Basics of Using Qualitative Data Analysis Software for Research and Evaluation

Due to losing air conditioning on Friday, July 21, this workshop has moved to an online format. Please contact Shaun Bennett (sbennet@ncsu.edu) if you have not yet received the Zoom link. 

Distilling large bodies of text into legible patterns is an iterative and systematic process. To accomplish this task, social scientists develop a codebook, an exhaustive and mutually exclusive list of terms into which pieces of text can be fitted. They also rely on qualitative data analysis software, like NVivo or Dedoose, to streamline the process. In this workshop, we will go over different types of qualitative coding and software as tools to aid in research and evaluation. Furthermore, we will rely on active learning techniques that build capacity in utilizing these tools. This will provide a base of information to guide you in employing this important tool to support projects at the interface of social and technical systems. No prior expertise is needed, as this workshop is about getting you thinking about how qualitative research tools could support your future projects.

Speaker Biography:

Dr. Andrew Smolski is a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences. His research focuses on agri-food systems and political economy, with an emphasis on Latin America and the United States. He collaborates with scholars from Animal Sciences, Crop Sciences, and Agriculture and Human Sciences, building interdisciplinary projects. He has published in Capital & Class, Agriculture, and Development in Practice. As coordinating editor of Latin American Perspectives, a generalist Latin American Studies peer-reviewed journal, he reviews and edits manuscripts in English, Spanish and Portuguese from a global network of scholars.