Hi all
There was a brief discussion a year or so ago about using software to assist with analysis (or more precisely, coding and sorting material ready for analysis). My team are currently struggling with the question: What's the best way to set up coding in NVivo9 to support a realist analysis?
Situation: The question we're attempting to answer is relatively broad, looks across multiple kinds of interventions in the international development arena, with a correspondingly diverse literature, and does not have a particularly detailed initial theory. There is a relatively large group of analysts (6 people), some working remotely, on different copies of NVivo (so if we want to merge copies later, the node structure has to be identical across all copies). Every document has to be analysed by 2 team members.
The main question we're grappling with is: What's the most efficient way to be able to draw links between C, M and O, both within and across texts? Subsidiary questions: What level of detail should be pre-established in the coding guide? Is it better to have fairly broad codes or quite detailed ones? Is it better to use classifications and nodes (and therefore be able to use matrix searches) or nodes with see also links? Or just nodes and annotations?
If anyone has suggestions or experiences we'd be delighted to hear about them.
Best wishes of the season to all
Gill
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