Data Collection Process and Analysis

¶ … Statistics: Data Collection Process and Analysis

This research work conducts the study in the form of an exploratory analysis of differently positioned youngsters' 'sexting' experiences. Research with regard to the above topic encapsulates experiences of youth from privileged classes of society, in addition to those of youngsters hailing from rural and suburban localities. Teachers are entrusted with choosing study participants. Eighth and tenth year heads of School One will choose pupils from the school on the basis of their personal knowledge of school students (Ringrose et al., 2012). That is, the research sample will comprise of a broad range of pupils hailing from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of sample schools. School Two students will be chosen out of those who voluntarily wish to participate in the research. Eligibility criterion for student participation is experience in utilizing mobile or online technologies.

Student interview plans will guide offering preliminary prompts for conversational, semi-structured interviews directed by a set of open-ended questions. Semi-structured style of interviewing facilitates follow-up with regard to issues that respondent may deem essential, concerning key research topics, as well as clarification of meaning with interviewees in the course of the interviews (Ringrose et al., 2012). Experienced interviewers gather information via recording sessions (video and audio recording) and taking notes.

Individual interviews adopt the aforementioned procedure, and therefore concentrate on problems pertaining to digital technology and sexually explicit communication, that arise during focus group meetings and Facebook interactions of students. Data collection for individual student interviews is conducted via audio recording and note-taking.

Based on Facebook content and focus group debates, a smaller case-study sample is chosen. This sample is followed up for issues revolving around Facebook representation and sexual communication in one-on-one interviews with students (Ringrose et al., 2012). Online ethnography data is collected via note-taking and observation. For instance, observation of timing of Facebook posts, followed by post-copying for the purpose of analysis help collect the data.

Data for text mapping is gathered from multiple texting platforms, particularly WhatsApp, by means of recording or simple 'screen casting'. Furthermore, interviews for chosen case participants follow online ethnography and text mapping. Interviewees are required to explain pictorial and textual posts.

2. Analysis

2.1. Grounded Theory

In qualitative methods of study data analysis, theory development takes place continuously. Grounded theory entails inductive development of an orderly, observations-based theory (ACT Foundation, 1995). Qualitative analysis firstly covers summarization of observations into abstract categories. Subsequently, the consistency of those categories is tested directly in study setting; where further observations are made. As the activities of observation, questioning, and reflection progress, indicators are chosen and analysis-specific concepts and definitions are formed and improved. Study analysis will inspect the distribution and incidence of particular phenomena such as the number of students making a certain kind of comment and the frequency of development of arguments from social interaction. Subsequently, social system prototypes, which indicate the relationships between diverse phenomena are created.

2.2. Conceptualization, Coding, and Categorizing

The study will develop and test theories continuously depending on observed data patterns. Tests will include data comparison, contrasting, aggregation, ordering, and sorting. The tests denote procedures for creating meaning from data, and involve seeking patterns, associations, and linkages.

'Analytic induction' are employed for data analysis. This procedure entails data review for groups of phenomena, definition of series of relationships, development of hypotheses, further collection of information, and consequent refining of hypotheses. Moreover, data scanning carried out for patterns, so as to form a picture or narrate a tale that describes the phenomenon and progression of events.

According to Gibbs (2007), 'coding' denotes description of data based on what analysis concerns. It entails identification and recording of at least one passage of textual content or other items of data (e.g., parts of images) that can typify the same descriptive or abstract concept, in some way. Normally, a number of passages from data are identified, which are subsequently linked using a code/name specific to that idea. Therefore, all data items that concern or represent the same element will be coded using a single name. Coding constitutes a means of categorizing or indexing text and establishing a basis of relevant thematic segregation of ideas.