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Computer-Aided Qualitative Data Analysis
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Computer-Aided Qualitative Data Analysis
Theory, Methods and Practice

Edited by:
  • Udo Kelle - Philipps-Universitat Marburg, Germany


July 1995 | 224 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
With recent significant advances having been made in computer-aided methods to support qualitative data analysis, a whole new range of methodological questions arises: Will the software employed `take over' the analysis? Can computers be used to improve reliability and validity? Can computers make the research process more transparent and ensure a more systematic analysis?

This book examines the central methodological and theoretical issues involved in using computers in qualitative research. International experts in the field discuss various strategies for computer-assisted qualitative analysis, outlining strategies for building theories by employing networks of categories and means of evaluating hypotheses generated from qualitative data. New ways of integrating qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques are also described.

Udo Kelle
Introduction
An Overview of Computer-Aided Methods in Qualitative Research

 
 
PART ONE: GENERAL METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES
Udo Kelle and Heather Laurie
Computer Use in Qualitative Research and Issues of Validity
Raymond M Lee and Nigel G Fielding
User Experiences of Qualitative Data Analysis Software
Marrku Lonkila
Grounded Theory as an Emerging Paradigm for Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis
John Seidel and Udo Kelle
Different Functions of Coding in the Analysis of Textual Data
 
PART TWO: COMPUTERS AND QUALITATIVE THEORY BUILDING
Gerald Prein and Udo Kelle in discussion with Lyn Richards and Tom Richards
Introduction: Using Linkages and Networks for Theory Building
Ian Dey
Reducing Fragmentation in Qualitative Research
Tom Richards and Lyn Richards
Using Hierarchical Categories in Qualitative Data Analysis
Luis Araujo
Designing and Refining Hierarchical Coding Frames
 
PART THREE: COMPUTERS AND QUALITATIVE HYPOTHESIS EXAMINATION
Udo Kelle in discussion with Ernest Sibert, Anne Shelly, Sharlene Hesse-Biber and G[um]unter L Huber
Introduction
Hypothesis Examination in Qualitative Research

 
Ernest Sibert and Anne Shelly
Using Logic Programming for Hypothesis Generation and Refinement
Sharlene Hesse-Biber and Paul Dupuis
Hypothesis Testing in Computer-Aided Qualitative Data Analysis
G[um]unter L Huber
Qualitative Hypothesis Examination and Theory Building
 
PART FOUR: COMPUTERS AND TRIANGULATION
Gerald Prein and Udo Kuckartz in discussion with Edeltraud Roller, Charles C Ragin and Udo Kelle
Introduction
Between Quality and Quantity

 
Udo Kuckartz
Case-Oriented Quantification
Edeltraud Roller, Rainer Mathes and Thomas Eckert
Hermeneutic-Classificatory Content Analysis
Charles C Ragin
Using Qualitative Comparative Analysis to Study Configurations
Gerald Prein, Udo Kelle and Katherine Bird
An Overview of Software

`It is fair to state that the authors have succeeded in providing a stimulating and at times challenging treatment of the issues associated with working with textual data. This text will be of particular value to those seeking to understand the latest developments in computer analysis of textual data and the associated possibilities. It is particularly timely as the business related disciplines (management, strategic management and marketing, and consumer behaviour) appear to be showing a degree of disillusionment with quantitative methods and turning their thoughts towards the richer possibilities of qualitative research.... Each section is preceded by an excellent introductory chapter. Indeed, it is a major positive feature of the text that these introductory chapters not only provide the usual overview or summary of the material that is to follow, but also present a creative and valuable exposition of the content in their own right.... An interesting discussion of the functions of coding is provided and there is an extended case study of a user's software experience.... an excellent text which should be read by all management researchers and may be suitable as a text for PhD and other advanced research courses' - Management Learning

`It is not expensive for 210 pages packed with detail, and with contributors widely distributed thanks to e-mail; although US and Europe predominate' - Changes

`What Kelle and collaborators Prein and Bird have provided is a highly unique and stimulating contribution to this topic. Investigators using qualitative methods and pondering the use, implications and potential of computers for analytic purposes should find this text to be a provocative addition to the literature' - Computers in Nursing