Strategies in Using a Qualitative Database for the Analysis of Problem-centered Interviews

Authors

  • Thomas Kühn
  • Andreas Witzel

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-1.3.1035

Keywords:

evaluation, text databank, problem-centered interviews, prospective longitudinal study, young adults, biography shaping

Abstract

On the basis of several examples from our longitudinal study "Transitions to Employment," dealing with the shaping of biography of young adults and typical transition-patterns from education to employment, we discuss the use of a text databank in the evaluation of problem-centered interviews. First, we explain the structure of the project's "databank of biographical interviews with young adults" which is founded on a thematic and temporarily differentiating system of categories recording job- and family-related actions and orientations. We present different ways of using the databank in qualitative evaluation. The manner how certain cases and categories of the databank are selected and included in the analysis depends on the objective and the problem's complexity. Our examples show that the use of a databank is an important possibility to support the evaluation of qualitative interviews, facilitating a thematic directed access and thus allowing the handling of data which are particularly extensive. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0003183

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Author Biographies

Thomas Kühn

Thomas KUEHN (Psychologist, PhD), born 1971, studied in Bremen and worked from 1994-2001 as a researcher at the Special Research Center 186 "Status Passages and Risks in the Life Course" at the University of Bremen. Currently he is a Feodor-Lynen-research fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt-foundation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His research focuses on biography and life course, career socialization, family sociology and psychology, methods of qualitative longitudinal analysis.

Andreas Witzel

Andreas WITZEL (http://www.qualitative-research.net/fqs/beirat/witzel-e.htm) (Psychologist, PhD), born 1945, studies in Regensburg and Darmstadt, researcher at the University of Bremen. From 1990-2001 member of the Sfb 186 "Status Passages and Risks in the Life Course. Currently he is member of the Graduate School of Social Sciences (GSSS), University of Bremen. His research focuses on career and pre-career socialization, occupation and labor market, and on methods of interpretative social research (especially qualitative interview and evaluation methods and the linking of qualitative and qualitative methods).

Published

2000-12-31

How to Cite

Kühn, T., & Witzel, A. (2000). Strategies in Using a Qualitative Database for the Analysis of Problem-centered Interviews. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 1(3). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-1.3.1035

Issue

Section

Creation and Transmission of Qualitative Data Bases: Access and Documentation