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The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 1

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data

Student’s Name

Ph.D. in Education Organizational Research, Evaluation, and Assessment, Walden University

RSCH 8310: Qualitative Reasoning

Dr.

March 3, 2021

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 2

Introduction

Social change and its purpose have been the center of issues relating to equity

issues, which are implicit and explicit and reflected on the spectrum of mild activism relating to

poverty, race, or gender. However, the meaning of social change has evolved and can

additionally be observed in the happenings of diversity, developments in technology, and

environmental Yob, I., & Brewer, P. (n.d.). However, there is a gap between the rich and the

poor, hence widening with lesser of the category of middle-class diminishing. According to Yob

& Brewer (n.d.), social change may result from an action, a process, or a product, and either a

noun or a verb. Social change may better explain it in the results deriving from the student’s

understanding of social change and the learning experiences and the transformations it fosters.

Social Change as a Social Issue

Social change may be seen in employment and diversity inclusions in organizations as a

social issue. Some organizations have taken the initiative to offer scholarships and improve

practice with a better understanding and inclusion that focuses on interventions designed at the

individual level, providing skills training and knowledge for especially women and those of

color, while providing training in cultural awareness to readers. Little or no attention has been

attributed to the widespread factors that influence inclusion and diversity in organizations and

require a wider system (Noumair & Block, 2017).

Social Change as a Research Problem

Researchers come across many challenges when working to have a positive impact on

social change. I’ve understood that the process of enacting social change is usually influenced by

socio-cultural ethnicities, values, and social norms in society. Change is inevitable, and it occurs

over time and also has overtime consequences for the affected society. Changing society is in a

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 3

continuous process of dis-organization and re-organization; therefore, problems are also

inevitable. Therefore, there is a need for positive social change in the changing society (Social

Problem, 2011)

Purpose Statement

This qualitative study aims to explore people who have contributed to enacting positive

social change globally. Walden University points out most students graduate who have applied

their academic skills to achieve positive social change globally. A positive social change occurs

when a given organization or society makes efforts that drive each member of society to

contribute to society positively. As a researcher, I have been able to apply my academic skills to

help analyze and interpret qualitative research about social change. A good example of positive

social change is observed at Walden University. Students are diverse in their cultural norms at

the university, and due to their interactions and relationships, the university has changed as an

institution. The students have related and embraced each other's culture and, in the end, made a

significant impact on the university and society. As a researcher, I have reviewed several

modalities used to gather data. I have analyzed the information collected that Walden University

has used to impact the university, society, and globally positively.

What is the Meaning of Social Change for Walden Graduate Students?

Since 1970, Walden University has used educational innovation to empower the world

for

the greater good by confronting the challenges they come across. Social change is a driving force

at Walden University; the founding principle guides every person to embrace new learning

techniques and new ways to shape a better world. According to Walden graduate students, social

change involves creating ideas and applying actions or projects that help solve problems hence,

Positively transforming society. According to Chayes, social change can achieve this by

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 4

grounding yourself in truth, making allies, and getting out of your comfort zones (Walden

University, 2021).

Role of the Researcher

As a researcher, I believe that social change is a crucial issue in society. With the constant

advancement of technology and culture mixing, there are inevitable social problems. Education

has also played a role in social change since learners acquire new skills and find new solutions to

social problems. Social change can be observed in learning and work organizations or any other

organization. At times, an organization may need to change or modify its operations, leading to a

social change. In this research, I acted as an interviewer and a researcher. As an interviewer, I

had to reach at least every student in the university and interview them via zoom meeting. I was

able to ask questions and write their responses word-by-word and later interpreted the data.

Interviewing zoom meetings was convenient since it was time-saving, and I could reach out to

many students. As a researcher, I collected data from four Scholar of Change videos and articles

from the internet. I analyzed the data from the articles and noted my answers in a field notes

document. It was tedious and time-consuming, but I could find the correct data sources in the

end.

As an interviewer, I came across some ethical challenges while conducting the interviews,

like anonymity and informed consent. I had to inform my interviewees about the benefit of

taking part in the interview and assuring them that they would be anonymous and that no one

would know it from their responses. I was to interview with their consent since some did not

want to be involved in the interview. As a student researching "A sustainable orientation process

and its effects on employee retention," I have to put this into consideration so that I could collect

the right data, analyze and use my results to perform a social change.

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 5

As a researcher, I believe that social change is a crucial issue in society. With the constant

advancement of technology and culture mixing, there are inevitable social problems. Education

has also played a role in social change since learners acquire new skills and find new solutions to

social problems. Social change can be observed in learning and work organizations or any other

organization. At times, an organization may need to change or modify its operations, leading to a

social change. In this research, I acted as an interviewer and a researcher.

