David asks...
>As far as I can tell from the manual and past messages, coding by section
must be done one document at a time, but I want to confirm that. If so, I
assume that way to do this in batch is on the wish list?
Broadly - coding by section is pretty much available in one form or another
in most of the leading software packages including Nvivo - across the whole
dataset if need be. Providing you have appropriate 'flags' (e.g. Section
headings) built into the text across the dataset, that you can search for.
Specifically, for NVivo. if you are accustomed to coding by section across
all files as you do in NUDIST - I would use the _Text search_ option from
the 'Search project Database' (from project pad) window
key in the section identifier - e.g. POLITICS
Scope it to all your documents (the default)
'Customise' your results by Spread to Section
I would have thought this will do very well, exactly the same as achieved in
NUdist, by a slightly different route.
I would point one quite small potential problem however with 'sections' in
Nvivo. And here I talk about both section coder and possibly the text search
tool.
In Nvivo, the existance of 'Sections' rather than 'paragraphs' and
spreading (NUDIST jargon) to a section - rests on your use of consistent
'Heading levels' at the right places - BUT....rogue 'heading level' formats
embedded within bits of a section (you may not see these if they are on a
blank line - don't ask me how this happens but it can happen!) may spoil
this function (both in the above method and The document by document
'section coder)
so if the Section coder seems not to work properly -
a. supposing, when coding sections using Section numbers as node addresses,
it has produced sections you didn't know were there? or
b. the use of text search tool as above goes wrong in terms of what it is
successfully spreading the results to -
....it may be hidden bits of 'heading level' format that you cannot see in a
file somewhere which is mucking it up
Other wise it works fine - and if you have this sort of replicated structure
across data files its a quicker way to track down and code those sections in
the whole dataset. I think! I wait to be contradicted since I have never
compared the two different methods.
...well - this is all a bit specific to Nvivo - and there is a list which is
purpose built to this sort of 'software specific' question - so it might
have been better dealt with there, (QSR-forum) - here are subscribe
instructions.
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...
...for now, I hope that helps -
Ann
Ann Lewins
Resource Officer, CAQDAS Networking Project
Dept of Sociology
University of Surrey
GUILDFORD GU2 5XH
email: [log in to unmask]
CAQDAS web site: http://www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/caqdas/
Tel +44 (0)1 483 259 455
Fax +44 (0)1 483 259 551
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