Why you should transcribe your interviews
Here is a scenario: You just completed a series of interviews and you are considering whether or not you should transcribe them. You are considering a few matters: • Transcribing is time-consuming • You have a modest budget for research expenses • You are not sure how to use the transcripts
As an individual who transcribed interviews and focus group discussions for my doctoral research, here are some benefits you can consider:
• Reading the transcripts can give you an opportunity to reflect upon your role as a participant in the conversations. Also, reading the transcripts can help you gain insight into perspectives shared by your participants and the meanings they associated with the phenomena of your study. From this insight, you can summarize and develop a theoretical standpoint that connects your research questions to your findings. Click here for an extract of a summary of a Focus Group Discussion (FG1) I prepared from my research transcripts.
• Using hard copies of your transcripts, you can manually code and prepare a thematic analysis by marking or highlighting relevant portions of discussions.
• You can compare your manual thematic analysis to one produced by software products such as NiVivo or AtlasTi and see if there are noteworthy differences that may change or enhance your analysis.
• You can use portions of the transcript for research papers, journal articles, Powerpoint presentations, social media, or blogs simply by cutting and pasting comments. Of course, make sure you comply with procedures for confidentiality before using this material.
• Having both electronic and physical hard copies of transcripts can be lifesavers in the event that something happens to your audio recordings.
Whether one or more of these benefits apply to you, having transcripts can preserve the quality of your research, aid with your analysis, and is money well spent.
The Esteemed Scribe is here for all your transcription needs. Visit www.theesteemedscribe.com and click on the “Services” tab for information about the type of transcription that will be suitable for your needs. Contact me today!