As an interviewer, I had to reach at least every student in the university and interview

them via zoom meeting. I was able to ask questions and write their responses word-by-word and

later interpreted the data. Interviewing zoom meetings was convenient since it was time-saving,

and I could reach out to many students. As a researcher, I collected data from four Scholar of

Change videos and articles from the internet. I analyzed the data from the articles and noted my

answers in a field notes document. It was tedious and time-consuming, but I could find the

correct data sources in the end.

Ethical Challenges

As an interviewer, I came across some ethical challenges while conducting the interviews, like

anonymity and informed consent. I had to inform my interviewees about the benefit of taking

part in the interview and assuring them that they would be anonymous and that no one would

know it from their responses. I was to interview with their consent since some did not want to be

involved in the interview. As a student researching "A sustainable orientation process and its

effects on employee retention," I have to put this into consideration so that I could collect the

right data, analyze and use my results to perform a social change.

Analysis and Results

Data sources

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 6

Several methods have been deployed to make a positive social impact not only in the

university but also in society and worldwide. Some of the modalities included educational

programs that empowered the students with skills they can use both in their daily lives and their

professions (Walden University, 2021) and entertainment in the form of videos, as illustrated in

the four Scholars of Change videos that Laureate Education published, Inc in 2016 and articles

that analyzed the data. Through communication systems, knowledge transfer, alteration of

scheme or mindset, shaping attitudes, problem-solving, and accountability (Kezar 2014).

In Scholars of Change video #1, it focused on students with special education at the university.

Walden student Benjamin Isaac had an "epiphany" while creating the two-minute

animated sitcom of three cartoon characters portraying children with special needs, played by

children with special needs, to establish a personal connection with children and normalization

amongst the age groups (Isaac 2014). He contributed to my image of children with special needs.

The student's animated sitcom aims to reduce common stigmatisms associated with special needs

children in learning environments to provide a richer learning environment for special needs

children.

In Scholars of Change video #2, Jackie Kundert was a student, mother, and nurse who

was personal affected by prescription drug addiction in which her son became addicted. Drug

addiction inspired the student to make social change in her community when she became aware

of the high rates of heroin use in her small town of Monroe, Wisconsin. Through her experiences

at Walden, she developed the skills and mindset needed to mobilize and utilize social change

efforts to address this issue. The student started an organization called F.A.I.T.H which stands for

fighting addiction it takes account. This organization is driven to engage all aspects to assist the

addict in overcoming their addiction with help from the community and family members. The

student was motivated to make a personal change in her community due to her personal

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 7

experience as a mother whose child was addicted to heroin and pain medications (Kundret,

2012).

Scholars of Change video #4 was about Hong Kong people, especially children who are

in danger of separating themselves from their environment through a disorder called Nature

deficit disorder due to the dense buildings taking up spaces for playing or parks. Christine

Topper is a doctorate student in educational psychology at Walden University and an

international school teacher in Hong Kong who noticed this disorder and wanted to help find

solutions. She, therefore, decided to start a sustainable micro-garden for the kindergarten

students in the outdoor play space with the help of an early childhood teacher. The garden picked

up well, which attracted aid from other local organizations to create more green spaces in Hong

Kong (Topper 2014).

Scholars of Change video #4 was derived from Anner, J. (2015). John Anner is a Ph.D.

student in public policy and administration whose aim is to impact social change by creating

non-profit organizations to provide education, clean water resources, and healthcare for people

in need across the globe. He was also a volunteer at Peace Corps in agriculture in Mauritania and

West Africa. He believes his Ph.D. program at Walden will offer him and his field an opportunity

to create non-profit organizations (Anner 2015).

Walden University also sponsored the Social Change Impact Report articles, which

included data from three online surveys investigating participants' experiences with social

change. I collected data from the Social Change Impact Report, The Relationship between Social

Change Involvement and Education ((Brown 2017)), Social Entrepreneurship: One Woman's

Journey (Chayes 2014), and Transforming the world through higher education ( William 2016).

The authors mainly used these articles to determine the relationship between level of education

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 8

and each individual's involvement in positive social change activities. According to (Chayes

2014), social entrepreneurs can use their skills and higher education degrees to develop long-

term, sustainable solutions to social problems.

Instrumentation

I collected data from interactions between students, teachers, and researchers. It is

important to ensure that the appropriate data collection methods used answer the original

research questions; this can be done through an "evaluation crosswalk" (O'Sullivan, 1991). It

shows the dependability of the research, where the method of data collection chosen has to

answer the questions of the research. For example, to conduct a survey asking questions about

the research, interviews were conducted among the participants. Data based on language and

knowledge is non-observable and can be collected through interactions in the classroom, from

open interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, and surveys to personal information (Salaberry &

Comajoan, 2013).

