Summer 2005 QDA Faculty Seminar Session 3

Analysis Strategies

Goals for this session

1.  Discuss and answer questions about progress on projects

2.  Discuss strategies for coding and analysis in NVivo

3.  Be prepared to work with the reporting and model building capabilities of NVivo.

Readings: QSR materials and help files

Homework for next time: Continue data analysis, explore the reporting and model building capabilities of NVivo.  Read Thompson and QSR materials and help files.

Major Ideas From Last Time

1.  How to organize a research project in NVivo.

2.  How to use search in NVivo not only to find instances of specific words or phrases but also to code documents automatically.

3.  Though the searching functions of NVivo are useful, they are only a supplement to “hand” coding.

Questions for Discussion

Introductions for those who are attending for the first time (See Session 1 sheet)

Data Management Strategies

What progress have you made in your project?

What questions do you have about managing your data?

What questions do you have about searching?

Coding

What is the purpose of coding?

What is the difference between descriptive codes, interpretive codes, and pattern codes? (Miles and Huberman pg. 57).

Is it a good idea to have a starting list of codes?

What are some good strategies for structuring one’s code book?

How does one organize codes within NVivo?

Analysis

I’ve coded my data, now what? 

How do I draw conclusions from my coding?

What are propositions and how do they help to begin to summarize the findings and conclusions of a study? (Miles and Huberman pg. 75).

How does one validate or test propositions? 

How can searching in NVivo be used to validate or test propositions?