ANALYZING THE DATA - A Guide to Conducting Online Research - page 115

Choosing qualitative software
There are a number of good applications on the market, and all of them have
strengths and weaknesses. As you discern which is right for you, keep in mind
that the way a particular program functions, technologically, may have an
impactonstudyfindings.AspointedoutbyChristineBarry,somefeelthatdif-
ferent packages transform the data in different ways and that this in turn
encourages different ways of thinking about data and theory (1998. paragraph
3.2. http://www.socresonline.org.uk/socresonline/3/3/4.html). As the technol-
ogy of qualitative applications continues to evolve, the challenge for a
researcher is to do the necessary homework to determine which application is
the best for his or her particular purposes. To that end, Weitzman and Miles
(1995) offer four key questions:
1. What kind of computer user am I?
2. Am I choosing for one project or the next few years?
3. What kind of project(s) and database(s) will I be working on?
4. What kind of analysis am I planning to do?
In addition to these questions, we suggest you also consider what type of
user support is accessible to you, in conjunction with the question of your own
computerskills.Someinstitutionshavestrongsupportorganizationswithpro-
fessionals who are equipped to assist in troubleshooting software problems.
There may be technical staff, or graduate assistants in a university environ-
ment, with strong computer backgrounds, who have the ability and time to
assist with troubleshooting. If you are working independently, for example as a
consultantwithahomeoffice,considerwhetherornotyouhaveaccesstoindi-
viduals who could help if needed. The essential point is that if the answer to
questiononeisthatyouare“alow-leveluser,”thenusingasophisticatedappli-
cation is likely to cause frustration and require assistance of some kind. Failing
toassesstheneedforassistancecanbeacostlymistakeintermsoftime,money
and frustration level, if assistance is required and not readily available. This
point also implies that you take into account the user-friendliness of any appli-
cation under consideration.
Popular Qualitative Software
HyperResearch http://www.researchware.com
NVivo http://www.qsrinternational.com/products_nvivo.aspx
Atlas/ti http://www.atlasti.com
Ethnograph http://www.qualisresearch.com
MAXQDA http://www.maxqda.com