2.7. Data Management and Analysis
Data was stored in a password-protected computer. Access to the database was restricted to the researcher and supervisors only. Data was stored as per university’s protocols. Any identifiable information that was collected remained confidential and was only accessible to the researcher and supervisors. Data was analyzed in groups not individually to avoid identifying the participants by their responses. Qualitative data analysis always takes place concurrently with data collection. Therefore, the researcher attempted to gather, manage, and interpret a growing bulk of data simultaneously. In this study, the audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and coded immediately after data collection. Data was analyzed using Colaizzi’s [12] methods which comprise the following seven steps:Each research participant’s verbatim transcript was read to acquire a sense of the whole.Significant statements and phrases pertaining to the phenomenon being studied were extracted from each transcript.Meanings were formulated from the significant statements.Meanings were organized into themes, and themes evolved into theme clusters and eventually into theme categories.These results were integrated into a rich and exhaustive description of the lived experience.The essential structure of the phenomenon was uncovered.Validation was sought from the research participants to compare the researcher’s descriptive results with their lived experiences.