Look for deviations from the norms. Try to identify people or groups whose behavior does not conform to the prevailing norms. In sociological terms these persons or groups are called deviants. Identification of deviants and names for them may come from the deviants themselves, from other members of the group, or you may construct definitions for them based on social science usage. When you identify deviants try to understand why they are different and how their differences affect the behavior of the group.Are the deviants ahead of the main body of the group in setting new norms; are they a residual group left behind as the main group adapted to new conditions; or do they represent a collection of unconventional individuals whose behavior has no major social significance?

Watch for sequences of events and interactions. Are there patterns of association among norms, deviants, events, or other concepts in your field notes and files? Which of these stand out as most prominent or important? Why do they occur? Use connections you see to develop hypotheses based on your understanding of relationships between concepts. Test these hypotheses with further observations and modify any emerging conclusions you might have tentatively drawn.

Use any available data in your analyses. Investigators using participant observation also seek and use all available data they can find. These data may include census, population, crop or other economic data, and historical information.   

Guard against premature or biased conclusions. Qualitative analysis is tricky: Frequently there is no objective, outside criteria to use in analyzing data. Consequently, it is sometimes easy to think you have spotted a pattern in your data.Sometimes this pattern is not in the data, but in your perception of the data. You will need to guard against hasty or poorly based conclusions. The best protection is to examine all the data and to look for data both for and against any hypothesis or conclusion you wish to present   Then base your conclusion on your best judgment.

Guidelines for analyzing qualitative data are summarized in Box 13.3.

Box 13.3. Guidelines for analyzing qualitative data Use triangulation to establish the validity of observations and to verify findings. Look for indicators of concepts that best describe or might help explain what you have observed. Constantly examine field notes, testing the value of tentative concepts and relationships among observed actions. Be alert to conditions that differ from what you expected. Try to identify socially meaningful categories for analyzing the content of your field notes. Look for deviations from the norms. Develop hypotheses for why recurring interactions occur and test these by subjecting them to further observation. Use any available data in interpreting your data and in formulating conclusions. Guard again premature or biased conclusions.

Ending fieldwork and leaving the group

In most quantitative investigations, such as surveys, the investigator knows when to stop. Data collection ends when the last member of the sample is interviewed. In field research, there is no specified time for ending data collection. Each researcher has to decide when he or she has enough data in the form of a narrative description of the behavior of the group being investigated. There is no precise basis for making this decision. A few criteria that might help, however, are listed in Box 13.4.

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