Common Questions
As a NUD*IST trainer, I get a wide variety of people coming to
my courses. Some are convinced that NUD*IST is the right package
for them before I ever meet them. Others are worried about using
the computer for qualitative analysis. Still others confidently
(and mistakenly) believe that NUD*IST will automatically analyse
their data for them. Each type of learner has a common set of
questions about training. Those that are convinced that NUD*IST
is the right package for them, are likely to ask - How long will
it take me to learn? and When should I take a course? Those who
are unsure about using computers for qualitative analysis may
ask - Is NUD*IST the right package for me? or Will it influence
how I analyse my data? and often Wouldn't it be quicker in the
end if I use my tried and tested manual methods? Those who think
NUD*IST will do their thinking for them, usually do not have questions
in the beginning, but are dismayed when they learn during the
course how labour intensive qualitative analysis can be. (These
are people who are complete novices to qualitative research and
are not aware how even more labour intensive manual methods of
analysis are!)
Before deciding to use NUD*IST, I think it is important for new
users to assess their learning needs. Once clear about their
learning needs, new users will have a more solid basis for assessing
NUD*IST (or any software for qualitative analysis
Assessing yourself
The four learning tasks
I always start my NUD*IST workshops by outlining the four learning tasks that participants will be engaged in during the course. These are:
The focus of the workshop is on learning the "nuts and bolts"
of NUD*IST. On my introductory workshops, I assume that people
are absolute beginners and start from the basics.
However, in my public courses I will get a mixed group in terms of how experienced people are of qualitative analysis in general. I ask people to assess themselves in terms of being either:
The novice qualitative researcher
The complete novice will have to get to grips with understanding
how to approach the analysis of qualitative data as well as the
nuts and bolts of a software package. Often they come from disciplines
which are new to using qualitative data. Their disciplines are
likely to view qualitative data with suspicion and are unlikely
to provide training in approaches to qualitative research. They
also will lack peers they can turn to for advice. Some of these
people may overestimate what NUD*IST and packages like it can
do. They may expect it to do the analysis for them. They are
also likely to be influenced by approaching the analysis to data
in the way that has been structured by the tutorial which comes
with NUD*IST or by the example study the trainer may use. If
you are a complete novice and committed to doing research using
qualitative data, you need to realise that learning how to use
NUD*IST does not teach you how to do qualitative analysis. NUD*IST
is a tool. You need to understand what approach you are adopting
to your analysis before you can decide what features of NUD*IST
you will want to use. Learning about NUD*IST should be part of
a larger training programme regarding approaches to qualitative
analysis.
The inexperienced but "aware" qualitative researcher
The second group who I call inexperienced but "aware"
of the issues regarding approaches to qualitative analysis have
had this general qualitative research methodology training. However,
they are just starting to put this knowledge into practice in
their first piece of research. They may not be sure exactly what
approach to the analysis they may take. They may be aware of
the range of possibilities but have no practical experience of
any. They may be concerned about when they should take the course
and how long it will take them to learn. The timing of the course
is important. They may first need to know whether NUD*IST will
be the right package for them. This may be difficult if they
have not first clarified the approach they will take. However,
once that is clarified then it may be the time to do a NUD*IST
course. This way they can see whether it will be appropriate
to their project. Some people make the mistake of only taking
the course once all their data is collected. It is important
to do the course early enough so you can experiment with the first
bits of data you get. That way you become familiar with the package
and what you can do with it with a manageable amount of data.
How long it would take this group to learn NUD*IST depends on
a number of factors. The first is how well they have been trained
in qualitative analysis. The clearer they are about their analytical
strategy, the easier it will be to learn how to use NUD*IST.
The second factor which should not be under-emphasised is how
comfortable they are with computers. They need to be at ease
with the Windows environment and be familiar with how their files
are structured. If you fall in this category, a good rule of
thumb is to assess how comfortable you felt in upgrading word-processing
package. Also how confident you feel in exploring different features
of your word-processor. Some people are "naturals"
with computers. In combination with a good training in qualitative
analysis, they should be able to quickly pick up the basics of
NUD*IST after a good 2 day course. Others, who are not confident
in their computer skills could take a much longer time and may
give up all together if they do not receive proper support.
The experienced qualitative researcher
The experienced qualitative researcher will have done a number
of projects analysing data using manual methods. In my experience,
they tend to be of two types. The first type enthusiastically
embrace NUD*IST, aware how it manages their data far better than
paper systems. This group also tends to feel comfortable with
computers and are fairly computer literate. The other type are
a bit suspicious of using computers in general to analyse qualitative
data. They are particularly concerned that the structure of the
programme can limit the analysis or push them to analyse the data
in a particular way. Unlike the novices, they have the qualitative
analysis skills not to let this happen. I try to encourage them
to look at what aspects of their approach to qualitative analysis
they think NUD*IST can help. I also encourage them to consider
what features of NUD*IST allow them to do things which are compatible
with their approach to analysis but which are not possible to
do manually. It does require some new learning. Some experienced
qualitative researchers feel that their manual methods will be
quicker in the end. I find that this is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If someone is unsure about NUD*IST and only half-heartedly uses
it, then their hesitance will cost them time. Of course they
should assess the software to see if it is relevant to their approach.
But the best way to assess it is to attend a training course
and then immediately after the course spend some time playing
with their own data in NUD*IST.
In assessing NUD*IST, it is important to remember that it is a
very flexible package and can be used in a variety of approaches
to analysing qualitative data. The positivist will find the link
to SPSS very useful in finally being able to have a quick way
to analyse open-ended questions in surveys. The interpretavist
may look at that link with disdain but will value the node browser.
Refining codes and jumping back to the original context of an
extract has never been easier. The transcendental realist will
use both. It is important to remember that NUD*IST is a tool.
It is methodologically agnostic. You only need to use the features
of NUD*IST which are relevant to your approach. That is why it
is important to be clear about your approach.
Action Plan
If you are committed to learning how to use NUD*IST, you can set
up your own action plan dependent on your needs.
First, assess how experienced you are in analysing qualitative
data. If you are a novice, you need to attend courses in qualitative
analysis as well as in NUD*IST. If you are from a discipline
which has only started to use qualitative data, build yourself
a support network. Subscribe to a list such as QUAL-RS which
is for qualitative researchers. You can learn a lot from the
discussions that go on there and also you can ask your own questions.
If you work or study in a university, seek out colleagues from
departments that have more of a tradition of using qualitative
data.
Secondly, if you are sure of your approach to qualitative analysis
but not confident of your computer skills, take a course in Windows,
File Manager and in a word-processing package. You will find
these skills useful not only for NUD*IST.
Finally, if you are an experienced researcher but not sure about
using computer packages for qualitative analysis, invest some
time getting to know a package. Don't approach learning a package
half-heartedly. You will waste more time in the long run. And
do take a NUD*IST training course. NUD*IST is a very flexible
package and can be used in different ways according to the nature
of the project. Make sure that you use it correctly and to its
full potential.
A version of this article was published in NUD.IST Newsletter, 10, December/January 1997/8