THOUGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES ON TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS OF QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS IN POLITICAL INQUIRY

Abstract

This paper interrogates the techniques and tools of qualitative data analysis in political inquiry. Beyond identifying and explaining the specificities of qualitative data analysis, the objectives of this study is largely to provide epistemological and innovative insight into the broad typologies as well as techniques and tools of qualitative data analysis. The paper hypothesizes firstly, that qualitative data analysis exhibit certain specificities and that against the backdrop, that there are characteristic techniques and tools of conducting qualitative data analysis. Accordingly, the paper posits that there are clear techniques and tools necessary for requisite analysis of qualitative data. In providing and arguing the proposition, the study relies substantially on private and public documentary sources as materials for the generation of data; while grounded theory techniques and analytic inductive technique enabled one to effectively analyse the data. The findings of this study identified three broad techniques and tools of qualitative data analysis. The broad tools are General Analytic Technique, Data Specific Technique and Case Study Technique. In the quest for effective applications of tools of qualitative data analysis, it is possible to take advantage of methodical triangulation in data analysis and while at the same time relying on the combination of two or more techniques and tools.