SWE/RMS/SPAQA/M 31 by Mr. Anthony NF Goel Page 1 Module 31
Use of Software Packages for Analysis: Qualitative Analysis
Component 1A
Role Name Affiliation
Principal Investigator Dr. Geeta Balakrishnan College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan, Mumbai Paper Coordinator Dr. Yamini Suvarna College of Social Work,
Nirmala Niketan, Mumbai Content Writer Mr. Anthony NF Goel Freelance Professional,
Ghaziabad
Content Reviewer Dr. Melita Vaz Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai Language Editor Dr. Melita Vaz Tata Institute of Social
Sciences, Mumbai
Component 1B Description of Module Subject Name Social Work Education
Paper Name Research Methodology and Statistics
Module Name Use of software packages for analysis: qualitative analysis
Module ID SWE/RMS/SPAQA/M 31
Pre Requisites Awareness of qualitative research methods including qualitative research tools and analysis techniques
Objectives To provide an Overview of Software Packages used for Qualitative Analysis
Key words Qualitative Analysis, Software Packages
SWE/RMS/SPAQA/M 31 by Mr. Anthony NF Goel Page 2 Quadrant 1
1. Introduction
Software packages used for qualitative analysis helps researchers analyse materials and identify themes.
This eases the process of managing the data and helps researchers arrive at meaningful conclusions. This module will provide an overview of the various software packages used for qualitative analysis. It will also provide a basic understanding of two commonly used software packages in qualitative analysis:
ATLAS.ti and MaxQDA.
2. Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, the student will know:
· The need for using software in qualitative analysis
· The types of software packages used commonly
· The advantages and drawbacks of each software package and,
· The basics of using ATLAS.ti
· The basics of using MaxQDA 3. A Quick Introduction to CAQDAS
In qualitative research, researchers seek to elicit the participants’ interpretation of events. They do this through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, ethnographic observations and other qualitative research methods. These methods produce a lot of data that require a means of managing. CAQDAS stands for Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis (the S comes from the last letter in Analysis). It refers to the range of computer programmes that have been developed to handle such qualitative data. The three main ones today are Atlas.ti, MaxQDA and NVivo.
Nowadays, many software packages are available for use in qualitative research. Since most researchers will be novices (at least in terms of using computer software for analysis), the notion that a software package will automatically analyse the data is easy to believe. This notion is, however, a mistaken one. Software packages are only tools with which researchers can organise and group their data.
They cannot replace the goals, method and direction provided by the researcher. Despite this, using software packages for qualitative analysis has several benefits. Using software packages for qualitative analysis results in:
· Saving of time that would otherwise be spent in performing clerical and manual tasks
· Convenience in processing large volumes of qualitative data easily
· Increased flexibility in processing the data through the use of various tools provided by the software
· Improving the validity and auditability of the qualitative research and the data collected
· Making it easier for the researcher to perform many repetitive and mechanical aspects of the research with higher efficiency levels
· Easy retrieval of coded results
4. How Researchers Must Select Software Packages in Qualitative Research
Researchers must learn the possibilities and limitations of different CAQDAS packages. The most common mistake some researchers make is to assume that using a software package will result in the
SWE/RMS/SPAQA/M 31 by Mr. Anthony NF Goel Page 3 automation of everything to do with the research. In some cases, researchers even assume that if the software package does not provide the feature of processing the data in a specific manner, it is not worthwhile exploring that option. This is not the right way to approach the use of software packages in qualitative research. As mentioned earlier, software packages are only tools with which researchers can organise and group their data. They cannot replace the goals, method and direction provided by the researcher.
The researcher must use his/ her research goals to guide the analysis. Any software package used must further this aspect of the research, rather than replace it altogether. Therefore, researchers must possess a sound knowledge about qualitative methods before learning about qualitative software. If the researcher uses qualitative software without possessing a sound knowledge about qualitative methods, the researcher will not be able to make optimal use of the software. Moreover, use of the software could result in changes to the data that the researcher might not be able to understand or reverse at a later stage.
For example, a researcher could continue to design codes in the software, without ever understanding the purpose behind designing codes in the study.
Novice qualitative researchers may mistake learning how to use a software package for learning to do a qualitative analysis. These are two different issues. A student must learn the two aspects simultaneously.
The best way of finding out which software package works best for a researcher lies in:
· Understanding the approach followed during the study
· Working on free versions of the software and reading the tutorials to gain an insight into what it is like to work on that specific software package
· Using some sample data in various packages to see the results
· Checking the tools offered by the package and ascertaining which tools will help the researcher get the most out of the data collected
· Examine the hardware specifications that are required for the CAQDAS package in which you are interested.
