Qualitative data analysis software as a tool for teaching analytic practice: Towards a theoretical framework for integrating QDAS into methods pedagogy

Abstract

Methods educators who include qualitative data analysis software (QDAS) in their teaching see the software as an opportunity to bring authentic experiences of analytic practice into classrooms. However, we currently lack a shared language for outlining and understanding what this analytic practice could or should entail. By expanding Silver and Woolf’s 5-Level QDAS® pedagogy, I introduce a theoretical framework of analytic practice with QDAS designed for methods educators to reflect on their curricula, and for academic leaders and administrators to reflect on their institutions’ overall educational ecologies regarding qualitative methods. Further, I illustrate how barriers to integrating QDAS reflect broader issues in qualitative methods education, specifically regarding analysis training and apprenticeship. Given these barriers, I suggest that discussions of the positive or negative impacts of QDAS should focus less on the users and the software itself, and instead more on the way we teach, or fail to teach the practice of qualitative analysis.

Le projet RESET-Francophone : vers une formation ouverte et libre à la méthodologie de la recherche en éducation

“…Nous proposons de poser les savoirs et connaissances 7 technologiques (Technological Knowledge -TK) en tant que quatre types de savoirs assurant les finalités suivantes : 1) supporter le chercheur dans son travail d'analyse documentaire, de construction de dispositifs de collecte de données empiriques et d'analyse de données tels que cités par Van der Maren, et al 2019; 2) soutenir l'activité professionnelle à l'aide de logiciels d'analyse de données spécialisés (Kalpokaite & Radivojevic, 2020 ;Schmieder, 2019 ;Silver & Woolf, 2015); 3) accéder à des jeux de données partagés selon les standards FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) comme c'est le cas par exemple sur des archives / dépôts de données dans une perspective de sciences ouverte et libre (Open Science) ; 4) détourner l'usage d'une technologie non spécialisée pour améliorer la formation (par exemple en utilisant un wiki comme base pour un manuel ouvert et libre 8 ).…”

Experiencias y motivación para el aprendizaje en la implementación de formación a distancia durante la emergencia sanitaria de covid-19 en la educación superior técnico profesional

“…En este sentido, es posible encontrar que las TIC son utilizadas en el marco de formación e-learning, es decir, formación a distancia con el apoyo de herramientas informáticas. Por otra parte, dentro del aula hallamos la incorporación de prácticas y herramientas digitales en la educación presencial; por ejemplo, el desarrollo de habilidades para el análisis cualitativo con un software en un laboratorio de informático (Schmieder, 2019). Por último, encontramos el b-learning, definido como la confluencia de prácticas digitales a distancia y presenciales, y prácticas no digitales que se coordinan en una misma clase (González, 2012).…”

Bridging the Gap Between Methodology and Qualitative Data Analysis Software: A Practical Guide for Educators and Qualitative Researchers

“…MacMillan and Koenig (2004) very eloquently point out some main current issues regarding CAQDAS, namely, 'unrealistic expectations of the software as a methodology in itself; the treatment of qualitative analysis as a single, homogenised category; and the use of grounded theory as a legitimating link between tool and method' (p. 179). Given the complex and multilayered nature of learning to harness CAQDAS, teaching should also consider the various ecologies from which students come, as individuals likely have differing levels of experience and familiarity with methods and analytic tasks or CAQDAS and its diverse components (Schmieder, 2020). A methodologically grounded practical guide could signal some good practices for laying the foundations of a study (and setting up the project in the software in a helpful way), so that the researcher can then focus their energy on the deeper reflection and creative thinking that are hallmarks of good qualitative research.…”

“…In other words, CAQDAS is most powerfully harnessed when the researcher plans how they will analyse their data and then translates this analysis into how they use the software (Silver and Woolf, 2015). Thus, researchers need sufficient understanding of both qualitative methods and how CAQDAS works, but it is more likely that novices learn about these different aspects in distinct courses and projects, and a lack of a shared language among qualitative research and CAQDAS instructors makes integrating CAQDAS into methods courses a long-standing challenge (Schmieder, 2020). Just like the craft of qualitative research is best learned through practical experience, CAQDAS is likewise best learned through hands-on practice (Blank, 2004).…”

“…Given the likelihood that researchers will learn about one of the main CAQDAS packages, the present article provides illustrations of how ATLAS.ti, MAXQDA, and NVivo can be used following the same analytic strategies. Building on previous work that calls for critical appraisals of how the specific features of CAQDAS can be meaningfully and creatively combined to meet analytic needs (Schmieder, 2020; Silver and Woolf, 2015) as well as more evaluative and reflective personal accounts of working with software (Lewins, 1996), this article details how widely used qualitative analysis strategies can be realised in three of the main CAQDAS packages used today. We always encourage researchers to carefully consider the different data analysis strategies they can use to answer their research question (Silver and Woolf, 2015), and we hope this practical walkthrough aids researchers and instructors, teachers and professors in reflecting on how methodology can guide the use of software, as opposed to simply following software manuals.…”