Potential Reason for Thematic Differences | Questions to consider and discuss |
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The IFG participants differed between countries in terms of recruitment sources and/or sample characteristics | • Are there any systematic differences in sample characteristics between the two countries? • Are the sampling differences a result of cultural differences in the larger population or are they due to differences in recruitment approaches? • Do the different coding frequencies make sense based on known sample composition? |
IFG moderators followed different lines of qualitative inquiry to gather information | • Were there differences in the numbers and types of probes used by moderators for the particular topic? • Were there differences in the number and types of supplemental questions asked from other sources (e.g., session observers)? |
The Coding Schedule was applied in different ways by the moderators | • Did the moderators apply different coding categories to a particular type of response? If so, what was the reasoning behind their approach to coding? • Did existing or newly created categories overlap with other coding categories? |
The observed differences might be due to cultural differences | • Did the observed frequency differences between countries result from differences in the ways respondents understood or described their condition? • Did the ways respondents behaved or coped with their condition differ significantly? • When discussing all the possible reasons for the observed differences, did cultural or social factors seem plausible? |