Qualitative Data Analysis: MANTRA

Qualitative researchers rarely work with large data sets or complex analytical tools and, therefore, tend to assign low importance to data management skills. Nonetheless, they can benefit from expanding their data management knowledge and learning about the options available for working with qualitative data. MANTRA is an effective self-learning instrument that can fill the gaps in the data management education of qualitative researchers by providing researchers with the comprehensive guidelines on preparing a data management plan, organising, analysing and storing their qualitative data. It is an easy and accessible way for an early career researcher to gain knowledge for data collection, analysis, storing and sharing and become confidence in qualitative data management.

Though various data management and data analysis courses are offered on campus, new PhD students often find themselves overwhelmed with the available options and unable to evaluate their relevance at that stage of their programme. MANTRA is a valid alternative to on-campus assessed courses. It allows early career researchers to develop their own pace of learning, familiarise themselves with multiple alternatives (tutorials on four software packages are provided) and make their mind up about the ways they should be approaching their data. This is the experience every early career qualitative researcher needs.

NVivo and SPSS are perhaps the two most widely used data analysis tools in qualitative and mixed-methods research. They give researchers a place to organise, store and retrieve their data to work more efficiently, save time and back up findings with evidence. Data can be imported into these programs from text, audio, video, emails, images, social media, web pages and other sources. Nonetheless, learning to use them in an effective way could be a challenging task. MANTRA offers online tutorials so researchers can learn them at their own pace.

The Business School PhD programme attracts students with varied backgrounds, training and research experience. MANTRA is an effective tool to get foundational knowledge about research data management. Detailed enough, interactive enough and offering clear options for further learning, MANTRA is able to benefit all early career researchers regardless of their background.

Anastasia Naranova, Digital Research Services Ambassador (Mar-May 2019) and PhD student at the Business School developed this case study. The conclusions of this case study are based on numerous discussions with colleagues from the Business School and wider qualitative research community.

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