ISSR Summer Methodology Workshop | Making Sense of Qualitative Data: Learning Data Analysis with MAXQDA

This four-day hands-on workshop introduces participants to MAXQDA for qualitative data analysis, guiding them through the full workflow of managing, coding, exploring, and visualizing qualitative data.

Designed for Ph.D. students, faculty, and staff interested in qualitative methods, the workshop is suitable for both beginners and current MAXQDA users interested in learning more about the software and its features. 

Throughout the workshop, participants will work with a prepared dataset containing multiple types of qualitative materials, including interviews, documents, images, and multimedia files, to progressively build and explore a MAXQDA project while learning the software's core analytical tools.

Each session combines conceptual explanation and hands-on practice, allowing participants to apply the techniques during the workshop. Participants will learn how to:

• Create and organize qualitative research projects in MAXQDA
• Import and manage different types of qualitative data
• Organize documents and work with document variables
• Apply multiple coding strategies for qualitative data analysis
• Develop and organize code systems
• Retrieve and review coded segments
• Use analytical tools to explore patterns in the data
• Work with document activation and sets to compare subsets of data
• Generate visualizations to support qualitative interpretation
• Export results and summaries for research and reporting

The workshop is organized across four sessions:

Day 1 – Preparing and Organizing Data in MAXQDA: Creating projects, importing data, organizing documents, and working with document variables.

Day 2 – Coding Qualitative Data:  Learning different coding strategies and applying coding techniques.

Day 3 – Analytical Tools in MAXQDA: Exploring coded data using analytical tools such as the Code Matrix Browser, Crosstab, and document sets.

Day 4 – Visualizations and Advanced Tools: Using visualization tools, exporting results, and exploring additional features of MAXQDA.

To participate most effectively in the workshop, participants will need to have MAXQDA installed on their computers prior to joining. Please double-check your access today, rather than waiting until the day of the workshop, as the instructor is unable to provide support with installation or IT-related issues. A free copy of MAXQDA is just a click away for all UMass Amherst faculty and graduate students. You can request a free copy online.

MAXQDA also offers a free 14-day trial for both Windows and Mac users. Free trials are available on MAXQDA’s website. Be sure to note the trial length and don’t download it too early—you want to be able to access it during the workshop.

Instructor: Grazielle Valentim

Grazielle Valentim is a PhD candidate in Sociology at UMass Amherst and a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Her research focuses on immigration, labor rights, and care work, particularly examining the U.S. au pair program and how policies influence the experiences of migrant care workers and host families. She specializes in qualitative research methods, including interviewing, document and social media analysis, and the use of qualitative data analysis software.

Currently, Grazi is a Qualitative Methods Consultant at ISSR, where she provides methodological support to faculty, graduate students, and staff across various disciplines. She has a passion for mentoring researchers in qualitative research design, data management, coding strategies, and analytic approaches using QDAs.

In addition to her consulting work, Grazi designs and teaches workshops on qualitative data analysis and digital research methods. She regularly conducts workshops through ISSR on topics including qualitative coding and queries in NVivo, introductory training in MAXQDA, and social media analysis. Having completed advanced training and certification in both MAXQDA and NVivo, she emphasizes equipping researchers with practical skills that enhance the research process and improve data-driven insights.

Questions? For more information about this or any of the ISSR Summer Methodology Workshops, please contact ISSR's Director of Research Methods Programs, Jessica Pearlman ([email protected]).

Contact Jessica Pearlman if you have any trouble registering for multiple workshops.

Five College Students and Faculty

• Five College Undergraduate and Graduate Students:  $150/person
• Five College Faculty and Staff:  $270/person

Non-Five College Students and Faculty

• Non-Five College Undergraduate and Graduate Students:  $300/person
• Non-Five College Faculty, Staff and Other Professional:  $420/person

Registration note: The Five Colleges include: UMass Amherst, Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College. Registration closes for each workshop 2 full business days prior to the start date. If paying with departmental funds or personal checks, contact Sue Falcetti ([email protected]).

Cancellation note: In cases where enrollment is 5 or less, we reserve the right to cancel the workshop.  In cases where the registrant cancels prior to the workshop, a full refund will be given with two weeks notice, and 50% refund will be given with one week notice.  We will not be able to refund in cases where registrant does not notify us of cancellation at least one week prior to the beginning date of the workshop.