Dear all,
I am currently thinking about visualising qualitative data. My research deals with imparting and acquiring knowledge in classrooms, specifically in respect to social science teaching and learning. I used interpretative strategies from Objective Hermeneutics and Grounded Theory for extensive analysis of my data material, aiming to reconstruct practices of imparting and acquiring knowledge. Expansive analysis resulted in extensive analysis text. Even when structured using Grounded Theory conceptualisation strategies, such analysis texts are not very enticing to read, nor are they catching the reader's attention for the occurring flow of processes.
A visualisation of processes on the other hand would give readers a map that allows for quick orientation, an aesthetically appealing overview, and allows to read into details that are interesting by linking concepts in the picture with analysis text. I used maxmaps before, but I am not completely satisfied with how visualisations turned out. Maxmaps visualisations are restricted to linking concepts, connections and memos. This is probably not the best choice for visualising scale or co-occurance of events in a process. Juliet Corbin's visualisation of pain experience (see http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/941/corbin2008painexperienc.png) makes such restrictions visible. Compared to visualisations such as Wars Shelley's artistic visualisations (e.g. Counter culture, see http://www.wardshelley.com/paintings/pages/counterculture.html<http://www.wardshelley.com/paintings/pages/counterculture.html=>) you can easily see the difference. I am looking for good practice examples as how to visualise process and for tools that will help me with visualisation. Your ideas and hints are most welcome!
All the best from Frankfurt,
Clemens
-----
Clemens Wieser
Austrian Academy of Sciences Fellow (DOC)
Theodor Koerner Research Laureate 2011
Summer Term 2011 Address:
Visiting Researcher at Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main
Robert-Mayer-Strasse 6-8, R 117
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Tel: +49 (69) 798-22719
Research Blog: http://vermittlung.posterous.com<http://vermittlung.posterous.com/>/
|