The second part of the evaluation process which is theory analysis, is all about understanding the results of your data collection. There are a variety of analytic techniques that can be used to analyze your data that include qualitative and quantitative methods.
Depending on the type of assessment you are undertaking You may wish to look for repeating themes or patterns in your data or look for connections between different items. Analysis involves sorting, coding, and the comparison of data with theories and concepts. It also includes understanding the information you discover through your data.
For example, when conducting qualitative research on participants in a program you can employ a theory such as grounded theory (GT) to guide the process of analysis and assist in developing a theoretical construct from your data. GT is a method of research that lets you discover theories by constantly interfacing with the collection of data and the analysis. The GT process involves open Coding, which is utilized to discover interesting phenomena within the data. Axial coding, which detects the connections between phenomena, and selective coding in order to bring new ideas together.
The fundamental category is an aggregation of all the new phenomena. It could be an individual concept or a set of related concepts. The concept chosen is examined against a theoretical framework, and the fit is evaluated through repeated comparisons of events to the selected concept. During this stage, memos are kept to record and reflect on the emerging concepts.