Blog Posts

Analytic Activities in Qualitative Data Analysis and how they are facilitated by CAQDAS-packages

Sep 26, 20219 min read

Analytic Activities in Qualitative Data Analysis and how they are facilitated by CAQDAS-packages

Qualitative data analysis is a varied field with numerous paradigms, methodologies, techniques and tools so it can be overwhelming to...

The crux of literature reviewing: structuring critical appraisals and using CAQDAS-packages

Christina Silver

May 14, 20207 min read

The crux of literature reviewing: structuring critical appraisals and using CAQDAS-packages

develop and analyse critical appraisals of literature thoughtfully and systematically

How an exchange standard can revolutionise the teaching of CAQDAS-packages: the REFI-QDA Standard

Christina Silver

Feb 15, 20204 min read

How an exchange standard can revolutionise the teaching of CAQDAS-packages: the REFI-QDA Standard

Pull up your socks CAQDAS developers - we need finer tools for visual analysis

Christina Silver

Jul 11, 201911 min read

Pull up your socks CAQDAS developers - we need finer tools for visual analysis

I focused on the digital tools. These are not the only options available, but they were specifically developed to support the analysis.

Christina Silver

Mar 18, 20195 min read

Big moment for CAQDAS: QDA-XML exchange

It's finally here - the ability to exchange analysed qualitative data between CAQDAS packages! Since September 2016 the developers of...

An ode to Kandy Woodfield’s CAQDAS contributions

Christina Silver

Mar 15, 20197 min read

An ode to Kandy Woodfield’s CAQDAS contributions

I was shocked and deeply saddened to see a tweet from Kandy Woodfield’s account announcing her passing. As Rob stated, she was a very...

Mindsets matter: think about how you think about CAQDAS programs

Christina Silver

Oct 31, 20187 min read

Mindsets matter: think about how you think about CAQDAS programs

On 17th October 2018 I had the privilege of opening the Digital Tools day at the World Conference on Qualitative Research (#WCQR2018) in...

Christina Silver

May 25, 20185 min read

Can tactics inform strategies?

Analytic strategies come before software tactics: that’s the Five-Level QDA approach. But there are times when software tactics can...

A CAQDAS horror story: when tactics drive strategies

Christina Silver

Mar 22, 20184 min read

A CAQDAS horror story: when tactics drive strategies

A key principle of the Five-Level QDA(R) method is that analytic strategies drive software tactics. This ensures that software use is...

Methods matter - illustrating quality in qualitative analysis and the role of CAQDAS

Christina Silver

Jan 6, 20184 min read

Methods matter - illustrating quality in qualitative analysis and the role of CAQDAS

Professor Debra Jackson’s post about the Journal of Child & Family Studies’ intention to from now on only review and publish quantitative...

No 'basic' or 'advanced' CAQDAS features

Christina Silver

May 13, 20176 min read

No 'basic' or 'advanced' CAQDAS features

This blog post is a response to Steve Wright’s reaction to this comment I made on Twitter on April 27th 2017: “There are no basic or...

Don't blame the tools: researchers de-contextualise data, not CAQDAS

Christina Silver

Jan 7, 20174 min read

Don't blame the tools: researchers de-contextualise data, not CAQDAS

In an earlier post on CAQDAS critics and advocates I promised to provide evidence for my position that CAQDAS packages are not...

CAQDAS at a Crossroads: Controversies, Challenges, Choices

Christina Silver

Jul 20, 20166 min read

CAQDAS at a Crossroads: Controversies, Challenges, Choices

Last week I gave the keynote at the 1st International Symposium on Qualitative Research and the 5th Ibero-American Congress on...

Breaking down the boundaries between CAQDAS advocates and critics

Christina Silver

Jun 30, 20166 min read

Breaking down the boundaries between CAQDAS advocates and critics

I was searching through tweets using the #CAQDAS hashtag the other day and came across one that sent me reeling. And not in a good way....