1. What is CAQDAS? Computer Assisted Qualitative AnalysiS
Ann Lewins
Qualitative Innovations in CAQDAS
(QUIC) University of Surrey.
a research node of the
ESRC National Centre for Research Methods

2. Rough out the historical debate
this session will....
Provide context
Rough out the historical debate
Attempt to define what CAQDAS has come to mean
What it is and what it (possibly) isn’t
How CAQDAS has developed
Demonstrate as much as possible
Illustrate some key features

3. the acronym....... Computer Assisted Qualitative Data AnalysiS
Based on and built around…..
the more interpretive approaches
qualitative analysis of qualitative data
traditional craft methods using cut and paste, annotating, index cards
categorising – coding - indexing

4. Field Methods: © Ann Lewins 2009 - CAQDAS Networking Project
analytic contexts
Methodology
Ethnography
Action research
Phenomenology
Hermeneutics
Biographic
Discourse
Grounded Theory
Etc., etc.
Methods
Participant observation
In depth interviewing
Unstructured
Semi structured
Structured
Open ended questions
Documentary analysis
Media
Official
Narrative analysis
ANALYTIC STRATEGY
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Field Methods © Ann Lewins - CAQDAS Networking Project
Field methods: Ann Lewins CAQDAS Networking Project
Field methods: Ann Lewins CAQDAS Networking Project 4

5. qualitative data : types of data?
Field Methods: © Ann Lewins CAQDAS Networking Project
qualitative data : types of data?
Field notes
Summaries
Abstracts
Interview transcripts
Survey - open ended question data
Discourse:news -political
Bibliographic - lists
Video
Film
Tapes: oral history
Handwritten letters
Handwritten diaries
Paintings
Photography
………… and the rest
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Field Methods © Ann Lewins - CAQDAS Networking Project
Field methods: Ann Lewins CAQDAS Networking Project
Field methods: Ann Lewins CAQDAS Networking Project 5

6. key statements
There are many approaches to analysing qualitative data
CAQDAS packages don’t provide a methodology
CAQDAS packages don’t do the thinking
Researcher does all the thinking
The software will help manage data, thinking, questions and findings
Copyright: Ann Lewins, QDAS 2009

7. background to development.....
1960’s mechanisation - lexical counting and sorting of words The General Enquirer
Used widely in Humanities..History, Linguistics, Literature
Social Science researchers remained cautious (suspicious) until mid...
..1980’s qualitative social researchers see possibilities
Change in perceptions and development. Computers not just number crunchers
Development of PC’s
Recommendations that computers would be used – however vague...
Optimists focused on improved rigour
Pessimists were concerned with alienation from data

8. managing interpretation – first developments
Mid 1980’s new software tools emerge designed to assist the interpretive approaches to qualitative data
HyperResearch (Mac) Scott Kinder et al (USA), NUD*IST (Mac) Lyn & Tom Richards (Australia - NVivo)
ATLAS.ti (PC Dos) Thomas Muhr (Germany), The ETHNOGRAPH (PC Dos) John Seidel (USA)
KWALITAN (PC Dos) Vincent Peters (Netherlands) Hypersoft (Apple Macintosh) Ian Dey (UK)
MAX (PC Dos) Udo Kuckartz (Germany- MAXqda 2010)
Qualitative approaches to qualitative data rather than previous quantitizing qualitative data
Developers were social or political science academics
Tendency to be associated with certain methodologies - GT?
Becomes the focus of the term ‘CAQDAS’
Windows versions start appearing 1994
Developers go commercial
distance themselves from particular methods/methodologies

9. CAQDAS until
Very difficult data preparation (limited formats)
DOS operating systems
Lack of support –training not widely available
Improved management of larger datasets
Code and Retrieve
Rudimentary organisation based on variables
Interrogation of data to produce filtered reports
Basic memo tools
Better access to all data

