Advanced technology has brought us excellent innovations in the ability of software to organize and audit qualitative analysis, paving the way for researchers to collaborate, replicate, and convince the skeptics of the importance of thorough qualitative research to understanding society. While some researchers might welcome that invention, skeptical researchers worry that qualitative software will be used to impose rigidity, to imitate quantitative analysis techniques or to oversimplify complex social processes. The right choice of qualitative software can help or hinder, make or break the schedule of a given project.Īs experienced researchers know, no software program will do the data analysis for you. Researchers design and often carry out entire research project in a short time-span, so they are under considerable pressure to develop ideas quickly. The learning curve can be steep and the workload for researchers is not infrequently a heavy one. Another major use was in market research, where the focus group approach continues to represent a distinct branch of the field.Ĭhoosing the right qualitative software package can be daunting task, but the optimal choice influences directly the relationship of qualitative software and secondary analysis of archived qualitative data. It offered to address the needs of researchers working under the pressure of short-term ‘soft money’ contracts and yet who retained an enthusiasm for the intrinsic interest of qualitative data. From the first it gained substantial use in applied research. Qualitative software did not, however, remain an interest only for those in ‘pure’ academic disciplines.
While some early experimenters began developing their own software for particular qualitative applications almost as soon as they had assembled their first DIY personal computer, the main impetus came from academic seminars including social researchers and computing enthusiasts during the early 1980s. What is Qualitative Software in Research?Īlthough Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDAS) and qualitative software are a recent development, the arrival of word processors with text retrieval and handling capacities was the background for the development of specialist qualitative software packages.
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