· Examine whether the CAQDAS package is compatible with your operating system. There was a time when MaxQDA did not work with Mac computers. Today, technology has caught up. But it still does not work with Ubuntu.
Once the researcher finalises the software package, gaining high proficiency levels in it is the next step.
Researchers can learn how to use the software selected in many ways. These include:
· Courses: Attending a course will have a cost associated with it. The researcher should only proceed with the course if:
1. The course is relevant to the researcher’s work
2. The tutor will be able to provide a high degree of individual attention, if needed 3. The tutor has experience of using the software for research-related purposes
· Self-Study: Using the tutorial will help the researcher understand the basics of using the software package
· Mentoring: Observing the actions of a person skilled in using the software to understand how to use the software package
5. Key Operations to learn about a CAQDAS package 5.1. How to create a new analysis project
The first thing to find out is how to create a new project for analysis. Familiarise yourself with the default pathway where the project is saved. Learn how to change this pathway
SWE/RMS/SPAQA/M 31 by Mr. Anthony NF Goel Page 4 5.2. How to add documents to an analysis project?
Different CAQDAS packages accept data in different formats. For instance, some earlier versions of packages only accept text documents with a .rtf file extension (rich text format), some allow you to upload .doc and .docx documents but have limitations on editing them later. For ease of uploading documents, make sure you follow some consistent system of naming your files. For instance, if you are interviewing teachers and students, begin the names of the teacher interview documents with the phrase Teach (e.g., Teach1, Teach2, etc) and for students use the phrase St.
5.3. How to save your work
It is important to know how to save one’s work, and having done so, it is important to save often.
5.4. How to organise the documents in a project
Different CAQDAS packages allow you to create a data structure based on your conceptual map and the variables you have decided a priori as being important. For instance, you may think gender is important in your analysis. Accordingly, look at whether your CAQDAS package allows you to create groups or branches in a tree structure. This will constantly remind you of your key variables.
5.5. How to code the data
Codes form the basis of analysis. They are the first steps any researcher takes towards classifying the data. You should learn the steps for creating a code and applying it to the data. In some packages the codes can be organised in a tree structure. In others they are all at the same level.
5.6. How to retrieve coded data
Finally, you should learn what commands help you to call back the data you have coded.
6. Introduction to ATLAS.ti
ATLAS.ti is one of the most popular software packages that research students use. It offers superior functionality when compared with other CAQDAS packages, including unique multimedia capabilities. It is also easy to learn, well supported, provides a host of exporting and reporting features etc.
Users can work on ATLAS.ti in two principal modes i.e. the Conceptual Level and the Textual Level.
The Textual Level focuses on activities like the segmentation of data files, writing memos and coding text, image, audio and video passages. ATLAS.ti helps research students by providing a comprehensive overview of their work including support in rapid searches, retrievals and browsing functions. Therefore, initial ideas assigned to a code or a memo, enable the assignment of similar ideas and text selections to the same code or memo. Thus, ATLAS.ti helps in providing an effective means for quick retrieval of all data selection and notes pertaining to a single idea.
The Conceptual Level includes activities like model-building activities like linking codes to networks.
ATLAS.ti, therefore, helps research students to connect selected passages, memos and codes into diagrams visually. These diagrams outline complex relations. They also transform purely textual matter into a graphical work area. This helps researchers to construct concepts and theories based on relationships between codes, text passages and memos.
SWE/RMS/SPAQA/M 31 by Mr. Anthony NF Goel Page 5 The most common process followed by research students when working with ATLAS.ti is to:
· Create a project called a Hermeneutic Unit (HU) that contains all the researcher’s data, findings, codes, memos and structures
· Assign all documents containing text, graphic, audio and video files as Primary Documents (PDs) to the HU.
· Read and highlight text passages of interest, assign keywords (codes) and write memos (annotations) that express your views on the data
· Compare data segments based on the assigned codes
· Use the “Families” function to organise PDs, codes and memos
· Use the codes created to build semantic, prepositional or terminological networks. In conjunction with the codes and memos, these networks will provide the framework for the emergent theory that you are developing inductively.
· Export the data to conduct statistical analysis if needed
· Compile a report based on the memos written
Common definitions of some of the terms research students will need to understand while using ATLAS.ti include:
· The Hermeneutic Unit (HU): This provides the data structure for each project in ATLAS.ti.
Everything that forms parts of a particular project has to be a part of the HU i.e. the PDs comprising quotations and codes that you create will be a part of the HU. This makes it easier for researchers to deal with a single entity when working on their projects. All they need to do to activate all associated material within a project, is to activate the HU. It is recommended to create a dedicated folder for each HU and save a copy of every text document that you will integrate into this HU into this folder.
· Primary Documents (PDs): These denote the text, graphical, audio and video materials the researchers wants to interpret. Researchers create PDs by assigning files to an HU. Researchers can view PDs as data files on their computers. These could be text files, images or sound files.