10. acknowledging resistance....
1995 Fielding & Lee acknowledging one side of topical debate (at the time of writing they were initiating a project to support potential users of CAQDAS)
“Letting the genie out of the bottle... might change the craft of methodology in unexpected and unwelcome ways”
CAQDAS Networking Project was funded by the ESRC for 15 years...not to persuade but to help make an informed decision about software and support users

11. constructive & prophetic views...
1989 Ragin & Becker argued that with PC developments... researchers would find traditional gulf between variable oriented quantitative and case oriented qualitative researchers would narrow.
Now it is standard to import quantitative data to enable further interrogation of qual data
Mixed methods projects increasing
Research such as QUIC & Timescapes seeking to narrow gap

12. Working Demonstration of MAXqda/NVivo to illustrate
basic code and retrieve functions
combining with quant data
for further interrogation

13. MAXqda 10 Interface
Showing coding margin,
memos flagged & interactive
code and retrieve

14. Nvivo 8
Showing coded margin
and annotations bar

15. .....constructive & prophetic
1995 Agar’s influential essay – “ The Right Brain Strikes Back” (in Fielding & Lee 1995) used his research in Austria from 1989 to describe his qualitative needs in the context of what wasn’t yet available in software.
Research into court transcripts: suspicions that the merchant ship Lucona was deliberately scuttled by its owners.
Simple code and retrieve of The Ethnograph software
of the time was limiting
Needed to see large stretches of data simultaneously
Visual need to draw a coloured network of connections
The essay itself sparked ideas in software development
A spiral of methodological debate, user-influenced software development, technological advance, usage, development of analytic techniques
– qual-software discussion list

16. Working demonstration of ATLAS.ti
stretches of data – re-arranged
links made – either between bits of data or codes
using new technology to improve access

17. ATLAS.ti 6 showing a
Network.. User has dragged passages into network Recording thoughts in memo
Linking passages
Linking codes to text

18. managing work in different ways…
Thematic coding may or may not be relevant
Use coding as practical navigation devices
Stay at text level
Make links between segments to follow a trail
Use comments to add rich description to segments of data
Link between multimedia and text
Step back - map connections in a visual way
Copyright: Ann Lewins, QDAS 2009

19. integration of different data, more media
Word files
Pdf files (varies)
Quantitative data
Handling of Survey data (open ended questions)
Multimedia – graphic audio-visual
Working demonstration

20. Transana – example of low cost, open source
Field Methods: © Ann Lewins CAQDAS Networking Project
Transana – example of low cost, open source
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Field Methods © Ann Lewins - CAQDAS Networking Project
Field methods: Ann Lewins CAQDAS Networking Project
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21. Summarizing CAQDAS tools Figure adapted from Lewins & Silver 2007

22. CAQDAS Networking Project http://caqdas.soc.surrey.ac.uk
Resources
CAQDAS Networking Project
Online QDA
ESRC NCRM research node, QUIC
References – recent
di Gregorio, S & Davidson J (2008) Qualitative Research for Software Users, McGraw Hill, Open University Press, UK
(planning – project set up – teams -various software)
Lewins, A., & Silver, C. (2007) Using Qualitative Software: A Step by Step Guide, Sage Publications
(qualitative task based chapters with step by step – various software)
References – seminal
Agar, M. The Right Brain Strikes Back in Fielding and Lee (1994)
Fielding, N. & Lee, R. (1995 2ed) Using Computers in Qualitative Research, Sage Publications
Kelle U. (1995) Computer Aided Qualitative Data Analysis, Sage Publications
Miles, M.B & Huberman, (1984) Qualitative Data Analysis: A Source Book of New Methods Sage Publications
Miles, M.B & Huberman, (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Source Book Sage Publications
Ragin, C.C. & Becker, H.S. How the Microcomputer is changing our habits in G. Bank et al (eds) (1989) New Technology in Sociology: Practical Applications in Research and Work . Transaction Publishers