Lost in the Data: Strategies Used to Analyze a Large-Scale Collaboratively Collected Qualitative Dataset of Low-Income Families

Large-scale qualitative datasets promise an unparalleled depth of detail. However, large sample sizes, data collection at multiple time points from multiple participants, and large teams using an array of data collection methods can produce an unwieldy dataset difficult to analyze. In this chapter, the authors describe their secondary data analysis of a multi-site longitudinal ethnographic study (n = 256 families), published in a 2015 Children and Youth Services Review article titled “Is stability always a good thing? Low-income mothers’ experiences with child care transitions.” Timelines examples, spreadsheet examples, and ATLAS.ti software screenshots give tangible examples of how the data were synthesized and summarized. The analysis is an illustrative example to provide strategies for becoming familiar with a large-scale qualitative dataset, selecting an analytic sample, and analyzing the data. The authors also reflect on their experiences and provide guidance to researchers attempting similar analyses.