Table 3.

Data analysis steps followed in this study

Data analysis steps	Description of data analysis steps
Planning for recording of data	The researcher had to plan beforehand to record data in a systematic manner that would be appropriate for the participant and the setting
Data generation and preliminary analyses	Data were analysed both during generation at the site and in-between contact sessions away from the site. Initial ideas emerged for making sense of the data. Caution was taken not to rush to premature conclusions
Managing or organising the data	Data had to be organised into file folders and computer files. An inventory was made and updated throughout the sessions to keep a record of what had been gathered and what still needed to be obtained
Reading and writing memos	After transcribing the data, the researcher read and reread the data and jotted down some initial ideas to get a general sense of the information and to reflect on the overall meaning
Coding data	Once meaningful segments were identified, a label or code was assigned to each. Descriptive coding was utilised by using a word or phrase to describe the topic discussed in the segment of data
Generating categories, themes, and patterns	Through careful winnowing of the generated data (from different sources), the researcher identified the most prominent and occurring themes and subthemes related to the midlife, mid-career woman’s sense of self as part of her life story
Testing the emergent understandings	Data were evaluated for their usefulness and centrality, and to determine the plausibility of the researcher’s developing understandings (De Vos et al., 2005)
Searching for alternative explanations	The researcher critically scrutinised the emergent categories, patterns, themes, and subthemes, and looked for alternative explanations for these elements and the linkages among them. She subsequently aimed to demonstrate why the explanation offered was the most plausible one
Reporting	The concluding step involved representing what was found during the research process. The researcher integrated research findings with personal conclusions, as well as with the literature study that was conducted and theories that were consulted