For ease of retrieval, make sure you maintain a consistent system of naming files. If it helps you, make subfolders within the main project folder. It is not recommended to make formatting or text changes to documents after they have been entered into the HU.
· Quotations: This denotes a segment taken from a PD that is of interest to the researcher. In textual documents, quotations could vary from a single character up to the entire data file. These can be of four varieties.
1. Text Quotations: representing a sequence of characters with an arbitrary size 2. Graphic Quotations: representing a rectangular region inside a graphical PD
3. Multimedia Quotations: representing audio and video quotations that can span a few milliseconds to some minutes
Quotations may then be assigned a code. One quotation may have more than one code attached to it. Deleting a code will not automatically delete the attached quotation.
· Codes: These are the labels that a researcher creates to attach to significant passages of text or to important sound file segments. The researcher will initially make tentative codes. Later these codes may be renamed or combined as per the unfolding of the analytical process. Ensure that codes are not too long, to increase their precision. In Atlas.ti, codes are organised alphabetically.
This does not permit a researcher to rearrange the code structure according to what she/he considers of foremost importance. A simple way to cheat the package is prefix the code name like this AAA or 111 (e.g., AAAteacherviews or 111teacherviews) which will push the most important codes to the top of the list. Another important feature is Auto-coding which allows you to search for text strings throughout all the PDs automatically and to code them at one pass. This
SWE/RMS/SPAQA/M 31 by Mr. Anthony NF Goel Page 6 is important when you learn that some words are appearing recurrently and may signify a particular meaning context for research participants.
· Memos: These record your thoughts about the text and can be as lengthy as needed. They are an important part of creating theory.
· Families: These aid in forming clusters of PDs, codes and memos to make it easier for the researcher to handle similar groups within the data. You can use this to group PDs as per the key variables in your initial concept map. You can also use them to call for coded output specific to a particular variable group.
· Network Views: These enable the researcher to conceptualise the structure by connecting sets of similar elements together visually. This helps researchers to express relationships between codes, quotations and memos. This makes them an enhanced version of Families.
7. The Hermeneutic Unit Editor
It is important for readers to get a sense of what to expect when they first launch a software programme. So here we describe the Hermeneutic Unit Editor which is the main workspace. It serves as the main editing tool and provides access to all other functions. Its components include:
· The Title Bar (1): This displays the name of the current HU in use
· The Main Menu (2): This provides a list of different kinds of objects through which users can populate an HU
· Toolbars (3): These provide access to that are also available as menu commands. The Main Toolbar provides access to major functions. It is usually always available, unless switched off.
The Edit Toolbar is available only when the user is going through an editable Primary Document (PD). The Primary Document Toolbar will remain deactivated unless the user loads a document.
SWE/RMS/SPAQA/M 31 by Mr. Anthony NF Goel Page 7
· Object Drop-down Lists (4): Situated below the Main Toolbar, these contain the main entities of the current HU
· The Primary Document Pane (5): This is the dominant windowpane in the HU Editor. Users can use this as the central workspace area for reviewing, marking, coding and annotating text.
· The Line/Paragraph Number Area (6): This is within the PD Pane, to the left of the text area. It displays paragraph numbers for each text followed by a hard return i.e. Enter.
· The Margin Area (7): Situated to the right of the PD Pane, this displays brackets to indicate quotations. Next to the brackets, it displays codes, memos and hyperlinks.
· Scroll bars (8)
· Region button (9) allows you to open three more documents for analysis at the same time as the original document being analysed.
· Document bar (10) contains the name of the currently active document.
· Navigation pane (11): Through this the researcher has access to PDs, quotations, codes, memos and network views.
· The Status Bar (12): Located at the bottom of the window, this displays (from left to right):
1. The main information field containing:
§ The successful termination of operations
§ The current filename in use
§ Short help texts for menu items and buttons
§ Error messages (if applicable)
2. The mode in use i.e. it displays a book when the user switches the PD into Edit mode 3. The content type of the document i.e. ANSI, OEM or Graphic
4. The current code page in use i.e. 0 = Standard Code Page 5. The current time
8. A word about output in Atlas.ti
You can order Atlas.ti to give you output in two forms:
8.1. A coded document: You can ask Atlas.ti to print out an entire document with every coded displayed in the margin. This will show you which passages have multiple codes applied to them. These are likely to be critical to your analysis.
8.2. Coded quotations related to a specific quotation(s): This is important when you want to examine a particular code in detail, especially when you want to compare it across variable categories.
