ISSR Methodology Workshop | Coding and Qualitative Data Analysis in MAXQDA (Online)

Please note this event occurred in the past.
November 09, 2020 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm ET
Data and Software,
Research Methodology,
Semester Workshops
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Online Event - Login credentials via email for registered participants
A MAXQDA logo.

Instructor: Erica Kowsz

This workshop is targeted for users who have basic familiarity with QDA software (MAXQDA or NVivo) and want to go deeper with MAXQDA and get some structured practice.* Throughout the workshop, we will work within a sample project, developing techniques and thought-processes you’ll be able to take home for work on your own materials. We will begin the workshop with a review of the workflow for building and organizing a database that includes multiple types of files (video, audio, text). The second portion will focus on analysis, covering coding approaches (deductive and inductive), the use of memos, and querying the database. In the final segment of the workshop, we will touch briefly on the role for QDA software in your workflow as you approach the writing stage. With most qualitative research projects, you will find you have more information and insights at hand than you can include in any given paper, presentation, even a longer manuscript. QDA software can be an asset for preserving the full breadth of your interpretations while also creating temporary organizational structures that allow you to move from drafting to data and back again with relative ease. 

Participants who don’t currently have a MAXQDA license are encouraged to install the trial version of MAXQDA on their own computers not more than 13 days prior to the workshop date. MAXQDA is not currently supported at UMass, but the company provides a free trial 14-day trial of the full software on their website. Please have the MAXQDA software downloaded to your personal device prior to the workshop, but if you’re using a trial, be sure not to install it too early! Don’t worry about whether you use a Mac or PC;  in MAXQDA, features are 100% identical on both platforms.

What is MAXQDA?

MAXQDA is a qualitative data management software that offers a platform to organize, analyze, and parse through large amounts of qualitative data of all kinds—from interview recordings and field notes to video and images. It offers similar features to other QDA software you may be familiar with--like NVivo--but with some slight differences. Want to learn more about what the software can do? Visit MAXQDA’s homepage.

*If you’re new to MAXQDA, but you want to join this workshop, make an appointment for a consultation with Erica during her office hours at ISSR in the weeks leading up to the workshop. You can talk through the basics of the MAXQDA workspace and how to set up a project file so you will be ready to join for the Part II content. If you’re an NVivo user, but interested in these topics, please do download the MAXQDA trial version (not more than 13 days ahead!) and attend the workshop; many features of the software are similar and the topics are applicable to users of either.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Create and reorganize document groups while maintaining file structure
  • Create codes and organize codes according to emergent categories
  • Code video, audio, and text-based data
  • Create links and memos
  • Do "quality control" checks on coding extent and density
  • Conduct basic queries of the database
  • Use document sets and export functions to organize data and insights in preparation for the writing process

ISSR Methodology Consultants are generously supported by the Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.