Health Professions Division Dissertation Guide

37 Procedures Provide a clear step-by-step, detailed explanation as to how the candidate will (or did) recruit participants, gain their trust, and the activities or procedures the candidate expects the participant to do. This section does not need to be lengthy, but the reader should be able to “see” the process from start to finish. Examples of procedure types include the following: • Individual interviews. • Participant observation. • Focus groups. • Personal and public documents. • Internet-based data. • Videos. Data Collection Instruments The data collection instruments will depend on the research tradition and research questions. It is beyond the scope of this outline to address all approaches and, therefore, all types of data collection instruments. However, if interviews are being (or were) conducted, the following provides assistance as to the elements that will be included in this section. Demographic Data Which data will (or did) the candidate collect and why? Interview Questions If interviews are (or were) being conducted, briefly explain the purpose of the interviews and relate the interviews to the qualitative tradition and the research design. The actual list of questions should be in the appendix. Field Notes Field notes are both descriptive and reflective. Data Management and Organization Content will be dependent on the specific qualitative method being used but should include information on data management, organization, and analysis plan. Transcription Explain how the investigator will (or did) assure accuracy of transcription. Category Scheme Coding Data Coding is the process that involves labeling common ideas that come from the data (transcripts). It is a process in which the investigator organizes the material into groups and then adds meaning to the groups. This process may include the actual language of the study participant. Closely meaning words are grouped into themes and given a broader category.