Advanced Analysis of Qualitative Data using Software

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Responsible: Polforsk, Professor Merete Watt Boolsen, University of Copenhagen & Dr. Christina Silver, University of Surrey

From: 2010/10/27 to: 2010/10/29
Subscription Deadline: 2010/09/20
Place: University of Copenhagen
Fee: 450 kr
ECTS (Get approval from your own department!!!): 3

Short description:

Polforsk and Professor Merete Watt Boolsen are happy to offer a Ph.d course with Dr. Christina Silver, QDA Services and the University of Surrey, UK, who is an international expert on using software in qualitative data analysis. Dr. Christina Silver's research field is Computer Assisted Qualitative Data AnalysiS(CAQDAS). Professor Merete Watt Boolsen's field of research is social science method. Thanks to the collaboration between these two researchers, Polforsk now offers a Ph.D. course in the use of CAQDAS at the highest level. The course is aimed at using CAQDAS in general. However, since Nvivo is the most used CAQDAS in Denmark, and the course focuses on hands-on use of CAQDAS, Nvivo is the tool focused on for the practical aspects. Ph.D. students not acquainted with Nvivo, can attend an introduction course the 4th October., which you can register for this part of the course under "Introduction for Nvivo.

Further information: sek@polforsk.dk

Requirements and course overview

This Ph.d course not only teaches you advanced use Computer Assisted Qualitative Data AnalysiS (CAQDAS), but also teaches how to integrate the use of CAQDAS into your Ph.d project and dissertation while taking the theory of science into consideration. It focuses on how to get the maximum advantage from using CAQDAS?

The course consists of two parts:
1. Introduction to Nvivo, October 15. This day is for Ph.d students who are not familiar with using NVivo. It takes place 12 days before the advanced part of the course so that participants can get hands-on experience with using NVivo before they participate in the advanced course. It is a requirement that participants bring with them a laptop with Nvivo already installed and fully working. A free trial of Nvivo 8 may be downloaded from:
http://www.qsrinternational.com/products_nvivo_free-trial-software.aspx

It is recommended that at least one week before the course you check out that you can bring a computer with a working Nvivo installation. In case you have problems with this, please get hold on us at least one week before the course. If you intend to use the trial version of Nvivo, ensure that it will not expire before October 30.

The introduction day will teach you the basics about how to use Nvivo in your project. You will get an overview of the software and learn to prepare your data for Nvivo. Moreover, you will learn to make annotations, to search, to code, to recode, as well as to establish coding schemes and to retrieve data. However, you are expected to make yourself familiar with these concepts by studying ch. 1-8 of Lewins & Silvers book: "Using software in qualitative research".

 2. The advanced course, October 27-29. It is a condition for participating in this course that you have hand-on experience with using NVivo. If you do have such experience, you need not participate in the introduction day. It is a precondition that you bring a computer with a working NVivo installation. You are expected to be familiar with the concepts of annotations, searching, coding, recoding, code schemes and retrieval of data. If you are not, you must make yourself familiar with the concepts by studying ch. 1-8 of Lewins & Silver book. The course introduces advanced retrieval and coding schemes, as well as how to use memos to manage the writing process. The use of CAQDAS to handle literature and audio-visual data (e.g. TV-clips) is also introduced. To direct the attention to how Nvivo and other CAQDAS interface with your practical and theoretical work, Nvivo is compared to other CAQDAS packages. The purpose is also help Ph.d students make informed choices between CAQDAS packages for his/her project. The course focuses on Ph.d students’ own projects and helps them move towards advanced use of CAQDAS to interrogate data and make reports. Eventually, the use of CAQDAS is related to the methodological principles of grounded theory, discourse analysis, narrative analysis, analysis of interviews.

Programme


27 th October 9am – 12pm

1pm – 4pm

Christina Silver : Using NVivo to analyse your data (Part Two)

This session will consist of teacher input, discussions and hands-on work with software. During this session the tutors will spend time with each student to support work with their own data.

9am - 10.30am : Reminders and individual support

The importance of memoing
Coding schema structures : principles
Advanced coding and retrieval


10.45am – 12pm : NVivo as a project management tool

Using NVivo for your literature review
Analysing audio-visual data using NVivo
Autocoding for structure and content

LITTERATURE:
Ann Lewins and Christina Silver, 2007: Using Software in Qualitative Research. Sage. Chapters 9 – 12.


Ph.d-Presentations of projects and use of software in English.

Your project will be discussed by the professors.

