Qualitative data and analysis

Analysing qualitative data is not easy...For the past week I have started reading (a bit more seriously) on how to analyse qualitative data.What I found were a few things. First, before analysis, we have to realise what it is this data actually is. This kind of data can be in the form of text either from documents, interviews, field observations etc for the purpose of making sense of the social observations without converting them to numerical format ( Babbie 2005). Second, we have to make some sense of the data to enable us to`make sense' of the phenomena occuring around us. This implies that when we `look' or read the data, we have to what Dey (1993) refers to `have questions in our mind about the what who where when and whys of things'. To do this, we need to sytematically approach the data. We can use 3 methods (Babbie 2005; Silverman 2005). We can use the grounded theory method, semiotics method and converstaion (CA) method. Of course there are other ways of approaching things which I have not yet started reading them...From what I observe from the readings, the grounded theory method seems to be the most popular to maintain the originality and context of the data, but that is entirely my opinion...Thirdly, we have to compare, connect, differentiate the obvius and not so obvius. To do this or organise the data, the scholars recommend `categorising' or `classifying' them according to some method in order to reveal some `patterns' ( Babbie 2005; Grinnel and Unrau 2008;Corbin and Strauss 2008.Of course now we have the use of computers to help store, sort and recall the text (Alhamdulillah for this. The type of coding then can be in the form of `Descriptive coding' `Topic coding' and Anlytical Coding' (Richards 2005).Of the three, the first is the simpliest but necessary and the last is the hardest but most `rewarding' (Richards p.94).
No wonder my friends have mentioned the words `data is soo rich youre not sure which to select';`very time consuming process; `boring';complicated' making me nervous to start on this thing which honestly I have been procrastinating for a while now...Ya Allah, for ever, I pray for your kindness to help me to do the right thing and do it right...