Technology-Supported Qualitative Inquiry: Beyond Data Analysis Software

• In Event: Roundtable Session 105
  In Roundtable Session: Technological Advances in Qualitative Inquiry and Visual Methods

Abstract

Modern practices and technological advances have impacted our research practice in numerous ways. The information explosion, the proliferation of computing devices, and the emphasis on interdisciplinary, collaborative research require new ways of managing the research process. While debates surrounding technology use have focused on the use of data analysis software for qualitative research, little attention has been given to the affordances and constraints of technology tools for other aspects of the research process. This paper: (1) provides an overview of the ways in which the qualitative research literature has made sense of technology’s relationship to qualitative inquiry and (2) uses the Conole and Dyke (2004) taxonomy to explore the affordances and constraints of specific technology tools.

Authors

• Trena M. Paulus, The University of Tennessee

• Jessica Nina Lester, Indiana University