My presentation to the 2014 CAQDAS conference - From graph paper to digital research: our Framework journey.

1. From graph paper to
digital research: our
Framework journey
Kandy Woodfield
Director of Learning
NatCen Social Research
©NatCen Social Research 2014

2. Overview
 NatCen Social Research – who we are and what we do
 Qualitative research in applied social policy research
 Framework and NatCen’s approach to QR
 Big journeys begin with small steps - our Framework journey
 The impact of QDAS on analysis
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3. We’re here
because social
research has the
power to make life
better

4. 4
The areas we specialise in

5. Research at NatCen
Deliberative

6. Understanding the context
“(Funders) have certain requirements of the
research they commission… that evidence is
systematically generated and analysed, with
interpretations that are well-founded and
defensible and able to support wider inference.
It also means that emphasis is placed on research
findings which are accessibly presented and
sufficiently focused to inform policy planning and
implementation.”
(Ritchie et al, 2014)

7. Shifting sands in applied social
policy research
Long struggle for credibility, by 2012:
61% of commissioned studies included
qualitative elements -
 18 used only/mainly qualitative methods
 A further 35 used a combination of qual/quant
Almost routine use of qualitative approaches
in evaluation (Jago, 2014 forthcoming)
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8. The black box…

9. Our approach
 Applied vs. purely theoretical
 Draws on varied traditions to
meet requirements of clients
Characterised by:
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 Critical or subtle realism
(e.g. Robson, 2002; Hammersley,1992)
 Interpretivism
 Pragmatism
 Use of Framework for qual data management
 Reflexivity
 Rigour
 Inferential status

10. Learning curves with QDAS
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The Tippex years
1980s
Late 1990s
2008
2011

11. 11

12. Aim of analysis - analytical outputs
Categories of things (mapping, description, thematic analysis)
• Reasons for gambling
• Sources of debt advice
• Attitudes to the environment
Categories of people or processes (typologies)
•Types of gambler
•Types of school programmes
•Grant application processes
Why people do or think what they do (explanatory analysis)
•Factors influencing how people feel about income in retirement
•What helps achieve positive outcomes from an employment programme
Theory development

13. What is Framework?

14. Framework - a tool not a method
In substantive tradition, concerned with:
 capturing and interpreting meanings in the data
 focusing on what the text says
“Data are treated as windows on the participants’ social
world, referring to and representing feelings, perceptions
and events.” (Ritchie et al, 2014)
Framework meant to assist in the ordering of data to
facilitate interpretation

15. 15

16. 16

17. Objectives of data management
Primary objectives
Re-order tangled
discourse
Make data
accessible
Secondary objectives
Reduce data volume
Prioritise questions

18. Key features
 Case and theme based approach (to enable
cross & within case analysis)
 Reduces data through summarisation &
synthesis
 Matrix display of summarised data
 Retains links to original data
 Output allows comprehensive and transparent
data analysis

19. Framework - case and theme based
Name
1.1 Nature of crime 1.2 Setting /locale 1.3 Impact on
day to day life
JohnJohn
Ellen
Paul
Chart 2: Making contact with Police
Chart 3: Experiences of police help and support
Chart 4: Impact of engagement with Police
Chart 1: Exp. of
crime
How do you
choose your
themes?
What goes
in the
cells?

20. Value of Framework matrix output
 Data displayed in descriptive ‘chunks’
aids enquiry-focussed intepretation
 Matrix preserves context - aids
search for explanation
 Links btwn cognitive
processes & visual display
 Data organised, but reduced
 Encourages display of diversity
 Great for teamwork
Systematic
Comprehensive
Transparent
Analytical
process is ...

21. Limitations
 Time and labour intensive
 Danger of becoming process rather than outcome
focused (as with coding)
 Need to be reflexive and critical – not forcing
square pegs into round hole
 Not great for exploring narratives or linguistics on
it’s own

23. Outline

25. 25
 In 2006 we tried again
 Commissioned Cordsoft & experienced project
manager
 Followed a rigorous approach to PM and
development
 Specified what we wanted to the software to
do, how and why
 In 2008 we launched our own software

28. Developing software
 Huge respect for software developers in this field
 Development forced us to reappraise what Framework was and
was for
 What do we do and why?
 What would we like to be able to do better?
 Adopt a more methodologically flexible approach now vs tightly
controlled
 Development work made us reappraise where Framework sits
alongside other tools and raised the quality of our
methodological discussions

29. 29
Benefits of using software
Practical – formatting and reliable handling of volumes of data
 Positions Framework alongside other approaches to data
management
 Eases tension between abstraction to get perspective and
remaining close to the data
 Analysts given back freedom to choose whatever approach
suits their research study – plurality
 Aids creativity by supporting iteration up and down the
analytical ladder from descriptive to theory building
 Keeps pace with technological change i.e. social media data

30. What impact?
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I'm a fan of pen and paper;
getting post-its out &moving
them around; sharing
opinions etc. This isn't really
something that you're able to
do when working in any
CAQDAS but that I feel can
give an added benefit to
thinking creatively in qual
analysis.
It is not a
substitute
for thinking!
With NVivo I don't have to
stick so rigidly to the
model, but can adapt
different techniques
depending on the needs of
a particular project. I think
there's a lot of functionality
people aren’t using.
Framework can make you more
creative in the interpretative
stage of analysis because it
allows you more time to analyse,
and it allows you to compare
cases effectively while making
sure not to get lost in the details.

31. Key challenges
Time needed – learning and development
 Need champions and experts to support skills
development and growth
Getting people beyond the core functionality
 limited uses of advanced features like
visualization, queries to develop creativity in the
search for explanations and understanding
Encouraging creative and intelligent use of the
tools available
Horizon scanning
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32. Learning curves
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The Tippex years
Where
next?