By October 11 you must send a description of your project and data to the Polforsk secretariat – in English and max. 4 pages. The structure and content of your description should answer the following questions:

(1) Problem under investigation (plus theory).
(2) Time schedule of project.
(3) Data collection and type of data: what data do you want to work with during the course?
(4) your proposed analytic strategy
(5) your previous experience, if any, with qualitative software

With regard to feedback:

  • CS will give feedback with regard to the relevance of using NVivo or other of the programmes that will be looked at during the course in each project. 
  • MWB will give feedback with regard to (possible) theoretical and analytical methods in each project
  • The feedback will be in writing (summarised) and put forward in a discussion ‘mode’ during the afternoon.



28 th October 9am – 12pm

1pm – 4pm

Christina Silver : Choosing the right software package for your study

Discussion and demonstration of the range of software options available to support qualitative data analysis. These will be discussed in terms of practical utility and methodological contexts. Examples from students’ projects will be used to illustrate some of the differences. Software packages discussed include ATLAS.ti, MAXqda, NVivo, QDA Miner, and Transana.

9am – 9.30am : Overview of qualitative software options
Principles of using qualitative software
Summary of similarities and differences

9.30am – 12pm Demonstrations of Selected CAQDAS packages
9.30am – 10am : Demonstration of MAXqda
10am – 10.30am : Demonstration of ATLAS.ti

11am – 11.30am : Demonstration of QDA Miner
11.30am – 12pm : Demonstration of Transana


Demonstrations will focus on distinguishing elements of each packages and are designed to provide a ‘flavour’ of each to enable students to make an informed choice. This session will be accompanied by documentation providing further written detail about differences between packages.

LITTERATURE:

Ann Lewins and Christina Silver, 2007: Using Software in Qualitative Research. Sage, Appendices.

Also see http://caqdas.soc.surrey.ac.uk/softwareoptions.html for up-to-date reviews

Christina Silver : Using NVivo to analyse your data (Part Three)

This session consists of teacher input, discussions and hands-on work with software. During this session the tutors will spend time with students to support work with their own data.


1pm – 2.30pm : Interrogation
Moving forwards : using sets and models to theorize
Interrogating the dataset using the Query Tool
Representing data : Charts and Output functions
Mapping ideas and organising data.

2.45pm – 4pm : Reminders, Questions and Discussion
Reminders of key principles of qualitative software
Reminders about early set-up procedures
Questions from students
Discussion of the value of NVivo for individual projects


This session will be designed around the needs of students according to the work they have achieved working with NVivo so far. Each student will be asked to briefly outline the key ways in which they expect the software to facilitate their analysis and to ask any specific questions they may have.

LITTERATURE:
Ann Lewins and Christina Silver, 2007: Using Software in Qualitative Research. Sage. Chapters 9 – 12.



29 th October 9am – 12pm

1pm – 4pm

Christina Silver Discussion about the role of software in different project contexts, with a focus on audiovisual data and common qualitative approaches.: 


Analysing audiovisual data using software : 9am – 12pm

Discussion and demonstration of the range of software options for the analysis of audiovisual data. A critique of current options will be provided in the context of methodological approaches and practical needs.

9am – 10am Overview of software options for audiovisual analysis
Similarities and differences between packages
Critique of software tools

10.30am – 12pm Demonstration and Practice working with audiovisual data in NVivo
Data Handling
Data Analysis
Data Representation

Merete Watt Boolsen: Ph.D. The role of software for qualitative data analysis in different research designs.:

Different analytical theories applied:

  • grounded theory,
  • discourse analysis,
  • narrative analysis,
  • analysis of taped recorded interviews, etc.

Examples of NVivo in research projects.

LITTERATURE:
Martin Bauer & George Gaskell, 2000: Qualitative Researching with text, image and sound. Sage. Part II. Pages 131-281

Summing up
Conclusions and consequences for Ph.D. projects - where do you go from here? What are adequate next steps ... etc.



Literature overview

  • Ann Lewins and Christina Silver, 2007: Using Software in Qualitative Research. Sage. Chapters 9 – 12 (can be purchased at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Using-Software-Qualitative-Research-Step/dp/0761949232)
  • Ann Lewins and Christina Silver, 2007: Using Software in Qualitative Research. Sage, Appendices
  • Martin Bauer & George Gaskell, 2000: Qualitative Researching with text, image and sound. Sage. Part II. Pages 131-281 (can be purchased at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Qualitative-Researching-Text-Image-Sound/dp/0761964819)

PLEASE NOTE:
POLFORSK WILL NOT MAKE A COMPENDIUM  FOR THIS COURSE AND YOU WILL HAVE AQQUIRE THE LITERATURE BY YOURSELF.

Deadlines

  • Registration deadline is on the 20th September 2010
  • Paper deadline is 6th October 2010

Please, register here: