Computer assistance and the evolution of qualitative data analysis

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to examine the emergence of computer assistance in qualitative research and to describe its impact on research practices. The use of data analysis programs is approached from methodological frameworks ofbasic and structured qualitative approaches. Computer use is also examined from the viewpoint of concrete operations of data analysis. Particularly the new features, which software packages are claimed to have brought to data analysis, are discussed in the paper. It is argued that computer assisted techniques provide possibilities fr developing the often impressionistic qualitative data analysis procedures into something more integrated, explicit and systematic. However, it is also emphasised that analysis programs themselves do not represent any methodological approaches. By offering a special toolkit fr data processing, computer assistance should be understood only as an attempt to enhance analytic practices in qualitative research.