From the case studies, I used some data collection methods in collecting all the

information needed: interviews, video reviews, and document reviews for the interviews, videos,

and articles, respectively. Interviews were conducted via phones and zoom meetings; this

reduces the cost of travel expenses and time as it can be done at the comfort of one's home.

However, internet connection issues may hinder good communication since it may disconnect or

have poor video or audio quality. According to one of the interviews conducted via zoom,

meetings were time-saving, and there was good communication between the interviewer and

interviewee.

Another collection method used was document reviews. Articles were published online

through websites; an example is an article that was posted on the Walden University website.

This approach helped gather background information of an organization and ensure that the

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 9

program's implementations reflect the program plans. It is also an inexpensive method. This

approach, however, was time-consuming to collect and analyze many documents. From the

Walden website, several articles and documents can gather all the needed information about

Walden University. How does one know the answers are not biased? It is impossible to know if

the information is true or not since some may be incomplete or inaccurate.

In The Relationship between Social Change Involvement and Education article, the

researcher used surveys to collect data from the participants by asking them questions like,

"Q437: What is the highest level of education you have completed or the highest degree you

have received?" and "Q700: How important is it to you personally to be involved in positive

social change?". These questions were mainly asked to determine the relationship between

education and social change (Brown 2017).

Analysis

I interpreted the collected data by using codes and developed themes to help answer the

research questions. The information is collected from videos, transcripts, open-ended questions,

journals, and interviews (Saldana, 2016). Coding is the way by which data is organized and

labeled so that it can later analyze them. I organized the results into manageable units for field

notes and research memos (Ravitch & Carl, 2021).

In the first coding cycle, I included and described part of the collected textual data. In

Scholar of Change Video #1, I analyzed the video transcript through descriptive coding.

Benjamin says, "Through this show, I intend to leverage the power of teaching in technology and

effect positive social change through education." This code describes the theme as education; the

speaker is determined to use education and technology skills to have a positive social impact. In

Scholar of Change Video #2, "JACKIE KUNDERT: In June 2015 I started an organization called

F.A.I.T.H., which stands for fighting addiction it takes account". This descriptive code describes

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 10

the speaker's effort in starting an organization whose main purpose is to help battle drug

addiction in Green County.

In Scholar of Change Video #3, "And throughout my entire career, my focus has always

been on how to provide solutions to problems that seem so difficult and so large that it's almost

impossible to think of how any small organization can solve them… But I've been a practitioner

for almost 30 years." John Anner has been dedicated to helping find solutions to education, clean

water resources, and healthcare for people in need across the globe through these non-profit

organizations. From Scholar of Change Video #4, "Richard Louv coined a term, nature deficit

disorder, to explain this phenomena in his book Last Child in the Woods. Nature deficit disorder

is a real social problem in a big city like Hong Kong. I decided to conduct an independent

research study looking to ways to address nature deficit disorder." This code shows a

disconnection from the natural world due to the dense and compact buildings in Hong Kong.

From the interview via zoom meeting, a theme of a strong support group is

described, "Speaker2: [00:01:34] I have pretty much worked in the schools for most of my

adult working life, so at some point, I have been, been in the whole interactive process in terms

of, you know, helping students and working with teens to create systems that would allow

students to enjoy campus life while they are on campus".

In the second coding cycle, I developed arguments from findings of the descriptive codes

in the first coding cycle(Saldaña, 2016). I used my understanding of the research to develop

descriptive categories. From the Scholar of Change videos and the interview, categories like Act

of humanity and empathy, Organizational service, Perseverance, Disconnection, and Strong

global support are described in video #1, video #2, video #3, video #4

and interview, respectively.

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 11

The data in the article by Brown (2017) was interpreted and analyzed through chi-square

and variance to show the important relationships between the variables and the trend of

participation in social change activities. The level of education increases, the theme mainly being

education and social change involvement. According to Walden University(2021), Social

entrepreneurs use their skills and higher education degrees to develop long-term, sustainable

solutions to social problems.

From the descriptive categories and codes, I derived them. Themes characterize important

perceptions in the data and are generalized by data sets, and may not reflect commonalities or

patterns. They may not necessarily come from data, but the researcher constructs research

questions and. As the researcher begins to engage through analyzing and describing the previous

sections and subsequent writing processes, there is the development of themes (Ravitch & Carl,

2021).

Therefore, it analyzes codes that generate themes, allowing the researcher to see the

relationship between codes and combined codes and dispose of some codes (Saldaña, 2016). In

the case studies, Social change involvement, dedication, perseverance, personal relationships,

and education seem to be the most common themes.

