Read the qualitative study several times, highlight important sentences and take careful notes. Write down questions, comments, suggestions and anything else that comes to mind.
Write a brief summary of the study without plagiarizing the abstract. This summary will most likely be longer than a single paragraph and cover the important points you will discuss later on.
Start your analysis with the article's epistemology. From what general field of knowledge and knowing does the study stem from? Some examples include the behaviorist and constructivist epistemologies. Secondly, discuss whether or not the epistemology is appropriate for the study.
Discuss the methodology used in the article. What type of study is it? For example, is it a grounded theory, a case study, a phenomenology, an ethnography or something else? Given what the study seeks to examine and how the analysis will be conducted, is the methodology appropriate? The methodology should be flexible and able to adapt to the research environment as the need arises. If this is not evident, it may be that the researcher forced the data into a predetermined viewpoint.
Discuss the appropriateness of the study's case or subject. The case is what the qualitative study seeks to examine, even if it is not technically a case study. For example, the case may be a person or select group of people, a process, an idea, an experience or any other phenomena. Also, did the researcher engage the participants of the study in a meaningful, honest and open way? Examine how the participants were chosen for the study.
Discuss the methods used in the study for collecting data. This section is very important. The authors should collect data using a variety of methods (such as participant observation, field notes, recordings, interviews and so forth). Multiple data collection methods is key for triangulation of data later on. You should ask whether or not the article's methods were solid enough for the conclusions the study draws on. This section may require a discussion of the ethics of the article as well.
Discuss the analysis techniques described in the article. Qualitative studies typically spend a great deal of time discussing the analysis, quoting data and some studies include pictures. One way of analyzing a qualitative article is by asking if it has sufficient thick, rich descriptions. The author's presentation of the data should provide clear evidence for the conclusions. Additionally, it should be evident that the participants in the study are speaking for themselves and not through the bias of the author (called authenticity).
Discuss the conclusions made in the article. The author's conclusions should be based on the data cited in the study and triangulated between multiple sources of data. For example, evidence for one conclusion should be seen in interviews, field notes and artifacts or some other combination of data gathering methods.