Checklist
Negative case analysis checklist
Eight steps for testing qualitative findings against the participants who don't fit
A checklist for negative case analysis, the credibility technique Lincoln and Guba set out in Naturalistic Inquiry. It walks through stating a finding precisely, finding the participants it does not fit, deciding what each exception means and reporting it. Use it on any interview study before sharing findings. In Koji, each report finding shows who supports it, which is where the search starts.
Where this appears
What's in this checklist
- State each finding as a precise claim you could be wrong about
- List who supports it, and treat everyone else as a possible negative case
- Search their transcripts on purpose for contradictions and other explanations
- Read each negative case in full and ask what is different about that person
- Decide: a boundary, a better explanation, a true outlier or an analysis problem
- Rewrite the finding and check it again against all the data
- Recruit more people like your exceptions if you only have two or three
- Report how many supported each finding and how the exceptions shaped it
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<a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/negative-case-analysis-checklist"><img src="https://www.koji.so/visuals/negative-case-analysis-checklist/negative-case-analysis-checklist.png" alt="Checklist of eight steps for negative case analysis in qualitative research, from stating each finding precisely to reporting the exceptions" width="1080" height="1080" /></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/negative-case-analysis-checklist">Negative case analysis checklist</a>, Koji</p>