SWE/RMS/SPAQA/M 31 by Mr. Anthony NF Goel Page 8 9. Multiple researchers and Atlas.ti
One of the key features that makes Atlas.ti a preferred software package is that it allows multiple users to analyse and make changes to the database at the same time. In other packages multiple users can work on th database. But they can do so only sequentially. Atlas.ti has the ability to integrate the changes made by different users into a unified database.
10. Brief Overview of MaxQDA
Now we will present MaxQDA briefly so that you, the reader, can get a sense of what is different and common to another CAQDAS package.
10.1. The main interface
In MaxQDA, the user interface has 4 panes: In the document system is the list of documents that you upload into the project. In the code system, you will see a list of codes that you create. The current document that you are analysing at the moment will display in the document browser.
The codes you apply to the text will display in the grey bar to the left. The fourth window is for Example of coded outputs related to a specific quotation
Query Report
______________________________________________________________________
HU: Trial main
File: [C:\Users\consultant\Desktop\Bushra check\Trial main.hpr6]
Edited by: Super
Date/Time: 2014-06-06 12:08:01
______________________________________________________________________
Global selection criteria:
("Uttar Pradesh" & "Scheduled Caste")
46 quotation(s) found for Query (Infix-Notation):
(((("Substance Use" | "Substance Use_age") | "Substance Use_effects") | "Substance Use_factors") | "Substance Use_gender")
______________________________________________________________________
P56: UP_DH_15-19_Mothers.rtf - 56:4 [5 - After getting educated the..] (63:65) (Super) Codes: [Substance Use]
No memos
5 - After getting educated they get some work - employment that he can do.
4 - Only intoxication only he will spend. The decent boy who will be there will see to his family or will do these things.
M - Ok what do you feel that which age of the child is right when can send him to market to buy vegetables,
SWE/RMS/SPAQA/M 31 by Mr. Anthony NF Goel Page 9 retrieved segments. The researcher has the option to turn off windows that are not currently important.
10.2. Creating a new project
Creating a new project is as simple as pressing on the Project command and saying New Project.
You can then upload documents into the project. Unlike in Atlas.ti where the project maintains links to the original document in the original folder, MaxQDA integrates the document into the main project. The documents can be organised into document groups. As you can see in the text box with the coded output from a MaxQDA project, the document groups display with a back slash before every daughter document. (e.g., Hindu fathers\Puneet)
10.3. Coding
The codes created by the researcher display in a tree format with subordinate codes displaying as branches under the main parent code. This CAQDAS package allows for a great deal of flexibility in reordering the codes as per the researcher’s needs, renaming them and using different colours.
Codes can also be assigned a colour code. Unlike in Atlas.ti, there is no separate system of quotations and codes.
OUTPUT August 12 2008
Text: Hindu Fathers\Puneet Weight: 100
Position: 517 - 519 Code: Evil eye
I: OK (Laughs) Even the most healthy child can be affected by evil eye or nazar of a jealous person.
R: (Laugh) I don’t believe it.
Text: Hindu Fathers\Puneet Weight: 100
Position: 574 - 576 Code: Evil eye
I: OK. But which are the ones you feel are important?
R: Self-discipline. [OK] And then umm… this umm... government (Small interruption from family) Government is responsible for the environment. [Mmhmm] And umm... (pause) umm... then umm... I have to take care of my daughter’s health, teeth, [Mmhmm] and whatever I want to do for her health. [Mmhmm] I’ll do it. That is the main for me. [OK] But this nazar, evil eye, I don’t believe it.
SWE/RMS/SPAQA/M 31 by Mr. Anthony NF Goel Page 10 10.4. Visualisation tools
One of the more exciting features of MaxQDA are the multiple tools for visualisation of coded segments. These allow you to see the overlap between categories or codes in a very creative manner. For instance, see the Code Matrix Browser displayed below which shows output from specific codes for interview documents and it shows which codes occur more frequently in which document. The first picture shows each code as a coloured dot which is sized according to the number of times it has occurred in a document. The next picture shows the same data as a table with numbers at the intersection instead of coloured dots. These visualisations can be used for theory building. In these images you can also see the tree structure of the code system.
SWE/RMS/SPAQA/M 31 by Mr. Anthony NF Goel Page 11 11. Summary
· Software packages make it easier for researchers to analyse their data and depict it in a graphical format
· Software packages cannot automate everything pertaining to the research. They can only provide tools for organising and grouping data.
· Key benefits of using software packages like ATLAS.ti for analysing qualitative data lie in its:
o Easy processing of non-numerical data
o Multimedia capabilities that can handle a variety of document types o Provision of several exporting and reporting features
· Unique feature of ATLAS.ti is that it allows multiple researchers to analyse the same database simultaneously and then integrate the work into a single database.
· Unique feature of MaxQDA is its visualisation tools, integral use of colour and the fact that its coding system follows a tree structure.