Trustworthiness

The analysis was credible since it is systematically reviewed, and the conclusions are

derived from the findings. In this case, Walden University aims to have a positive impact on

social change. According to the Scholar of Change videos, articles, and interviews, it is observed

that most of the students and student graduates have contributed to positively impacting social

change globally. Social change was achieved mainly through starting organizations, using

technology to make sitcoms for education, and building clinics for low-earning income patients.

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 12

These concepts research can be applied and transferred to other concepts and not only in

the research. The concept of education can be applied in different professions and their day-to-

day activities. As a researcher and an interviewer, I had to use appropriate methods of collecting

data that can answer the research questions, i.e., the data collected depended on the methods

used to collect the data. For example, to conduct a survey asking questions about the research,

interviews were conducted among the participants. Also, to get information about social change

in Walden University, I visited its website and read some of the articles about Walden University.

The findings of the research are derived from the data sources and can be confirmed by other

researchers. I collected data from the Scholars of Change videos, interviews, and articles from

the Walden University for the research.

Summary

According to my analyses, the meaning of social change for Walden graduate

students is creating ideas and applying actions or projects that help solve problems hence,

positively transforming society. Any person can achieve social change by grounding herself in

truth, making allies, and getting out of her comfort zones ( Chayes 2014). Walden graduate

students have created ideas and applied actions to find solutions to problems by utilizing the

research methods in the educational institution. As a positive social change agent, my

perspective has been altered since I realize now that it is important for a researcher to be familiar

and to be challenged the problems and then actively find solutions to the problems instead of just

office work.

The academic skills that I have learned through my education program can help me

create projects that provide solutions to social problems. Most of the Scholar of Change videos

have taken the initiative to find solutions to problems hence having a positive social change

impact in society with the help of their academic skills. As a researcher, this act of involvement

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 13

has challenged me; most of the time, I ignored the problems I noticed in my society even though

I could change. Joining organizations and volunteering has proven to be a good first step to

impact Social Change positively. Whether small or big, anyone can solve a problem through a

vision, dedication, and perseverance.

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 14

References

Brown, M. S., & Baltes, B. (2017). The relationship between social change involvement and

education. Journal of Social Change, 9(1), 13.

Isaac, B. (2014). Benjamin Isaac, EdD student, inspiring children with special needs [Video

file].

Kezar, A. (2014). Higher Education Change and Social Networks: A Review of Research. The

Journal of Higher Education, 85(1), 91–125. Retrieved from

https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2014.11777320

Kundert, J. (2012). Battling drug addiction in the heartland [Video file]

Noumair, D. A. & Block, C. J. (2017) Understanding diversity dynamics in

systems: Social equality as an organization change issue. Journal of Applied Behavioral

Science, 53(2). Special Issue: Understanding Diversity Dynamics in

Systems: Social Equality as an Organization Change Issue. pp. 150-155.

Retrieved from: https://journals-sagepub-

com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.1177/0021886317703250

O’Sullivan, R. G. (1991). Improving evaluation design and use through the “evaluation

crosswalk” method. National Forum of Applied Education Research Journal, 4, 43-49

P.R. Newswire (2017)Walden University Scholars of Change Demonstrate the Impact of

Positive Social Change WALDEN-UNIV-scholars PR Newswire U.S.

Pak, K., & Ravitch, S. M. (2021). TRANSFORMING SYSTEMS. Critical Leadership Praxis

for Educational and Social Change, 165.

The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data 15

Salaberry, R., & Comajoan, L. (2013). Research Design and Methodology in Studies on L2

Tense and Aspect (Studies in Second and Foreign Language Education [Ssfle]). De

Gruyter Mouton.

Saldaña, J. (2016). Ethnotheatre: Research from page to stage. Routledge.

The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership. (2016). Walden University.

Retrieved from https://www.waldenu.edu/riley-college-of-education

Yob, I., & Brewer, P. (n.d.). Working toward the common good: An online university's

perspectives on social change, 1-25 Retrieved from

https://www.waldenu.edu/connect/newsroom/publications

Walden University. (2021c, March 25). Making a Difference With Online Education Degrees.

Retrieved from https://www.waldenu.edu/programs/education/resource/making-a-

difference-with-online-education-degrees

Walden University. (2021d, March 25). Social Change in Action: Three Inspiring Stories of

Walden Graduates. Retrieved from https://www.waldenu.edu/programs/resource/social-

change-in-action-three-inspiring-stories-of-walden-graduates

Walden University. (2021e, March 25). Social Entrepreneurship: One Woman’s Journey. Walden

University | Walden University. Retrieved from https://www.waldenu.edu/why-

walden/social-change/resource/words-of-wisdom-from-a-social-entrepreneur