Analysis is the heart of the inquiry... Module Two Skype sessions

Today we set ourselves the question what if we could NOT interview or observe or give out questionnaires ... (in other words what if we didn't generate new data but instead looked at what is already out there. What would happen?

This made us have to think about what we would do with this (non-interview) data - i.e. think about the analysis process for your inquiry. The analysis makes meaning of the data. It is easier to work out what your analysis would be when you cut out the idea you will just go and ask people what they think. This is because when you interview people you are tempted to just take their answer as THE ANSWER to your inquiry. Whereas if you start to think about what is already out there to find out about you can more easily see how you are going to need to compare things, look for themes and see differences and similarities across the different data, which is the analysis.

For instance we said:
If your inquiry was about mental health and auditions. You could ask people what they feel about auditions but what are you going to do with that?
Or ....add the idea you can't talk to people.... what would you research...
Your own journal, book, and articles on auditions and look to see if the same things come up (themes), look at the Hustle and look at the comments, go to other professional job posts and compare the comments there, look at the advertisement around the audition info pages (which are often for jobs where people are assuming you are not going to get an audition job. Like tela- marketing advertising opportunities next to the dance audition). Thinking about the impact this might have, thinking about why they advertise here. See your inquiry as a way to better understand the culture and the history of the topic you are interested in. This is like using your BA to build a foundation of knowledge - rather than just generating new data through asking someone what they think...

The analysis is the heart of the inquiry.
The analysis is not just telling us what people said...

Have a go at taking the interviews etc...out of your inquiry plan and push yourself to think about what is out there that you can use as resources and what you would do with it. It is usually a much more interesting inquiry that comes out.

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