![]() ![]() Why did I abandon NVivo? The main reason had to do with the limitations of NVivo’s interface, or rather the way its tools are organised and the way this organisation forces you to follow a particular analytical logic. I used it to code about half of my data (interviews, participant observations, and a variety of collected documents in a range of media and file formats). In the end I spent 6 months analysing my qualitative data in NVivo. It also seemed more neutral from a research philosophy perspective. At its heart there was a hierarchical folder structure that worked like many other Windows-based software. NVivo 8, on the other hand, immediately appealed to me the first time I laid my eyes on it. I could see how its different tools related to each other. I found it difficult to visualise the conceptual linkages between Atlas.ti’s various commands and floating windows. I discovered that I was a visual learner and found that Atlas.ti wasn’t accommodating my type of learner. As far as I know, Atlas.ti was originally developed to implement grounded theory, and as I wasn’t completely convinced by its implicit research philosophy (which still seemed a bit positivist to me, although otherwise I’m all in favour of grounded theory’s bottom-up approach), I found some of the lingo, the design and the interface off-putting. What was my experience with CAQDAS? I took a couple of workshops in Atlas.ti, got a copy and trialled it repeatedly over the years. Although here I will be recommending CT as CAQDAS for particular qualitative analysis jobs, I still suggest you use either Atlas.ti or NVivo extensively for a prolonged period of time to learn about how mainstream CAQDAS work. How to select a CAQDAS for your study? Try several if you can. Finding CT was a revelation, as it allowed me to overcome some problems (more about those later) that I couldn’t solve with NVivo, my CAQDAS of choice prior to CT. However, based on my personal experience as a PhD student, I found that neither Atlas.ti or NVivo was quite right for me. ![]() Some people may indeed find that Atlas.ti or NVivo works better for them. You may ask: “Why bother using CT, a personal wiki, for qualitative data analysis when there are such long-standing dedicated CAQDAS tools on the market such as Atlas.ti and NVivo?” That is a legitimate question. This is my first post in what hopefully will become a series of posts on how I use ConnectedText (CT) for qualitative data analysis, as part of my Ph.D. I welcome questions, comments or suggestions related to tools for qualitative research, outlining, writing and personal information management. I use Windows PCs (a couple of desktops and a netbook, running XP and Win7), an Apple iPod Touch and an iPad, therefore I will focus primarily on those platforms. I have also set up a page that will contain a periodically updated list of my favourite software and hardware tools ( my toolbox). ![]() Although my initial posts here are likely to focus on CT, I intend this blog to become a place for commentary on a wide range of software and hardware that I use for researching, outlining and writing but also for managing personal information ( PIM). I thought that rather than inundating forum members with long posts on CT, I would set up a dedicated blog for this purpose. The impetus for starting this blog actually came from another member at Outliner Software, who asked me to provide some tutorials about how I use ConnectedText (CT) – a personal wiki software – for qualitative data analysis (effectively as a CAQDAS). I also contribute under this name at the Outliner Software forum, which is an excellent source of information on such tools. I’m interested in software and hardware tools that can help with researching, outlining, and writing, as well as improving personal productivity. doctorandus, Latin for ‘he who should become a doctor’), a social science PhD student based in the UK and engaged in qualitative research. ![]()
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