a “tricks of the trade” workshop - depaul liberal arts &...

A “Tricks of the Trade” Workshop

Beyond the Page Beyond the Page Beyond the Page Beyond the Page ---- Part I:Part I:Part I:Part I:An Introduction to Qualitative Data AnalysisAn Introduction to Qualitative Data AnalysisAn Introduction to Qualitative Data AnalysisAn Introduction to Qualitative Data Analysis

with NVivo 8with NVivo 8with NVivo 8with NVivo 8

A “Tricks of the Trade” Workshop

Social Science Research CenterDePaul University

I. Overview of CAQDAS

& NVivo 8

Social Science Research Center

DePaul UniversityA “Tricks of the Trade” Workshop

CAQDAS

� CAQDAS = Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software

� First created in 1970s as data management programs� Developed as data storage & retrieval programs

� Coding was used for data manipulation & reporting� Coding was used for data manipulation & reporting

� Limited to text data

� Modern software expands upon early software� Expanded to work with text, audio, video & picture files

� Code-Based Theory Building vs. Code and Retrieve

� Can manage, manipulate & retrieve data in sophisticated ways through data links, search expressions & modeling



CAQDAS

� CAQDA DOES

� Aid in managing large amounts of data

� Help organize and structure analysis

� Provide flexibility in codingProvide flexibility in coding

� Provide tools for analysis and testing hypotheses



CAQDAS

� CAQDA DOES NOT

� Transcribe for you

� Make coding decisions

� Conduct analysesConduct analyses



CAQDAS

� When is CAQDAS inappropriate?

� Small scale projects

� Non-editable documentation (including PDFs)

� Large-scale projects that are already well under wayLarge-scale projects that are already well under way



Overview of NVivo 8

• Internal database structure

• Aids in research transparency and validity

• Aids in theory building as well as theory testing

• Aids in project management when working with research • Aids in project management when working with research teams

• Prompts for user initials upon launch

• Copies of projects can be merged into a master project



II. Overview of NVivo Workspace



Project Workspace

List

View

Project

Items

Navigation

View Detail

View



Project Workspace - Sources

� Internals� Audio Recordings� Video Recordings� Pictures� Text files

�Externals

Source

Types

�Externals� Websites� Books� Handwritten letters� Hard copy documentation

�Memos� Capture thoughts, insights� Coding journal

Sources



Project Workspace - Nodes

� Basic� Free Nodes – stand alone nodes

containing codes that do not contain subthemes

� Tree Nodes – hierarchical nodes with a parent node (main theme) and a child

Node

Types

parent node (main theme) and a child node (subtheme)

� Advanced� Case Nodes – nodes that store

information for a unit of analysis

� Relationship Nodes – nodes representing a connection between data

� Matrix Nodes – a collection of nodes created through a matrix coding query

Nodes



Project Workspace – Advanced

�Sets� Allow the grouping of nodes and/or documents� Allow the user to consider how items are conceptually or theoretically related

�Queries� Allow the researcher to ask and store questions (and their results) about the data

such as word frequency and patterns in coding

�Models� Aid in visual conceptualization and exploration about how different project

ideas/components are related to one another.

�Links� Hyperlinks connecting notes and insights to Source documents



Time to Create a

Practice Project



III. Organizing Your Data



Data Organization

� Unit of observation

� The unit on which data is gathered

� The components that make up a unit of analysis

� e.g. service program staff, service program participants

Unit of analysis� Unit of analysis

� The entity being studied

� e.g. service program

� Unit of manipulation

� The quoted text

� The building blocks of analysis



IV. Preparing and Importing Data



Preparing Data for Import

� Use consistent paragraph styles for structured documents (e.g. interviews)

� Consider audio/video editing requirements before importing � Consider audio/video editing requirements before importing into NVivo



Importing Sources

�Text documents� Supported formats - .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, .txt� Formatting is preserved

�Audio and video�Audio and video� Cannot exceed 20MB � larger files cannot be embedded in the project

� Supported audio formats

• .mp3

• .wma

• .wav

� Supported video formats

• .mpg

• .mpeg

• .mpe

• .wmv

• avi

• .mov

• .qt

• .mp4



Importing Sources

� Pictures• Supported picture formats

• .bmp

• .gif

• .jpg

• .jpeg• .jpeg

• .tif

• .tiff



Importing Sources

�C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\NVivo 8 Samples\Data



Importing Sources

� Repeat import process to import:

� “NonVols” and “Video – Non Volunteers” into Focus Groups

� “Volunteers – Clean Up” into Photo Prompts



V. Working w/ Externals



Working with Externals

� Can link to files on your computer – “File Link”

� Can link to Web pages – “Web Link”

� Can create an External for non-importable sources (e.g. hard copy documents, reference materials) – “Other”



VI. Audio, Video & Visual Documents



Audio and Video

Play and Stop Mute Volume Play Speed Select Media

Fast Forward

and Rewind

Skip Play Mode



Visual Documents

� Consist of an image and a log

� Can record general notes about a photo

� Can record notes tied to a specific region of a photo� Can record notes tied to a specific region of a photo



Open NVivo Sample Project:

“Volunteering”“Volunteering”



VIII. Working w/ Data –

Approaches to Analysis



Approaches to Analysis

�Theory Generating� Inductive

� Seek patterns from data to develop hypotheses

�Theory Testing� Deductive

� Apply expected patterns to data which are defined by hypotheses



IX. Working w/ Data – Nodes & Coding



Nodes and Coding

�Nodes are used when coding (e.g. “code to node”)

�Where you store data about ideas/themes that emerge

� Approach depends on methodology & stage of project� Create nodes as you go through your material

� Create nodes before you go through your material



Nodes

�Free Nodes – stand alone nodes containing codes that do not contain subthemes

�Tree Nodes – hierarchical nodes with a parent node Tree Nodes – hierarchical nodes with a parent node (main theme) and a child node (subtheme)

� To view child nodes, expand the parent node by clicking “+”



Coding

� Right-click

� Drag and Drop

� Auto coding



Auto Coding

� Useful when you have structured documents such as a series of interviews

� Quick way to make nodes for each question in an interview � Quick way to make nodes for each question in an interview or for a participant in a focus group.

� Paragraph styles must be consistent among the documents you use



Coding Stripes

� Coding stripes let you see “at a glance” how content has been coded

� Shows the nodes to which content has been coded� Shows the nodes to which content has been coded

� Shows coding by specific team members



X. Working w/ Data – Document Links



Annotations

� Like notes in the margin of your document

� Allow you to comment on selected content

� Don’t overuse

� Cannot be coded



Memos

� Used to capture thoughts and insights

� Stand alone or linked

� Coding journal to track coding decisions



XI. Project Management



Merging Projects

� Allows a team to work independently on copies of a project

� Merges the content and/or structure of projects

� Can view coding among team members using coding stripes



Merging Projects

� Tips on working with a team:

� Hold frequent team meetings to discuss coding strategies and

decisions

-- (Have each team member keep a coding journal!)

� Develop a system for assigning coding to team members

� Establish rules about avoiding using annotations and document

links

� Use team member initials when naming Memos

