I'm broadening this discussion which has appeared on both ATLAS.ti and QSR
user-group lists to include 'qual-software' discussion list. There are many
excellent aspects to each software; subjectively speaking if I was to pick
my one best thing for each software this is what they would be:
NVivo - at later stages of work - after 'coding up' - simply brilliant at
'searching' and producing resources to write up from... e.g output tables
giving at same time frequency tables which are interactively connected to
qualitative data sitting behind each cell of the table. Thus, at its
simplest level, great for comparative work across say, different types of
respondent at the end of coding process. I'd expect to produce masses of
these matrices during the writing up stages. Its not that frequency is
important, qualitatively speaking, - its just that those tables provide
instant individual access to many different groups of respondents talking
about multiple themes (each theme appearing separately in the table)
ATLAS.ti - simply brilliant at allowing you to work in all sorts of ways
with data, keeping you 'grounded' or located at the whole context (if thats
what you want) - while at the same time allowing you to flick quickly
through e.g. your thematically coded data for a particular theme (the coded
data is HIGHLIGHTED in SURROUNDING context). Thus great for where 'context
is all' - for instance with focus groups - notoriously difficult to code up
because of the interaction and dynamics of the group - one can relax and say
to oneself - thats Ok if I haven't selected the perfect bit of text - I
don't EVER have to lift coded text out of its context at all (although of
course I can if I want).
To just focus on those aspects barely scratches the surface of
course....sorry!
cheers
Ann Lewins
Ann Lewins
Manager 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 68 94 55
Fax +44 (0)1 483 68 95 51
DISCUSSION GROUP qual-software : join information etc
see: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/qual-software.html
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CAQDAS NETWORKING PROJECT: ESRC funded project to support the use of
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Resource Officer, Christina Silver; co-directed by Nigel Fielding, Professor
of Sociology, University of Surrey
and Ray Lee, Professor of Research Methods at Royal Holloway, University of
London
----- Original Message -----
From: "Raewyn Bassett" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 14 February 2003 04:15
Subject: Re: comparing Atlas TI and NVivo
> You may also want to take a look at Weitzman and Miles (1995) text
"Computer
> Programs for Qualitative Data Analysis: A software sourcebook". It
contains
> a section on how to choose software for qualitative research and is well
> worth looking at. A worksheet allows you to answer a number of questions
> that will assist in your decision about NVivo and ATLAS/ti.
>
> Raewyn Bassett.
>
> In a message dated 2/13/2003 9:50:20 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
>
> > Re: Atlas.ti vs. QSR, the best advice is and remains to try them out for
> > yourself. But for a quick feel, how about looking at the manuals and
other
> > literature, to see how comfortable you are with the terminology? Can
you
> > understand at a general level what is going on?
> >
> > I played around with QSR products at our university, and it was my
> > dissatisfaction with N4 and N6 that led me to look for something else.
> > Needing to handle Japanese fonts was a major criterion (and poor me I
have
> > English Windows!), but more important than that was that it had to "fit
my
> > brain," or else I didn't see any advantage over using a FileMaker Pro
> > database, a Search function, a printer, and pens and pencils. If I
didn't
> > "like" the program, it wouldn't matter how "good" it was, because I woul
d
> > never use it.
> >
> > I winnowed my choice to NVivo and ATLAS.ti, and for me the next step was
> > the downloadable literature, manuals and presentations and other how-to
> > stuff. That's where I got sold on ATLAS.ti. Perhaps I just was unlucky
in
> > what I downloaded, but in what I saw of the QSR literature the meaning
of
> > many of the terms and procedures were just taken for granted, rather
than
> > explained, so for a newbie like me I felt intimidated rather than
educated.
> > (Plus for some reason I DESPISE the use of the word "node" instead of
> > "code"! It confuses me everytime!) Whereas with the ATLAS.ti short
manual
> > and then, later, the full manual, I felt right at home, and could really
> > understand not only the workings of the program but also how the program
> > could really help me, and even how qualitative research was done. My
mind
> > could just drink it all in. (Well, maybe it took a while for
"Hermeneutic
> > Unit"!)
> >
> > Good luck with your pick.
> >
> > Blaine Connor
> > University of Pittsburgh
>
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