Virtual text and the growth of meaning in qualitative analysis

Abstract

Qualitative researchers frequently analyze data in the form of narrative, such as responses to open-ended interview questions. Researchers acknowledge the validity of more than one interpretation of the same narrative but, to date, have offered little justification for multiple valid interpretations. A concept for literary theory, "the virtual text" is presented to help explain the mechanism of multiple interpretations and provide a justification for their validity. An example from the first author's research is provided.