Using Digital Tools for Qualitative Text Analysis

Overview

Key facts

We begin with an overview of traditions in text analysis, spanning the methodological spectrum. We then introduce the range of digital tools that have been designed to facilitate these approaches – focusing on the genre of tools collectively referred to as Computer Assisted Qualitative Data AnalysiS (CAQDAS) packages, but also discussing tools derived from other contexts.To bring qualitative text analysis methods to life we then focus on strategies and tactics for implementing an analysis, focusing on common analytic activities and how they can be accomplished using software tools. This involves preparing texts for analysis, importing and organising texts, exploring content and building dictionaries, coding texts using both inductive and deductive approaches, managing interpretations through analytic note-taking, summarizing and mapping, interrogating patterns and relationships and visualising and reporting. The workshop showcases a selection of CAQDAS-packages including ATLAS.ti, Dedoose, MAXQDA, NVivo and QDA Miner.

University of Surrey's Using Digital Tools for Qualitative Text Analysis programme will teach you more about this topic.