Proceedings of the 8th World Conference on Qualitative Research

Introduction:
Qualitative research is widely used across disciplines, yet its application in programme evaluation, which demands evidence for accountability and learning, remains relatively underexplored. This study addresses the growing demand for methodological transparency in both qualitative research and programme evaluation. The study reviews the analysis process described in a selection of articles which focus on evaluation studies carried out on the African continent.

Goals and Methods:
This study aims to understand how programme evaluation publications report qualitative data analysis processes with a specific focus on analysis methods, reasoning approaches, trustworthiness measures, and the level of detail regarding analytical steps. Using ATLAS.ti for content analysis, 100 peer-reviewed publications reporting programme evaluations in Africa, sourced from Web of Science were analysed. To enable the exploration of potential differences in discussions on the analysis process, the dataset was categorised based on the use of qualitative or mixed methods, the evaluations’ thematic focus, and software for analysis.

Results:
Preliminary findings reveal diverse analytical methods applied to various qualitative data types. Prominent methods reported included thematic analysis (44), framework analysis (18), and content analysis (16). However, a substantial number of publications did not disclose their reasoning approach (65), offered limited or no descriptions of data reduction, and omitted discussions on analytical trustworthiness (44). Significant differences across document categories were not observed, except regarding the utilization of software and discussions on trustworthiness. Nearly three-quarters of publications (29 of 39) that utilised Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) incorporated measures to enhance analytical rigour.

Conclusions:
In addition to discussing findings and their implications for evidence-driven qualitative evaluation, this study highlights the value of CAQDAS in enhancing the transparency of qualitative data analysis in evaluation studies.

Keywords: Qualitative research, programme evaluation, methodological transparency, CAQDAS, Africa Evaluation studies.