The Qualitative Network Approach (QNA)

This paper provides a tutorial on epistemic network analysis (ENA), a novel method for identifying and quantifying connections among elements in coded data and representing them in dynamic network models. Such models illustrate the structure of connections and measure the strength of association among elements in a network, and they quantify changes in the composition and strength of connections over time. Importantly, ENA enables comparison of networks both directly and via summary statistics, so the method can be used to explore a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research questions in situations where patterns of association in data are hypothesized to be meaningful. While ENA was originally developed to model cognitive networks—the patterns of association between knowledge, skills, values, habits of mind, and other elements that characterize complex thinking—ENA is a robust method that can be used to model patterns of association in any system characterized by a complex network of dynamic relationships among a relatively small, fixed set of elements.

New Ideas in Psychology

American Journal of Qualitative Research

This article demonstrates the process of coding textual data, using QualCoder, a free and open-source software tool for supporting the qualitative data analysis process. The aim is to introduce novice qualitative researchers and undergraduate students of qualitative methods to the process of open coding in a clear and concise way. The systematic coding of the empirical data is a crucial first step in many popular qualitative methods like Thematic Analysis or Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The initial coding phase is a prerequisite for analyzing and making sense of the data. By using QualCoder, the researcher utilizes a dependable, efficient, and easily accessible tool to work with coding without losing transparency, rigor, and depth in the process. The article concludes by discussing the multiple benefits of using such a tool for the coding process, as well as limitations and potential risks, and thus highlighting the multi-purpose pairing between technology and qualitati...

2017

2022

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

2015

In an attempt to help find meaning within qualitative data, researchers commonly start by coding their data. There are a number of coding systems available to researchers and this reflexive account explores my reflections on the use of two such techniques. As part of a larger investigation, two pilot studies were undertaken as a means to examine the relative merits of open coding and template coding for examining transcripts. This article does not describe the research project per se but attempts to step back and offer a reflexive account of the development of data coding tools. Here I reflect upon and evaluate the two data coding techniques that were piloted, and discuss how using appropriate aspects of both led to the development of my final data coding approach. My exploration found there was no clear-cut ‘best’ option but that the data coding techniques needed to be reflexively-aligned to meet the specific needs of my project. This reflection suggests that, when coding qualitative data, researchers should be methodologically thoughtful when they attempt to apply any data coding technique; that they do not assume pre-established tools are aligned to their particular paradigm; and that they consider combining and refining established techniques as a means to define their own specific codes.

The analysis of psychological networks in previous research has been limited to the inspection of centrality measures the quantification of specific global network features. The main idea of this paper is that a psychological network entails more potentially useful and interesting information that can be reaped by other methods widely used in network science. Specifically, we suggest methods that provide clearer picture about hierarchical arrangement of nodes in the network, address heterogeneity of nodes in the network, and look more closely at network’s local structure. We explore the potential value of minimum spanning trees, participation coefficients, and motif analyses, and demonstrate the relevant analyses using a network of 26 psychological attributes. Using these techniques, we investigate how the network of different psychological concepts is organized, which attribute is most central, and what the role of intelligence in the network is relative to other psychological vari...

Qualitative data analysis is a critical phase in qualitative research. One of its cornerstones is the coding process. Deductive and inductive codes are generated for breadth and depth exploration of the research topics, respectively. Deductive coding bases on ‘a priori’ of codes to which segments of texts and transcripts are assigned. Inductive coding begins with data, making segments and categories, and generating relevant codes. It is concluded from this analysis that both the deductive and inductive coding often occurs in a qualitative data analysis process. Areas of further investigation are recommended.

Field Methods, 2007