(The interview should be no longer than
15 to 20 minutes.)
• The interviews are a cost-effective means
of gathering data in a relatively short time.
• If you choose an appropriate location,
you will increase your chance to interview
respondents who are among your
intended audience.
Cons
• You must train interviewers.
• Your results are not representative
or generalizable.
• Intercept interviews are not appropriate
for sensitive issues or potentially
threatening questions.
• Intercept interviews do not allow you to
probe easily for additional information.
Central-location intercept interviews should
not be used if respondents must be
interviewed in depth or on emotional or
sensitive subjects. The intercept approach
also may not be suitable if respondents are
likely to be resistant to being interviewed on
the spot. In cases in which central-location
intercepts will not work well, schedule
interviews with respondents instead.
METHODS
Making Health Communication Programs Work 143