I am feeling this tension. I really want to be Mrs Inductive - it is an approach which fits how I see the world and how I would like to treat other people. For me it seems more respectful almost to treat people's unique thoughts and data as fresh and deserving of an analysis that brings forth something new.
And yet...
My questions for the interviews and in the questionnaires were based on a pretty thorough lit review. And my pattern-loving mind already got in there before I spoke to even one fellow and came up with a nice elegant conceptual model. so the questions are based around that. so i guess the responses will - surprise surprise! - fit the model.
Learning? Advancement? Zero.
So now... I am thinking about "inductive analysis" (Patton 2002) and I am thinking about other approaches i heard mention of once on a video "template analysis" and "framework analysis". Maybe there is something there to help me break open some new learning.
And that is partly the fault of my personality type - I love Closure (it's the J in my ENFJ) - so I have to fight that. Patton says that the qualitative analyst's main tool is the analyst herself. So i have to make sure that tool is as self-aware as possible by finding ways to prevent premature closure. I will have to do things like reading all the transcripts while sitting on my hands so i have to read the lot before i am allowed to take notes of themes!